Lane Cove News Week in Review 8th to 15th May 2024

Welcome to our week in review. Is that a bit of blue sky we are seeing????

Lane Cove Council Will Not Automatically Issue Paper Parking Fine Infringement Notices

On Friday, 9 March 2024, the Minister for Finance Courtney Houssos wrote to 128 councils (including Lane Cove Council), urging them to address shortcomings in their ticketless parking fine approach. Read more here.

Lane Cove Council and 47 other councils issue ticketless fines for on-street parking infringements. Lane Cove Council has stopped issuing physical infringement notices.

The Minister will also stop new councils from signing up to the system, pointing to community concerns about the ticketless system, particularly around the timeliness of notifications to drivers.

The ticketless fine system began as a trial in May 2020 by the former Liberal-National Government and was expanded to more councils in December 2020.

Lane Cove Council uses the ticketless parking infringement system for on-street parking infringements and was among the top 15 Councils that used ticketless parking infringement notices to generate revenue from parking fines in 2023.

A spokesperson for Lane Cove Council told ITC that printed infringement tickets will not be issued every time a ranger generates an infringement notice.   A spokesperson said:

“There are instances such as this where it can be safer to issue fines electronically. Council also has a number of ticketless car parks where details are captured electronically and not monitored in-person.

We have also noticed a reduction in negative behaviour towards regulatory staff, providing a safer working environment for our staff.

Our procedure will therefore continue to be to use a mix of both formats; we do not intend to return solely to paper tickets. As part of their training, Rangers are taught the importance of showing discretion where appropriate and that includes both the issue of informal and formal warnings, as well issuing actual fines for non-compliance with the law. They will continue to utilise this training to identify the most appropriate procedure.”

Beachwatch User Pay Changes Postponed For 12 Months

In April of this year, In the Cove reported that the Beachwatch program will stop testing local waters for contaminants like faecal matter on 1 July 2024.

All sites are tested monthly from May to September and weekly from October to April.

A spokesperson for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) told ITC:

“In 2022, the previous NSW Government decided to implement a universal Beachwatch Partnership Program, allowing an equitable partnership model with local councils across NSW rather than the existing model in which regional and inland councils paid while Sydney coastal councils did not.

Under this model, councils may opt into the Beachwatch Partnership Program and select the number of swim sites they wish to promote and frequency of monitoring.

The NSW Government will co-invest with councils in the Beachwatch program to the value of $18.5 million by contributing some of the labour and operational costs and supporting the reporting platform, website and forecast model.

Consultation regarding a transition to the Beachwatch Partnership Program is ongoing.”

The NSW Government is reinstating the 18-month consultation period, which will run through June 2025.

This will allow for further consultation on changes to the funding model and design of the program.

Minister for the Environment Penny Sharpe is writing to the 14 affected coastal councils to inform them the proposed changes will not go ahead until mid-2025, following further work on the program design.

The 14 Sydney coastal councils are Bayside, Canada Bay, Georges River, Hunters Hill, Inner West, Lane Cove, Mosman, North Sydney, Northern Beaches, Randwick, Sutherland, Waverley, Willoughby and Woollahra.

Lane Cove Locals In the News

Phoebe Stone

Congratulations to Lane Cove’s Phoebe Stone, who won the Remagine Art Prize 2024 for her oil and pastel painting Serene Sea. The first prize was $5,000.

Inspiration for Phoebe’s work came when she was walking the Gadyan track around Sydney’s Berry Island Reserve. Her eye was taken through the native scrub and over to a large oil tanker.

“Its hull was faded black and rusty red in hue. The irony of the name of the tanker ‘Serene Sea’ really struck me. An oil tanker, serenity? A ‘Serene Sea’? As I walked on, I couldn’t help but muse that this might be a plea from the ship’s workers: a serene sea, a safe passage home,” said Stone.

“Yet as thoughts about excessive consumption, endless industries devouring fossil fuels, rising temperatures and sea levels swam around my head, I realised, this isn’t just their plea, it’s ours too. If we aren’t careful and if we do not keep our seas serene in a relatively short space of time, no one will be able to walk this track.”

The Hornsby Shire Council, in partnership with the Hornsby Art Society, hosts the annual Remagine Art Prize. This art prize challenges artists to create works in response to the crisis we are all facing with waste and over-consumption. This year’s theme was ‘Crossroads of Consumption’, referring to how our everyday consumption can be reduced to limit the impacts of waste and climate change.

Art lovers can visit the 2024 Remagine Art Prize finalist exhibition at Wallarobba Arts and Cultural Centre, 25 Edgeworth David Avenue, Hornsby, until Sunday, 26 May 2024. Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am-4 pm. Entry to the exhibition is free.

For further details, click here.

You can read more about Phoebe here.

Aura Parker

The very talented Lane Cove author Aura Parker’s book Bowerbird Blues has been chosen as the 2024 National Simultaneous Storytime book. Libraries and Schools around Australia will read Bowerbird Blues between 12.00 and 1.00 pm on 22 May 2024.

National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) is held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA).

Every year, a picture book written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, family daycares, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops, and many other places around the country.

Now in its 24th successful year, it is a colourful, vibrant, fun event that aims to promote the value of reading and literacy. It uses an Australian children’s book that explores age-appropriate themes and addresses key learning areas of the National Curriculum for Foundation to Year 6.

Read more about Aura here.

Belinda Butcher

The Daily Telegraph published a story about ten mums involved in Scouts NSW and their favourite places and activities that have created memories for their families. One of the mums featured was Lane Cove’s Belinda Butcher. You can read the article here.

Red Cross Appeals for Blood Donations

Winter is approaching, and the Australian Red Cross blood and plasma inventory is already feeling the impact of a seasonal drop in donations. Please consider donating blood – details here.

Don’t send your wanted goods to a landfill… sell them at the Lane Cove Rotary Car Boot Sale at Council’s CivCouncil’s Car Park between Pheonix Street and Little Street, Lane Cove.

This popular event is an excellent way for residents to sell their pre-loved household goods, providing the community with an alternative to buying new ones.

This Car Boot Sale focuses on residents selling unwanted household goods such as clothes, toys, household items, sporting equipment, etc.

The goods may be sold from the boot of a vehicle, a table, or racks within the allocated site. This event is not for business/commercial traders. Items being sold must be secondhand.

Date: Sunday, 9 June 2024, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm (UTC+11)

Location:  Lane Cove Council Civic Car Park
Between Pheonix Street & Little Street, Lane Cove

Bookings:  Bookings are now open – click on this link.

Lane Cove Crime, Accident and Incident Report

Drug and Firearms Squad detectives have charged a man with domestic violence offences after seizing several surveillance devices from a North Shore home under Strike Force Greenthorpe.

At about 7.40 pm on Tuesday, 7 May 2024, strike force detectives executed a search warrant at a home in Riverview.

During the search, police located and seized $230,000 and two listening and GPS surveillance devices.

Detectives arrested a 36-year-old man at the scene.

He was taken to Manly Police Station, where he was charged with contravening prohibition/restriction in AVO (Domestic), stalking/intimidating intend, fearing physical etc. harm, and possessing surveillance devices intended for unlawful use.

Detectives will allege in court that the man had installed the tracking devices in the vehicle of a woman known to him.

The 36-year-old was refused bail to appear before Manly Local Court yesterday (Wednesday 8 May 2024).

Investigations under Strike Force Greenthorpe are continuing.

Anyone with information that may assist investigators is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au

Family and domestic violence support:

1800 Respect national helpline:

1800 737 732

Women’s Crisis Line:

1800 811 811

Men’s Referral Service:

1300 766 491

Lifeline (24-hour crisis line):

131 114