Category: Advocacy

When power pushes back, who speaks for the public?

More than 20 percent of Kiama’s adult population now reads this blog. That tells me one thing loud and clear, people want to know what’s going on. They want facts, context, and the confidence to ask questions that matter.

Which brings me to what’s happening now.

On 28 May, I wrote to Kiama Council to raise a formal complaint about a public statement titled “Bugle article correction” that remains live on their website. That statement discredits a piece of reporting I wrote about developer contributions, reporting that was based entirely on public documents, and which no one has ever asked me to correct.

 I’m speaking as someone who has spent over a year digging into Council reports, explaining how local decisions are made, and making civic processes easier to understand.

Council told me I’d receive a response to my complaint within ten days. It’s approaching three weeks. Nothing.

What makes this harder to ignore is that the article Council tried to discredit contained facts that the Mayor found concerning enough to launch an internal investigation. The Deputy Mayor also backed the call. In fact, both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor formally asked for the correction notice to be taken down. It’s still there.

Which raises a question, not just for the public, but for every councillor.

How does it feel to be elected to represent your community, and then discover you have no power to correct a public statement you believe is misleading?


How does it feel to know your request can be ignored, even when it’s clear the original article was accurate?

Since then, Council has added its Media Policy (April 2025) as a reference under the statement. If that’s meant to justify keeping it online, it misses the point. I’m not a Council official. I’m not bound by internal media rules. And if the policy really does promote “accuracy and professionalism,” Council should be asking itself why it’s still hosting content that undermines both.

 This is not just about process. This is about power. Someone is using their position to silence voices that challenge them, and they are sending a strong message to others, including councillors, that getting in the way will have consequences. That is not leadership. It is bullying.

The best way to shut that down is not to wait for external bodies to act. It is for councillors to step up. The community is watching. So are others in the media.

If this can’t be resolved properly within Council, I’ll take it further, through the union, through formal complaints, through national media. But we all know that everyone’s time is better spent improving transparency, not justifying the unjustifiable on ABC radio.

I have a voice. Let’s make sure the community has one too.

#Kiama #KiamaCouncil #LocalGovernment #PressFreedom #CivicEngagement #TheBugle #RegionalMedia #PublicInterestJournalism

It’s not about heroes, it’s about all of us

This is a series for anyone who’s ever asked, What’s really going on in local government or why does this feel so hard to follow?

Reading my blogs takes you behind the scenes of local government, community advocacy, and the stories that don’t always make it into the minutes. It’s a mix of personal reflection, plain-English explanations, and shared learning – all with one goal in mind: to help more people feel confident, connected, and capable of being part of the change.

Whether you’re on the front line or watching from the stands, you’re welcome here. We all have a part to play.

My aim has always been to give others the confidence to ask questions, challenge what doesn’t make sense, and speak up when something’s not right. Not everyone needs to write or speak publicly. Not everyone wants to. That’s fine.

This is more like a surf club or a fire brigade. Not everyone is on the front line, but everyone has a role. It might be helping with background research, sharing minutes from a meeting, keeping an eye on council papers, or simply encouraging someone else to keep going.

This kind of community work isn’t about heroes. It’s about habits. It’s about people doing what they can, where they are, with what they’ve got.

If you’ve been watching from the sidelines and wondering how to get more involved, maybe this is your moment. If you’ve got time, skills, insight or even just interest, I’d love to hear from you.

We can do this together, because it matters.

#ReadingTheBlogs #CivicsMadeSimple #WeAllHaveARole #LocalGovernmentMatters #CommunityVoices #Kiama #InformedTogether

What the Kiama surf club saga reveals about Council culture

New here?
This blog is part of a series that explores how local government decisions affect everyday people in the Kiama area. I’m a long-time resident and former civics reporter, and I write to help our community stay informed, ask better questions and understand how things are meant to work – especially when they don’t.

In a 2024 media release, Kiama Council CEO Jane Stroud responded to community concern about the Gerringong Surf Life Saving Club build.

At the time, she said:

“There are several important lessons to be learnt in this project in terms of community driven replacement of Council owned facilities versus planned strategic replacement and renewal of Council assets.”

That’s a loaded sentence.

On the surface, it sounds like collaboration. But read between the lines and you’ll spot a recurring theme in how this Council operates: control, deflection, and carefully curated language that shifts accountability without ever saying the word.

When the CEO refers to community-driven replacement versus planned strategic replacement, she is drawing a line between Council’s preferred way of working – slow, top-down, internal – and what actually happened: a local surf club took initiative, secured $6 million in funding, and managed a major public project on community land.

The club did what Council didn’t. And instead of asking what Council could learn from that, the statement subtly positions the community effort as the problem. As if the real issue is that the community acted – not that Council failed to meet its own development consent conditions, failed to date the construction agreement, and allowed the building to be occupied while key access issues were unresolved.

When asbestos was discovered during construction, Council agreed to contribute an additional $370,000 to help cover remediation costs. It was a necessary move, but also a telling one, especially when paired with what the CEO said next:

“We hope this half-million-dollar shortfall serves as an important lesson and a model for better collaboration in future community projects.”

This reads like gratitude wrapped in a warning. A way of saying, thanks for doing the hard work,  but don’t do it like this again.

This is the heart of the problem. At Kiama Council, there is a pattern. When something doesn’t go to plan, the instinct is not to own the issue or bring the right people to the table. It is to recast the story. Reframe the facts. And remind everyone who holds the pen.

That might pass in internal briefings. But in a community? People notice. Because they remember who showed up. Who fundraised. Who built the thing. And who quietly waited for Council to catch up or come clean.

And let’s not forget, this wasn’t a private build on private land. The new surf club was constructed on community land, managed by Council. That means Council was the landowner, the regulator, and the eventual asset holder. So when asbestos was discovered during construction, the obvious question is: why didn’t Council already know it was there?

If Council had done the necessary environmental due diligence, it should have been flagged long before the project started. Instead, the cost of that oversight was shifted, again, to the community group doing the heavy lifting.

This is what happens when governance loses sight of its core job: to serve, support, and safeguard the public interest. Not to act surprised when the cracks show.

It’s time we stopped mistaking polished press releases for leadership. Real leadership is about working with the community, not against it. It’s about learning lessons, not assigning them.

And most of all, it’s about being honest – especially when it’s inconvenient.

#KiamaCouncil #LocalLeadership #CommunityAccountability #PublicLand #SurfClubBuild #AsbestosOversight #GovernanceMatters #CivicEngagement #DevelopmentConsent #InfrastructureTransparency

Are they public toilets if the public can’t reach them?

New here?

This blog explores the messy, fascinating business of local democracy in the Kiama local government area. I’m not a councillor, not council staff, and not on anyone’s payroll. I’m a long-time community member and former civics reporter for the local paper. I care about transparency, process, and making sure public decisions actually serve the public.

The post below is part of an ongoing series tracking what’s happening at the new Gerringong Surf Life Saving Club building. This time, we’re asking a basic question: what good are public toilets if the public can’t use them?

If you care about access, accountability, or the difference between what’s promised and what’s delivered, welcome,  you’re in the right place.

On 23 April 2025, I wrote an article for The Bugle titled Let’s make Kiama beaches accessible to all ages, all abilities, all the time.

That article was the beginning of a conversation we will keep having until it becomes reality. I am continuing to work with John Maclean, who featured in the story, and with the wheelchair surfing community to help Kiama lead by example.

This is not a campaign for special treatment. It is about access for everyone.  Kiama beaches and public spaces that are accessible to all ages, all abilities, all the time.

In December 2024, a private certifier issued an Occupation Certificate for the new Gerringong Surf Life Saving Club building. That certificate was meant to confirm the building was complete and ready for lawful use, including access for all.

Kiama Council has said the project includes $180,000 worth of public infrastructure. That includes accessible public toilets. This claim was repeated in a joint press release issued by Council and Gerringong SLSC in 2023.

So what was delivered?

There are public toilets on the southern side of the building. They are open, but they are not easily accessed by people using mobility aids. Meanwhile, the fully accessible toilets on the northern side are locked. They are located behind doors, reserved for surf club members only.

A public building, on public land, with restricted access

This is a Council-owned facility, funded by multiple levels of government. It sits on public land. It was built with the help of the community, approved through the development system, and publicly promoted as a space that would benefit more than just members.

If you are not a member and you need level access, wide doorways, and accessible fittings, these facilities are simply not available to you.

How did this get signed off?

The Occupation Certificate was issued by a private certifier. That raises several questions.

Did the certifier inspect the site and assess the toilets that were actually open to the public? Were they informed that the accessible toilets would be locked? Did they assume accessibility shown on the plans matched accessibility in practice?

If the accessible toilets were counted as part of the required infrastructure and included in the justification for funding, then someone needs to explain why they are not usable by the public.

Council has practical ways to fix this

There are straightforward options available:

  1. Make the public toilets truly accessible by improving physical access to the toilets on the southern side

  2. Unlock the accessible toilets on the northern side so they are available to everyone, not just club members

  3. Do both, and clearly communicate the changes to the community

This is not a complex policy problem. It is a matter of following through on what was promised, and ensuring public infrastructure works for the public.

Right now, we have a building that looks finished but is failing to deliver on one of its most basic public promises.

This is about the gap between what is said and what is delivered. It is about the difference between ticking a compliance box and meeting a community standard. It is about whether we are prepared to speak up when public infrastructure does not serve everyone equally.

If you cannot access a toilet in a brand new  building, what confidence should you have in future upgrades, planning approvals, or public project delivery?

And if those in charge of building, certifying, or managing these facilities will not raise the issue, then the community must.

#Kiama #GerringongSLSC #PublicAccess #AccessibleDesign #InclusiveInfrastructure #LocalGovernment #CivicAccountability #ToiletAccess #CommunityMatters

The real challenge isn’t the lease. It’s the leadership.

New here?
This blog unpacks the twists and turns of local democracy in the Kiama local government area. I’m not a councillor, not council staff, and not on any payroll. I’m a community member and former civics reporter for the local paper, and I care about transparency, process and public trust.

The post below is part of an ongoing series examining the drama around the new Gerringong Surf Life Saving Club building, and more specifically, the confusion over who runs what, who approves what, and why something as simple as a kiosk lease has become a political minefield.

If you care about good governance and strong communities, this one’s for you.

What would happen if we called time on the confusion and asked the one question that matters: What is the real stumbling block here?

That’s adaptive leadership. It’s when you stop pretending the issue is a line in the zoning code or the square footage of a kiosk and start talking about what’s actually going on.

Is it pride?

Because let’s be honest: Council is broke. Yet we’re sitting on millions of dollars’ worth of publicly owned assets and powered by thousands of volunteer hours – hours that, if costed, would amount to real economic value.

In Australia, volunteer work is valued at over $17 billion a year. That’s more than the national defence budget. It’s time to ask what that means when decisions are being made, when priorities are being set, and when access to facilities hinges on red tape and unclear communication.

And yet we treat some volunteers as politically convenient and others like they’re lucky to have a garage.

We’ve got Rural Fire Service crews operating out of mouldy sheds while surf lifesaving clubs are securing multimillion-dollar rebuilds and running coffee kiosks from beachfront locations.  If you can raise the money and deliver the outcome, well done. If your organisation has the profile and networks to attract support, use them.

But let’s not kid ourselves that this is just a lease issue.

It’s about communication, consistency, and the credibility of those in charge. When a council can’t give straight answers about its own buildings, we don’t get governance. We get guesswork.

Maybe Council is embarrassed. Maybe they feel like they lost control of a project they now have to own. Maybe the surf club knows it has strong public backing and uses that to its advantage. Maybe there’s a bit of “we save lives” moral authority that lets things slide.

But here’s the thing: no one’s sitting down to name it. No one’s saying, Here is the sticking point. Let’s stop spinning and start solving.

That’s the leadership we need. The kind that brings people to the table not to score points, but to actually get the thing sorted.

Because in the end, good governance isn’t about who holds the keys. It’s about who’s willing to ask the hard questions when the doors won’t open the way they should.


#KiamaCouncil #LocalDemocracy #GerringongSLSC #GoodGovernance #CommunityAccountability #CivicLeadership #VolunteerVoices #PublicAssets #CouncilTransparency #LocalPolitics

The zoning myth at the heart of the Gerringong Surf Life Saving Club dispute

It started with a surf club and a sausage sizzle. Now it’s playing out like a civic version of Succession, a slow-burn war of words, process, and pride, where paperwork trumps common sense and collaboration is a forgotten art.

What should have been a community victory has turned into a saga bigger than Ben Hur. An undated construction agreement. A lease that was promised but never delivered. A Council that says one thing in public and another behind closed doors. And a surf club caught in the middle, trying to keep the lights on while navigating zoning laws and bathroom audits.

The question is no longer what happened? It’s why has it come to this? And who benefits from the chaos?

At the centre of Kiama Council’s standoff with Gerringong Surf Life Saving Club is a claim that the current zoning, RE1 Public Recreation, prohibits commercial use and therefore a lease for the kiosk would require rezoning. But that’s not the full picture. 🧐

✅ RE1 zoning does prohibit general commercial activity
🚫 Unless it’s ancillary to a permitted use
🏄‍♂️ Surf clubs are a permitted use
☕ A kiosk that funds lifesaving patrols and supports club operations is clearly ancillary

💡 Across NSW, surf clubs run kiosks on RE1 land without needing to rezone. What matters is not the zoning, it’s what the Plan of Management (PoM) allows.

📜 Under Section 46 of the Local Government Act:
📝 If the PoM permits it, Council can grant a lease to a not-for-profit like GSLSC
🔁 If the PoM doesn’t permit it, Council can amend the PoM
🚫 Rezoning is not required

🔍 So what’s the real issue?
Not planning law. Not zoning. It’s interpretation, political will, and public trust.

📉 The longer this drags out, the more it looks like a civic soap opera, not a land use dilemma.

🕊️ A lease is lawful and achievable if the will is there.

#GerringongSurfClub #KiamaCouncil #LocalGovernmentDrama #CommunityLeadership #PublicTrust #ZoningDispute #CouncilWatch #SurfClubSaga #CivicSoapOpera #RE1Zoning