At the Willoughby City Council meeting on 15th June, Mayor Giles-Gidney and the majority of Councillors effectively voted to do nothing to meaningfully improve parking for users of the Talus Street reserve.  This is despite Council now agreeing that they are lawfully able to manage the reserve to enable user only car parking, so as to support the designated use of the site for recreation and sport. 

It is now clear that the Mayor and the majority of Councillors lack the courage to effectively manage this site for recreational use for all members of the public to enjoy.

I note that the majority of users negatively impacted by this lack of Council action are women, carers of young children (the majority of whom are women), and young children.  These are the groups that mainly use the site during business hours, when off-site motorists now often fill the small Reserve carpark.  The majority of male users of the site usually attend before or after business hours, or on the weekend.

It was very clear in discussions with Council prior to the meeting, and in Councillor comments at the meeting, that Council is fearful of a very small group of so-called Crown Land activists, whose past legal challenges involving Talus have cost the ratepayers of Willoughby upwards of $400,000.  These legal proceedings appear to have done nothing more than paralyse the Council in its management of the site and have left Council in fear of any management action on this site. 

The future of this site, which is now a designated sportsground, is now under a cloud.  How will Council tender and grant a new lease for tennis and tennis related operations with a paralysis of management?  (The current operator is on a month to month lease pending the finalisation of an Aboriginal Land Claim – a claim that is unlikely to be successful due to the legislative requirement that claimable land must not be used or occupied).  How will Council work to upgrade the site’s fast-deteriorating tennis court infrastructure, if it is too nervous to lawfully amend some on-site parking signs?

I am leaving this petition open, because a new Council may be elected in September this year.  If you are a resident of the Willoughby City Council LGA, then please talk to your local candidates before voting.  Please also contact me if you would like to know how each Councillor voted in this matter.

If you are interested in finding out more (and to read specific Crown Land expert advice that persuaded this Council to accept the lawful ability to apply user only or user preference parking at Talus) please Message me on Facebook, or leave a written message at the tennis office at Talus.

Thank you again for your action and support!