Bruce McLachlan Former Independent Central Coast Councillor in Long Jetty, New South Wales, Australia | Political candidate

Bruce McLachlan Former Independent Central Coast Councillor

Locality: Long Jetty, New South Wales, Australia

Phone: +61 410 510 234

Address: 453 The Entrance Rd 2261 Long Jetty, NSW, Australia

Website: http://www.brucemclachlan.com.au

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24.01.2022 What a tear up ! The only major Regional Council that doesn’t have an Airport, that spent millions on trashing its own Aviation Masterplans. The only Council to ever tear up a 4.6m Tourism Grants cheque, is the same Council facing the largest losses in local government history...but hey Clrs will try blame it on the amalgamation ? Got to love the madness of politics of the Central Coast. #centralcoastexpressadvocate #centralcoastnsw #accessnewsmagazine #sentimentmedia #centralcoastnews

22.01.2022 Positive start to Sunday for my wife Gaby and I, being invited to witness the great volunteers from Australian Seabird Rescue Central Coast, release their rehabilitated Green Turtle Taz. I am supportive of ASRCC calls to locate a site for a possible new Marine Discovery Aquarium / Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre at The Entrance, or North Entrance. We have ample reserve areas, the necessary fresh tidal inflows, and an established tourism market of 5m people within a few hours ...drive, screaming out for some new attractions to visit. The Entrance Pelican Feed is now in its 41st year. Maybe it’s time to think about adding something new, that would compliment the iconic Pelican Feed and assist local environmental groups like ASRCC and Take3 help educate visitors, on the devastating effects of plastics in our oceans. #ASRCC #Take3 #BlueBay #CentralCoast

22.01.2022 ADMINISTRATOR MUST BE APPOINTED - POLITICS MUST GO I have welcomed the NSW Minister Shelley Hancock advice that an Administrator is being considered for Central Coast Council. In fact some weeks ago myself and other Clrs Best, Pilon, Marquet and Gale formally lodged a letter of complaint to the Office of Local Government, requesting an investigation and the appointment of a Financial Controller. We were given whistle blower status whilst the complaint was being investigated.... Its time now for all Clrs to step aside, and put the community interest above their own, and allow the financial experts to come in unimpeded by the politics, that has helped create the problem. https://www.2gb.com/whistleblower-accuses-council-of-defen/

19.01.2022 WHO CAN FORGET THE ETTALONG DREDGE DEBACLE. SAME LABOR MAJORITY CLRS GROUNDED OUR ONLY SYDNEY FERRY NOW BEGGING NSW MINISTER TO NOT SACK THEM. Sometimes in life you reap what you sow. ...Continue reading

19.01.2022 Both Liberal and Labor have supported the repeal of the Restrictions to date which is refreshing change for Central Coast politics. Now PUBLIC submissions are open for comment see link below.

18.01.2022 Raising the issue of a Tradie led Covid recovery for the Central Coast at tonight’s Council meeting. Our tradies are our 2nd largest workforce. Council can certainly assist with some fast tracking of approvals, where appropriate, to get the work flowing. No Council approval. No start date. No pay-check. No apprenticeships. No Council fees. No brainer. SHARE if you agree.

17.01.2022 Another lost opportunity for the Coast. This could have been built on the 120 Ha Old Sydney Town, but the Clrs didn’t allow staff to take the meeting ! For the equivalent $10m outlay that Council blew on the failed Performing Arts Precinct, (now up for sale) Council could have entered into a public / private JV with local developer Tony Denny, who was in negotiations with Surflakes to create an Adventure Sports Precinct with a Surflakes WavePark the anchor development. Coun...cil could have made a PROFIT on their share of JV business park industrial subdivision development, creating local employment, and retained approx 10HA of the original OST buildings as a Cultural Precinct in public hands. The adjoining Wave Park and Adventure Sports Precinct was to be separate private enterprise operation and not funded by Council. For Clrs to not even allow key staff to take the meeting, and review the business case was a serious lack of foresight. Based on the negativity of attitudes displayed by the Clrs in debate, Tony Denny was not inspired with confidence in the Council, and the site was eventually sold to Chinese interests. So instead of looking at ways of increasing Council revenues and creating local jobs, Clrs focussed on political ideology of State and Federal issues like Climate Change, Affordable Housing, Social Inclusion Policies, Sister City Partnerships, etc that eroded the balance sheet, without delivering any tangible benefits to ratepayers. Instead of creating potential profits from proceeds of a public/ private partnership, Council is now looking at the largest losses on local Government history, with 10% rate rises and major asset sales. When opportunity comes knocking, it pays to at least answer the door !

15.01.2022 This was voted down and amended to produce another report, on all the old reports. The final wash up was a report that suggests a southern training wall may have merit. In Councils final meeting before the Council was suspended and placed under Administrator (which I support - the party politics has to go) it was agreed to allow investigation of the reports key findings. A step forward on decades long battle of The Entrance Channel. ... To be continued.

14.01.2022 It was 28 years ago our family business joined others in pledging financial support for The Entrance Tigers to help raise capital to build the current Leagues Club.

13.01.2022 Straight talking Council Administrator Dick Perssons explaining the merger was NOT a the reason of the financial crisis. Listen @ 5 minute mark. In fact he had previously created a merger savings fund for the merged Pittwater and Northern Beaches Councils, and had created savings of @20 million dollars per annum from reduced duplications. ... Clrs will no longer be unable to hide behind excuse of merger costs for the financial crisis. The highly experienced Administrator clearly puts that excuse to bed. Listen to what really went wrong. PLEASE SHARE

13.01.2022 Amazing whale image photo by local photographer Jim Picot.

12.01.2022 ADMINISTRATOR MUST BE APPOINTED - POLITICS MUST GO I welcomed the NSW Minister Shelley Hancock advice that an Administrator was s being considered for Central Coast Council. In fact some weeks prior to Councils disclosure of financial crisis, myself and other Clrs Best, Pilon, Marquet, formally lodged a letter of complaint to the Office of Local Government, requesting an investigation, and the appointment of a Financial Controller. ... We were given whistle blower status whilst the complaint was being investigated. Its time now for all Clrs to step aside, and put the community interest above their own, and allow the financial experts to come in unimpeded by the politics, that has helped create the problem. https://www.2gb.com/whistleblower-accuses-council-of-defen/

12.01.2022 Meet the Central Coast new CEO David Farmer. A background with experience in major Tourism initiatives, major Walkways and Esplanades, and an early pioneer of valuing government assets for sale. Do you think he would have got the job under the previous Clrs ? I doubt it. ... I wonder if this CEO would have stood for the majority pack Councillors tearing up major tourism infrastructure cheques, or trashing major employment initiatives in their petty political point scoring, that has cost the ratepayer dearly. Importantly this time he was one of 29 applicants, and three CEOs interviewed. Not just a Captains call by a Mayor and select few Clrs, that ended in a $380,000 pay out. Wishing David Farmer every success in turning the organisation around.

09.01.2022 Nothing like having the threat of sacking and the Administrator coming in, to finally have all the Clrs line up and vote together and move forward on some investigations on looking at alternate solution to assist The Entrance Channel ! Maybe the Councillors should have been threatened with sacking a lot earlier, and a lot more could have been done, instead of being voted down, on party lines. At what was the final Council meeting, with Clrs under 7 day "show cause" notice o...n why they shouldn't be removed, Clrs voted to follow key finding of a report that showed a southern wall may have merit. Something I had brought to the Chamber earlier that was voted down, and amended to yet another report. That report finally came back for the what was the last Council meeting. This will now leave a resolution in place for the Administrator, or any new Council to act on, seeking advice from the expert panel, and Manly Hydrolics as to the viability of any structure to improve flows at The Entrance Channel. Listen to one of Australia's leading coastal engineer Angus Jackson, on design merits. https://www.tlbainc.com/news/geotech-bags-the-entrance

09.01.2022 The Entrance Picnic Point reclamation works.

05.01.2022 ROUND AND ROUND WE GO - WHEELS TURN SLOWLY ON THE CENTRAL COAST. Argh. The frustrations of our local politics. I brought this concept up to Council, in an attempt to look at new technology, for an age old problem of maintaining an opening at The Entrance Channel. However the concept of an initial geo textile training wall trial was voted down. My earlier attempts were also voted down, after the floods, and instead a report, on all the old reports was ordered. Look to the p...ast, never embrace the future, seems to pervade Clrs attitudes. Now key findings show the original idea had MERIT however Council now does not have enough funds to even pay Landcare groups, let alone trial new concepts at The Channel. If I was playing NRL I would be in the head bin, from all the concussion of banging my head up against walls. However if nothing is attempted, brought up to the Chamber for debate, then nothing can change. Maybe if Council is placed back in Administration, and the political impasse of Clrs using their numbers to block every forward progression is removed, the waste of public funds on political agendas may stop, and the Central Coast may have a chance of moving forward. If Council is placed into Administration then the majority block Clrs, who have continually voted down any attempts to progress, will only have themselves to blame.

05.01.2022 Great documentary on the HMAS Adelaide, well done Sue Dengate and team in bringing this story to life. Especially considering the initial protest and opposition the project was subjected to.

04.01.2022 IS IT TIME TO DROP THE EXCUSES ? Maybe time for a public apology from those Labor / Ind block Clrs who have consistently used their Councillor numbers to trash projects and tear up $ millions and $ millions of ratepayer dollars. Instead we will hear a litany of excuses for Councils financial failings. ... This year alone Council so far has admitted to @90m losses, of which 18m was amalgamation costs, so that cannot be the excuse for Clrs to lean on. In fact this term todate losses are so far minus @ 194m in the red, after Council kicked of with @ 64m in the bank in 2017. Please share experienced reporter and former Central Coast Express editor Dallas Sherringham post that says it all, and time to call on Clrs to stop the excuses and take some responsibility for their own actions.

02.01.2022 Reposted - seems ironic the Clrs that voted themselves a pay rise could not make payroll without a government bail out this week. COUNCILLOR PAY RISE BROUGHT BACK FOR A RE VOTE. SHOULD CLRS RECEIVE A PAY INCREASE - YES OR NO ? PLEASE SHARE Mayor and Councillors will get an another opportunity to re think their decision to vote themselves a pay rise, during a Pandemic. ... Clrs Best, Gale and myself have brought the matter back for a revote at tonight’s Council meeting via zoom. The meeting is open to the public via livestream. 630pm. Clrs who have already been granted an extra years salary with postponement of the local government elections, had previously voted for a pay increase in-line with a re classification of size of Council. Given the current economic climate and Councils own economic performance, with capital works cut backs on back of budget losses, resident rate increases to maximum percent allowable, and fees and charges increases, is a Councillors payrise of 6% justified under Covid ? POST EDIT. Pay rise still goes through, despite strong community feedback against Clrs voting themselves a pay increase under Covid conditions. Clrs in favour > Labor Mayor Lisa Mathews. Labor Clrs Jillian Hogan, Labor Jeff Sundstrom, Labor Richard Merthens, Labor Clr Kyle McGregor. Independents Deputy Mayor Jane Smith, Chris Holstein, Louis Greenaway. Clrs Against > Liberal Clrs Jilly Pilon, Liberal Chris Burke, Liberal Rebbeca Gale, Labor Doug Vincent, Independent’s Clr Greg Best, and Clr Bruce McLachlan