Eurobodalla Shire Councillors (from left) Anthony Mayne, Amber Schutz, Mayor Mathew Hatcher, general manager Warwick Winn, and Crs Laurence Babington, Mick Johnson, Sharon Winslade, Phil Constable, Colleen Turner and Rob Pollock. Photo: Eurobodalla Shire Council.
The two-year tussle over reinstating vehicular access to Maloneys Beach will continue after Eurobodalla Shire Council voted to hold a 14-day community consultation period.
The other main outcome of the newly elected council’s first ordinary meeting on 29 October was that Councillor Anthony Mayne was announced as the new Deputy Mayor for 12 months.
The informal boat ramp at Maloneys Beach was decommissioned in 2008 after repeated storm damage but was noted as an informal sand ramp on Transport for NSW’s boat ramp website until around March 2024.
People could access the beach through two informal tracks. One was a gravel track across council-maintained Crown land and community land and the other was an informal track through the Murramarang National Park adjacent to the council-managed reserve.
Around 2022, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) closed the informal track as part of the Murramarang South Coast Walk project.
Following “limited consultation”, the council gave NPWS permission to close the gravel track at the same time. Initially, that was done with bollards and subsequently by sandstone blocks.
Some community members, who have a highly active Facebook group, believe the lack of vehicular access to Maloneys Beach means critical recovery opportunities in the case of serious accidents have been lost. They believe the Murramarang South Coast Walk project has resulted in the loss of “significant community amenity and assets”.
At the council’s ordinary meeting on 19 March, 2024, councillors received a petition with several hundred signatures, organised by the Maloneys Beach Residents Association, requesting the beach access be reinstated.
Vehicular access to Maloneys Beach was a hot topic during the recent council elections. Photo: Maloneys Beach Residents Association/Facebook.
The beach access emerged as an issue during the local government elections in September.
Re-elected Councillor Amber Schutz put forward a motion at the October meeting for a 14-day community consultation period about removing the sandstone blocks to reinstate access to the former track that was used to access the decommissioned informal boat ramp.
“Given community interest, I think it is prudent to consult everyone,” she said at the meeting.
She said the relatively short consultation period of 14 days related to the timing of Christmas.
“I am sure some people would enjoy access during the school holiday period,” she said.
Before Cr Schutz’s motion was discussed, Batemans Bay resident Trish Hellier spoke about the issue in the public forum.
She said she had inspected the site and the access was no longer blocked. She said it appeared that a vehicle had knocked down the sandstone blocks. While there, she also spoke to two residents who said they were glad jet skis no longer had access to the beach and there were no more noisy parties on the beach.
Ms Hellier urged the council not to vote on Cr Schutz’s motion until councillors had inspected the site and received a written response from NPWS about the possibility of reopening access.
After a few minutes of discussion, Cr Schutz’s motion was passed. The council will contact people through doorknocking, emails and letters.
“It is a good process to engage with the community, that everyone should have their say and that council considers their feedback,” Cr Schutz said.
Eurobodalla Deputy Mayor Anthony Mayne. He has served in that role on previous occasions. Photo: AM Facebook.
Also on the agenda was a five-point motion about the position of deputy mayor. Councillor Mick Johnson proposed that the term of the appointment should be amended from the term of council to 12 months. The amendment was unanimously passed.
Next, Cr Phil Constable proposed the method of ballot be amended from open voting (show of hands) to ordinary (secret ballot).
Cr Schutz opposed the amendment. “I believe we should be open and transparent, including on voting on this,” she said. “I believe the community should understand our views and the reasons for those views so I won’t support that.”
Cr Johnson said most leadership ballots were secret. “It is important to keep the peace,” he said.
Cr Constable said: “There are very few things you can do in private.”
The amendment was narrowly passed and the amended five-point motion was accepted.
Nomination papers for the position of deputy mayor had been provided to the councillors and the general manager was the returning officer.
Under Schedule 7 of the Local Government (General) Regulations, a councillor may be nominated without notice for election as deputy mayor. The nomination is in writing by two or more councillors (one of whom may be the nominee).
General manager Warwick Winn announced at the meeting that Cr Mayne was the sole nominee. Mayor Mathew Hatcher congratulated him.
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