October's NIRAG/NF3 report

NIRAG held its last quarterly meeting in August and the minutes are available on the Flame’s website.

• Importantly that meeting voted to support the YES23 vote campaign and the referendum to have a Voice to Parliament to give First Nations peoples the right to have a say over laws that affect them. One of NIRAG’s key objectives is, “To support Aboriginal Reconciliation and recognise the cultural rights of Indigenous Australians”.
• There was a motion that Council ban fossil fuel gas connections in new homes and ask that more be done to require solar and PV friendly power in homes and apartments, new commercial buildings and community facilities. Council has followed up these ideas and has advised that on 18 Sept a new Draft Climate Mitigation Plan 2023-2030 was placed on exhibition. Feedback is required by 30 October. Go to our.wollongong.nsw.gov.au. Phone Isabelle Ghetti (4227 7111) for more information.
• Council has now started reconstruction and widening to 4m of the cycleway at Trinity Row.
• Recently members have attended one of several community consultation opportunities to learn about Anglicare’s Seniors Living Development plans for the site between Wilkies Street and Tramway Creek, Bulli. The site will include 229 apartments and a 41-bed “Care Hub”. This long-awaited project will have huge impacts on local traffic and we urge all resident to be informed and contribute. The project manager is Matt Theris of Stantec (formerly Cardno).

The connection of Geraghty Street with a bridge across Tramway Creek will provide a much anticipated alternative emergency link from Bulli to the eastern part of Thirroul. This will have flow-on effects, as construction traffic and local traffic use the existing residential streets in McCauley Beach estate and continues on to Sandon Drive, then Point St and further south.

It imperative that the entire Geraghty Street connection is constructed as a Local Area Traffic Management scheme, with a design speed of 40kph or less, so that it is safe for the elderly and other vulnerable residents of the Anglicare estate. This design should also assist to limit the volume of additional “rat run” traffic generation through residential streets.

• The other consultation is for the zone for a future renewable energy project. Visit https://consult.dcceew.gov.au/oei-illawarra. Take the survey or email a submission to offshorerenewables@dcceew.gov.au by 16 October.

Next meeting: Wednesday, November 1 at 7pm at Bulli Community Centre. All welcome.  Contact Ross Dearden, nirag@bigpond.com