Sand Flies Over Gerroa Quarry
Illawarra Mercury
Saturday December 8, 2007
STATE MP Fred Nile has accused a group of Gerroa activists of "manipulating" a community-based organisation into becoming a front for the Greens.
Reverend Nile, a Christian Democrat MP and Gerroa resident, told NSW Parliament this week the Gerroa Community Association was "strongly influenced" by the Greens and questioned its independence.His comments came as NSW Greens MP Sylvia Hale unsuccessfully attempted to have blocked, in the upper house, an amendment to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act by NSW Planning Minister Frank Sartor .Ms Hale said the amendment was a move by the Government to undermine a court case against the extension to the Gerroa sand quarry that the Gerroa Environment Protection Society has lodged in the Land and Environment Court.The society's legal case is partly financed by the Gerroa Community Association.Rev Nile accused the Greens of attempting to turn the motion into a debate on the Gerroa sand quarry and of misleading the Gerroa Community Association, in an attempt to have them support their cause."I know the Gerroa Community Association is strongly influenced by the Greens ... I question the independence of the group ... It is my personal opinion that such community groups have been manipulated by the Greens to become a Greens front."Gerroa Environment Protection Society secretary Howard Jones rejected the claim, saying only three members of the group were card-carrying Greens and they did not discuss Greens policy with the community association."There's no way the Greens drives any of its policy through the association," he said. "The loss of 80,000 tonnes of sand each year is an issue of widespread community concern."Another issue, he said, was "the astonishing power Frank Sartor has taken on himself and the fact that he is now able to bypass so much planning legislation that has been built over 20 years".
© 2007 Illawarra Mercury
