What we do
We focus on restoring the people of Shoalhaven to sovereignty and on projects that meet our community's needs. We do that by organizing ourselves into the following core committees.
Food Sufficiency
We are a like minded community that understand the importance of Food Sufficiency.
- We are aiming to set up a truly organic and innovative food bowl in the Shoalhaven. We harvest our seeds locally, and use heirloom where ever possible.
- We support our backyard growers, barter /trade seedlings and produce…
- We use the electroculture concept in our gardening as we are looking for innovative ways to work with nature.
- We do not use and we will not encourage use of pesticides. We use natural herbicide homemade products or live bugs (ladybugs, lacewings) to fight pests…
- We compost, use compost worms, compost juice, we can build garden beds also…
- We organize barter/trade gatherings on private lands all over Shoalhaven region regularly
Environment
We advocate for a healthy environment by:
Reducing emissions across all council assets
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- Sustainable tourism
- Harness opportunities for job creation with multiple benefits (social, economic, environmental)
- Enhance resilience planning to ensure readiness for climate change-related events
- Water security. Stop the use of Fluoride in water
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Addressing weather and climate impact concerns
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- More renewable energy across council infrastructure to reduce emissions, as a mandatory focus in all planning, with future Tesla Technology
- Work with service industries to support emissions reduction
- Investigate the impacts of Climate and weather issues caused by weather modification technologies, and conduct a full enquiry into Geo Engineering and Cloud seeding technology and the impacts on people’s health , biodiversity and environmental health.
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Planting trees
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- Facilitate and encourage tree planting with schools, businesses and community groups
- Direct action – Just go ahead and plant one yourself!
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Encouraging sustainable tourism
Our pristine environment underpins our biggest industry – tourism. If we protect our environment, we protect our economy and where we live on the beautiful South Coast.
Housing
We advocate for affordable housing for all by:
Affordable rental options
The rental market is difficult to enter for a young person due to affordability and availability. We need better planning to ensure that as our region grows, we have affordable rental options for all with good quality development that benefits the community and the environment. We will advocate for change in local planning laws to make this happen and ensure no one is left behind, especially those living with a disability and our youth.
Social housing
Work collaboratively to find solutions to balance the needs of tourism with the needs of our community.
Accessible housing
We will drive policy change to ensure developers are creating enough housing to meet those with special needs, disabilities and low-income situations. We would like tax breaks and review opportunities for tax reforms to enable cost-effective living for families.
Health care
Individualised health care and freedom to choose alternative health therapies
Health and personal choices in medication experimental trials and new medication programs, and informed consent conducted with respect and value for human life.
Encourage alternative medicines such as Homeopathy, Natropathy and acupuncture as well as Natural plants used for medicinal purposes.
A new Shoalhaven hospital and upgrades to hospitals
First we will advocate the NSW State Government to get a new hospital that will deliver for the long term: equitable access for ALL residents and services delivered in a timely fashion.
A dementia-friendly city
Older people need to feel safe and confident to access shops and services, that will also deliver social and economic benefits.
We will advocate for accessible infrastructure that is designed to remove barriers for the aged.
Drug & Ice harm minimisation
Drug abuse is a health issue – not a criminal issue.
We will advocate for adequate rehabilitation facilities that are desperately needed, as well as better drug education and prevention programs because prevention is the safest option for our community as a whole.
Future-forward planning for aged care services
2016 Census data indicates that 25.5% of the Gilmore population is over 65, and this is forecast to rise to 31.8% by 2031.
We do not have the services we need to look after our ageing population and ensure quality of life in later years.
We need to plan further ahead.
Domestic violence and women’s health services
Domestic violence is a scourge on Australian society. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 1 in 6 (1.6 million) women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a cohabiting partner.
We will advocate to reinstate Domestic Violence workers in local police stations and for more services to the most vulnerable in our community.
It’s time to produce better health outcomes for EVERYONE.
Community planning
Development 2025 & Community Consultation planning for Smart Cities with Digital ID
The pandemic had reshaped Australia’s population through redistribution and also how we design future cities, hospitals and overall urban planning.
The result of this boost in demand combined with the work-from-home trend will continue to lead to higher demand and prices which also puts a strain on our local infrastructure.
We believe the Shoalhaven Council urgently need to look at the overall planning of the towns moving forward – they need to remove the red tape and fast track land release, and work with all tiers of Government as well as obtain informed and concise consultation with the community.
We obviously encourage development in less environmentally sensitive areas along with allowing an increase in building heights in parts of the CBD whilst also keep our ‘heritage’ aspects too.
It is probably too late to change much in the CBD, however the DCP and LEP need to embrace the positive and progressive ideals of being eco-friendly, accessible and being mindful to their overall impact to the space. Any additional ‘costs’ for example associated with being wheelchair accessible should be ‘offset’ by incentivising developers to really encourage and take this on board.
Important to be fully involving the community in the planning process especially those with access issues and our Aboriginal communities. A set of best practices and Shoalhaven design models to be proud of.
Looking into the future of the Smart Cities Program requires a fully investigation into the risk and benefits of such a major alteration to a regional town. Before initiation of the smart city involving already numerous instillation of CTTV cameras, 5G towers and associated monitoring equipment, let us solve the housing crisis first. Older women over 50 and young people, are unable to rent or purchase a home across the electorate, yet we have invested heavily into roads and the Smart Cities program. We will advocate to cease the smart cities program and Digital Identity program until full community consultation has been conducted. Adding to this , divert money from expenditure of Smart Cities program, and instead, invest in housing!!!
Roads and safety
We need to ensure that our roads are in good working order. If not, why not?
Have you spotted a road damaged or full of potholes? Talk with us and make sure you speak with your appropriate Ward councillor or notify your local Federal and State member for advocacy.
You can take immediate action by photographing and reporting it to council via
https://www.shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au/Services/Report-a-Problem
Speeding: the facts
Speeding is a major factor in crashes that cause serious injury and death. Speeding doesn’t just mean driving above the speed limit, it means driving too fast for the conditions.