crag newsletter - august 2000
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Funds Lost - Catchup Required
(crag 0002)



What happened to our budget allocation?

No new funds allocated for Canal in this financial year's NSW State budget.

Canal Reserve falls behind even further.

Work on the Canal Reserve has been set back by at least another twelve months following the release of the NSW State Government's latest budget.

Whilst the budget appeared to provide $1.3 million for work on the Canal Reserve for this financial year, the reality is that last years allocation was not spent and these are the funds remaining.

In other words we were not granted ANY new funds for this financial year.


Six years so far, it's just too long...

On Father's Day this year it will be six years since we started fighting to save our Reserve. Six years, and what progress can you see on the site? Correct. NONE.

And now we have lost a years funding. Most of us wanted to see the area safe for use by our children. At the rate of progress, so far, we'll be lucky if our grandchildren see benefit from our efforts.

It is now time for catchup. It's time for the NSW State Government to get serious and to allocate serious funds in next years budget to make something happen.

WE WANT TO SEE A MINIMUM OF $5 MILLION ALLOCATED AND UTILISED ON THE CANAL RESERVE BEFORE 30 JUNE 2002.

We need your support, now, to let the politicians know we are not happy. We need them to know that we expect at least $5m in next year's budget. We are giving them ample warning of our expectations.

So please,

write to these politicians NOW!

Contact details are:

Michael Egan
NSW Treasurer
Level 33
Governor Macquarie Tower
1 Farrer Place
Sydney 2000


Bob Carr
Premier of NSW
GPO Box 5341
Sydney 2001


Bob Debus
Minister for the Environment
PO Box A290
Sydney South NSW 1232


Carl Scully
Local Member for Smithfield
PO Box 86
Fairfield NSW 2165


Kim Yeadon
Minister for Western Sydney
Level 34
Governor Macquarie Tower
1 Farrer Place
Sydney NSW 2000

Remember! Encourage your neighbours to write as well.

And please, after you receive the standard "holding response" from the above politicians, regularly send them followups. Let them know that we are not going away and keep demanding meaningful answers.

Council Approves Development Application

In the only piece of good news of late, Holroyd City Council recently approved the Canal Reserve Development Application submitted by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Hopefully, this will see commencement of filling work on the Canal site in the near future.

Lets hope that the Olympics and Christmas are not used as excuses to hold back the Canal works. We don't want to see a repeat of this years loss of funds from the NSW State Government which would see the project in danger of becoming one of the Nation's first tri-centennial projects.

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