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For eight years as a Hawkesbury City Councillor, I have sought to keep you informed about the issues that concern and affect you .
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I'm the only one of your twelve Councillors who tries to keep you updated in this way. I am a local schoolteacher by vocation, so I consider it one of my core responsibilities to engage you and keep you up-to-date.
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Councillor Nathan Zamprogno
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Should the Hawkesbury become part of the Sydney ant-hill?
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The March edition of the excellent new local newspaper, the Hawkesbury Post contains an opinion piece I've written about the pressures for development in our city. Above is a short and engaging video version about our future. I think this is the most important message I've ever made as a Councillor. I hope that it stimulates debate.
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Sydney's addiction to endless growth is gradually eroding what makes the Hawkesbury such a special place to live.
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Gaining understanding includes exploring an economic concept called 'The Tragedy of the Commons', buying milk at the local shops, and questioning the impact of Australia's unprecedented levels of migration.
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What do these have in common? I'm a teacher, so I'm glad you asked.
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Launch of the "Future of the Hawkesbury" website
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This year is a Council election year, with a vote due on September 14th.
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The biggest question is 'What do you want the future of the Hawkesbury to be?'
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We want our city to thrive, with vibrant town centres and well maintained roads. We want to look after our heritage and our environment. And we expect Council to provide services and facilities efficiently.
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But the biggest issue Council will take a position on is how many more houses will we build in our city. There is a push to build thousands more houses in our city, on both sides of the river.
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It will host surveys and petitions to gather the widest ever snapshot of your views about Council and the way it interacts with other tiers of government.
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Some might ask why there is a need for this, when most plans or policies of Council are placed on public exhibition for comment.
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Some of the surveys and petitions on the site today.
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I discovered Council only has email details for fewer than one in five ratepayers.
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I discovered that when Council adds up its responses from all forms of consultation, be it community meetings, phone polling, or public exhibition of documents, they rarely reach more than a few percent of people affected by any particular decision. We must do better.
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In late 2020, Council debated its housing policy. The suburbs along the south-eastern boundary of our city (like Oakville, Vineyard and Maraylya) are on the front line of the pressure for more development.
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The pressure for subdivision is splitting that community. I recognised that some are in favour of subdivision, and some against. In that debate I said the simple and courteous thing we should do, and especially in those suburbs, is ask everyone what they want the future to look like. I was voted down. So, this initiative is intended to reach as many residents in the Hawkesbury as possible.
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If there's an issue you think Council is neglecting, and you want to prove that the community are united in demanding action, sign one of the petitions we're kicking off with, or suggest your own.
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This September will be the most consequential Council election in the Hawkesbury's history. Be engaged, and be heard.
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