John Castellari Greens Councillor for Snowy Monaro Regional Council | Political candidate

John Castellari Greens Councillor for Snowy Monaro Regional Council

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23.01.2022 I am disappointed that Council has chosen to evict campers from the Claypits and other locations with short notice. It was my understanding over a long period of discussions this year and last, that a decision on free camping would form the basis of a policy that would come into effect after this winter, allowing time for free campers to plan suitable accommodation for the coming year. Policy on the run is rarely wise, and the sudden displacement of the free campers will m...ean they have to find accommodation or a parking place elsewhere. While this may solve a short term cosmetic issue, I have to ask where will they end up? I'm especially concerned that some of the more vulnerable in the free camping community may lose the safety of their group and find themselves in insecure circumstances. At least at the Claypits there was a degree of organised community and basic hygiene facilities. In my view we have failed in our responsibility to manage this with empathy and with due consideration for the safety of the people who, when they planned their journey this year, were under the impression that it would be legal, and safe to stay at the Claypits carpark. Not what I call responsible administration.

19.01.2022 Vote for a sustainable future and honest government in the Eden Monaro by-election

18.01.2022 Senator Faruqi has my enduring respect for standing up so strongly for animal welfare. She is the only parliamentarian to regularly challenge animal cruelty and the disgraceful and inhumane live export trade.

15.01.2022 My choice is A - it is crucial to actively manage feral species numbers in our parks so that native species can survive. I would add that any death imposed by action should be humane and swift. As horse numbers in KNP increase, inaction is a slow cruel death of starvation for many of them, and for the native species whose habitat is being destroyed. Inaction is irresponsible, cowardly, cruel and infantile.

15.01.2022 Great win for the ACT Greens in the ACT elections, with a 3.6% swing in their favour, doubling their seats from two to four, and possibly about to pick up another two seats.

13.01.2022 I was disgusted to read today in the Monaro Post that unauthorised land clearing had occurred along the Bundian Way, destroying culturally and environmentally significant country. As Council's representative on the Bundian Way Advisory Committee I can testify to the amount of work and heart that has gone into mapping and planning the Bundian Way and the cultural importance of it to local indigenous communities. I can only hope the police act swiftly to identify the vandal ...who desecrated this land and the cultural objects it contains. To the culprit, you are not living in the 19th century, and you do not have the right to clear land without the permission of the rightful owners. How much longer must the indigenous community endure this disrespect? Hang your head in shame. You have hurt a lot of people with your selfish actions.

13.01.2022 Our How to Vote card for the Eden-Monaro By-election. Always a difficult decision but through discussion with all 7 Greens Local Groups represented in this by-e...lection we agreed on this order as our Greens recommendation. Please Vote 1 Green and then number ALL the squares on July 4. ******************** Written and authorised by Sylvia Hale for the Greens NSW, 1/275 Broadway Glebe NSW 2037

09.01.2022 Council report Last night Council unanimously supported my motion to fund Youth Council’s request to train youth across our LGA in mental health first aid. A good news story for sure. Mental health service providers are reporting high levels of anxiety amongst youth during this winter of lockdowns and restricted personal contact due to COVID so the mental health first aid training is much needed. The training will be provided by Headspace a federal program to support youth... mental health. Sorry to report that my motion to run free green waste tipping in October in preparation for bushfire season did not even receive enough support to be debated and was subsequently lost. That means no other Councillor thought it worthwhile to help our communities prepare in this way to ensure their homes were safer in the event of fire. Apparently we don’t have the money for it, according to advice provided by the CEO. I was also contacted last night by a Berridale resident who was advised that he couldn’t pay his rates at the Berridale PO anymore due to changes within Council. I have asked staff to investigate this and will keep you updated. There were no other Councillor initiated motions last night, however discussion around the Koala SEPP indicates that there is a lot of confusion about it from landholders. Hoping staff can release a nice clear statement just to stop the misinformation and allay any unnecessary distress for landholders uncertain about the implications of the changes. If only the Monaro Post would do the same, but its bizarre headlines claiming the SEPP is bullying, have not helped anybody discuss this rationally or accurately. The only stakeholder who approached John Barilaro opposing the SEPP changes was Jeff McCloy a developer who gained notoriety in 2014 when reporting to the Independent Commission against Corruption that he gave so many donations to the Liberal Party he felt like a walking ATM. See this link https://www.theguardian.com//property-developer-complained Meanwhile NSW continues to have the weakest land clearing laws in Australia and our koalas are increasingly endangered.

08.01.2022 Watch Malcolm bbq Murdoch's lapdog https://www.youtube.com/watch

08.01.2022 According to this analysis, the only things holding our economy above a double digit recession are the JobKeeper and JobSeeker payments. However the Government is now trying to cut those payments back. Doesn't make sense to me. https://theconversation.com/six-graphs-that-explain-austral

07.01.2022 Eden Monaro by-election early voting poll booths are open this week in Cooma at the multi function centre from 8-30 to 5-30 and begin in Jindabyne Sport and Rec next week from Monday. You can find details here by clicking on the early voting tab https://www.aec.gov.au/eden-monaro/

07.01.2022 My congratulations to all the recipients of the bush summit awards; they are all worthy candidates and deserving of ongoing support. I opposed providing ratepayer money for this event and still do, because the summit didn't need our money while we most certainly do. Now, as the article below points out, the Daily Telegraph is saying the money was not for them, but apparently for the international lobby group Newgate, who were organising the event. Just to be clear; I don't oppose private companies holding events in our region. I do oppose us paying for it. https://www.theguardian.com//indebted-rural-council-asked-

07.01.2022 The looming by-election in Eden-Monaro is chance for voters to send a message to the government about the climate crisis. Right now, the Morrison Government's p...lans for a 'gas lead recovery' are putting people's lives and livelihoods at risk: burning coal, oil and gas fuels the climate crisis, making catastrophic bushfires more likely. The Greens' candidate, Cathy Griff, is campaigning on the climate crisis and a green-led economic recovery package. The Greens will preference Labor ahead of the Liberals and Nationals, with Labor appearing in the number 2 spot on the How to Vote card. Whoever you usually vote for, this time vote for the Greens' Cathy Griff and send a powerful message to the government.

06.01.2022 More nefarious acts of war against our koalas from the DP exposed.

05.01.2022 I'm pleased to report that last night in Council we unanimously approved the request from the Lake Jindabyne Sailing Club to renew their lease on the site they currently occupy on the lake foreshore. The sailing club is a not for profit community group; they hold regular sailing events on the lake and they are generous with their lease, hosting the Yabbies (surf life saving), yoga and other community groups from time to time. Council also supported my motion to consider int...egrating the Inclusion Action committee with the Community Services Committee, and to have that Committee chaired by the Mayor. I believe this will ensure that issues relating to inclusion and access such as mobility, ramps etc, will receive greater public and Council attention. I seconded Councillor Maslin's unanimously supported motion to extend remote attendance (by zoom) for Council meetings and to run a 6 month trial during which Council will provide a public zoom facility on its ground floor meeting room during Council meetings. This may assist people for whom the stairs to the Cooma chambers constitute a hurdle in attending or who may not have internet access from home. One of the public forum presenters last night was former Mayor of Cooma Monaro Council, Peter Cochrane. During his presentation, which in the main focused on much needed footpath and similar infrastructure upgrades for Adaminaby, (Jindabyne residents will be familiar with this issue), Mr Cochrane noted the difficulty he currently has in accessing the hopper to dispose of waste at the collection point in Adaminaby. Apparently the height of the hopper makes it hard for older people or anybody with shoulder issues to lift the materials they are disposing of and put them in the hopper. I'm happy to report that we can easily fix this by lowering the hopper, and I am glad Mr Cochrane brought it to our attention. I understand the Waste Committee, which meets next week, will resolve it.

04.01.2022 Last night Council agreed to the Mayor's motion (technically a mayoral minute) to donate $15,000 to the Sky News and The Daily Telegraph Bush Summit, to be held in Cooma next week. I voted against it because that money could be better used in our community for one or more of any number of valuable projects such as: Youth Council requests for support with Mental Health training for our youth Cooma Chamber's request for assistance to purchase IT systems Scholarships for rura...l youth to attend university A tree planting fund for Koala feed trees on local landholdings Any number of other Landcare projects Support for the Jindabyne Neighbourhood Center to extend its services Support for the recently established Jindabyne Art society gallery The Uniting Church's soup kitchen Pretty much any other worthy local community activity you wish to name. Instead Council (myself excluded) at the Mayor's urging, decided that the Newscorp organisation to which these two media groups belong, and which pays not one cent of tax in Australia, is more deserving of ratepayer support. The advertising for this event claims to be about national issues but it is being hosted by Newscorp and promoted by Newgate, an international lobby group (look them up on the register of Lobbyists where they appear as "Government Relations specialists"). What do we get for our money? Well nothing is guaranteed actually. We can "pitch ideas" to the media staff about possible stories and maybe even get a five minute slot on Sky News if the editor thinks it worthy. In case you are not familiar with how media function, the editor would be desperately searching for holes to fill so really there is no need to pay them. I was not at all comforted to hear that they originally asked for $20,000. Just who is getting that money if it is so easily bargained down? Is it just skimming from the local community? I thought that when regional towns host events the idea was that we receive income, not give it away to multi-billion dollar corporations that pay zero tax, based on the vague promise of publicity, the nature of which is in the hands of an editor. We have no control over how that ratepayers' money is spent. It's a waste of ratepayers' money.

02.01.2022 Pre-polls are open for the Eden Monaro by-election - think about your vote and its implications for future generations.