Give us back our land
The No Tillegra Dam Group, comprising principally of land owners from the Dungog Shire, has demanded that Planning Minister Kelly axe the Tillegra Dam project and give the community back their land.
We have finally reached the end of our tether with the closure of the Boral timber mill yesterday and 30 jobs. Already this community has had to put up with Hunter Water buying up our land over the last number of years and pressuring people to sell. We have lost the equivalent of 90 farms and their employees, as well as a rich rate base to our council.
An FOI by the Hunter Environment Lobby revealed that only 5 long-term jobs would flow as a result of Tillegra Dam. Further FOIs have also revealed that there would be no economic tourism boom with only short-term employment for a few locals.
Hunter Water and the NSW Government have been playing this community to be mugs. Tillegra Dam is not the solution, it’s the problem.
We now need to focus on sustainable job creation. If the dam were to be shelved, 90 farms, which would employ an average of 2-3 staff and an abundance of casual labour, would have a greater impact on employment.
If the farms were sold back to the community, the impact on established businesses in the area would also be dramatic (eg. casual labourers, fencing contractors, milk couriers, dairy inspectors, herd recorders, vets, grain carters, gate makers, produce suppliers, fencing suppliers, delivery businesses, machinery suppliers, plumbers, electricians, water pump suppliers, contract workers for dams, fuel suppliers – to name but a few.
If dam upgrades and demand management strategies were encouraged, many more jobs would be created and be ongoing. These would be in the areas of: rainwater tanks, recycling, tank manufacturing, plumbing, pumps and electricians, delivery and transport businesses, tank accessories (eg. mosquito proofing, first flush diverters, gutter guards, etc)
We are now saying enough is enough! It is time for either Planning Minister Kelly to show some fortitude and can this project or the Premier to step in and take control.
Our community needs to do what it does best. Get back to farming and start planning for sustainable job growth.