Budget 2022

My comment relates to the proposed mountain bike tracks in the State Conservationist Area on Mount Canobolas. Mount Canobolas is a highly regarded and special place for the community. Bike tracks in the State Conservation Area threaten to damage the unique biodiversity and endangered ecological communities, as well as damage the Wiradjuri cultural and spiritual heritage of the mountain.
As suitable alternative sites are available in the adjoining State Forests area, there is no need to build bike tracks in the State Conservation Area at all. Tourists would still be attracted to the Orange area to ride on the newly constructed bike tracks and the Conservation Area would be protected from potential damage. As the area in question is out of the Orange City Council area, I would urge Orange City Council to treat this important, precious and fragile environment with great respect and leave the Conservation Area undamaged and build bike tracks in a more suitable area.

With regard to the proposed spending of $1.5m for the Mt Canobolas Mountain Bike Centre, there is insufficient detail about what the money will be used for. Since ratepayers have already paid for the previous reports and studies, no more should be spent until a fully costed business plan is tabled, and only then if the majority of ratepayers support the creation of such a centre. Building tracks on the mountain, not only impacts our precious environment, but only a small percentage of the community will benefit. Funds would be better spent on infrastructure and facilities that everyone can use within our council area.

Greetings from John Zimmer from Orange. As a resident and ratepayer, having moved from East Gippsland almost four years ago, I am disappointed that the OCC proposes the development of a Mountain Bike Trail in the Mt. Canobolas State Conservation Area, which I believe in incompatible with the conservation values, environmental protection and the low-impact, quiet enjoyment of the area by locals and visitors. As I see it, there is no need to further develop bike trails in this area as there is adequate provision in the adjoining State forest. It is of concern too, that so much of the ratepayers' money would be "ear-marked" for the proposed Mt Canobolas Mountain Bike Centre, and the ongoing assessment by SEARS. It all appears rather rushed, and it seems that no clear business-plan has come to light. Rather, such funds, would be better allocated to community amenities for the benefit of all. I appeal to you to please retain the Mt. Canobolas SCA as an ongoing, managed Reserve, for the quiet enjoyment of nature by locals and visitors, and to retain and improve the habitat for the benefit of our native flora and fauna. Sincerely John Z.

Removed by moderator.

Neil Ingram
Wiradjuri Country
167 Bathurst Road
Orange NSW 2800
02/05/2022

Re: Orange City Council’s Draft Community Strategic plan and Mountain Bike proposal on Gaanha-bula (Mount Canobolas)

My name is Uncle Neil Ingram Snr, and I am a proud Wiradjuri Elder.
I am an active Wiradjuri Leader and Member of the Aboriginal and wider communities of Orange. I have lived, worked, and performed voluntary work in Orange and the region for some 40 plus years.

Today, I am writing to you to express my concern for the Draft Community Strategic Plan and my objection to the proposed Mountain Bike track on Gaanha-bula (Mt Canobolas). I oppose this proposal in its entirety.

I was very pleased when Orange City Council recently asked the community for their comments to help build their Community Strategic Plans. The community have spoken, they have said that Gaanha-bula (Mt Canobolas) is of importance to them, that protection of Cultural, Heritage, and Natural Environment is paramount as stated in the current draft Community Strategic Plan. We need to protect Gaanha-bula for all people.

But to the Wiradjuri people, Gaanha-bula means much more than that.

• This is our dreaming place. It is significant to the Dreaming story, which is embedded within our culture, belief, practices and tradition.
• We have a spiritual connection to this sacred place. The proposal doesn’t reflect the true picture of the Spiritual Significance of Gaanha-bula (Mt Canobolas). This has been lost in the proposal.
• Huge damage to soil and vegetation will be caused by trails and there will be erosion that will spread beyond the tracks and damage our environmentally sensitive area.
• Our Tangible and Intangible Heritage needs to be always protected.
• Tourism and education being away to have employment can happen in any other area including the state forest but not on Gaanha bula (Mt Canobolas). Orange City Council need to look at other opportunities to attract tourism.
• Our ancestors have continuous occupation and connection to this country for over 75,000 years.
• We are not against mountain bike riding, but we are against it on Gaanha-bula, our sacred place.
• It is not about the size/elevation of the mountain, but what is in it, and around it, that matters to our people.
• We want the protection of the entire mountain and not just for registered sites or any sections to be open for abuse and degradation.


We need to preserve, protect, and respect this sacred place.

I was deeply disappointed when I read that Orange City Council have set aside $1.5 million in the 2023/24 financial year budget for the Mountain Bike Track. What is this money being used for? To complete assessments still required for the proposal.

This Mountain Bike track is going to be a very expensive hobby/exercise for a select few! Orange City Council have already spent approximately $500,000 of rate payers’ money to date.

Our yearly rates cost is about to increase to the maximum amount allowed, with this waste of money, around $2million before the Mountain Bike Track starts to be built, I can understand why this rate rise is needed!

What I am not able to understand is, why are you willing to desecrate the Wiradjuri people’s sacred and significant dreaming place, which stands on land outside of Orange City Council boundaries, with great expense to all? To the Wiradjuri people this great expense is not about $$$. For Aboriginal people it is about protecting our sacred place.

Once again, community consultation does not account for much with Orange City Council, other than the effort the Community puts in to have their say/opinion.

I am sending this letter to each of the current councillors as well as the Calare Federal Election Candidates. I would like to receive a response from each councillor/candidates sharing your views and stance on this matter.

I live in the hope that common-sense will prevail and this project will not go ahead. Thank you for taking the time to read and hopefully understand the Wiradjuri people and their need to protect their Sacred place – Gaanha-bula.

Regards,
Uncle Neil Ingram Snr
Wiradjuri Elder.

The 2022/23 budget allocates $800,000 to Forest Road. It is not stated as to what section of Forest Road this money is to be spent, or what type of work is required. However, as a local resident who uses the road regularly the amount of money allocated is far too little for the work that is required. On Forest Road from Spring Terrace to Spring Hill there remains sections of road pavement that require urgent attention. At $1 Million a kilometer to rebuild a modern roadway, the budgeted amount is clearly inadequate. The pavement is badly broken, uneven, and poorly drained.
Forest Road, along with Worboys Street (in Spring Hill Village) and Whileys Road are major thorough fares for heavy vehicles to Cadia Mine, particularly the trucks taking blue metal aggregate from Shadforth quarry to the mine on a daily basis. The surfaces of these roads where not built for the long-term use by heavy vehicles and with recent wet weather are deteriorating to the point of being dangerous to drive along in a small vehicle. They now need to be reinforced and resurfaced.
The importance of this traffic corridor to the local economy, village residents and Cadia Mine is continually underestimated by Orange City Council and the NSW Government, much more funding is required to be made available by both government organisations to upgrade and then maintain these roads.
Please reconsider the 2022/23 budget in regard to better funding the upgrade of Forest Road, along with Worboys Street (in Spring Hill Village) and Whileys Road.
- Posted on Orange City Council website

I note and agree with the view expressed in the CSP that Gaanha-bula Mt Canobolas is incredibly special to the community and deserves protection.Therefore I oppose any further money being spent on any proposal to place mountain bike trails in the Mt Canobolas State Conservation Area. The bike tracks will damage the unique biodiversity and endangered ecological communities as well as damage the Wiradjuri cultural and spiritual heritage of the Mt. Protection of both tangible and intangible Wiradjuri heritage is noted in the Council’s Delivery Plans, and any further development within the SCA would be in direct conflict with this goal.
Suitable alternative sites are available to mountain bikers in the adjoining State Forests. Indeed, the Forestry Corporation, in its response to Council’s request for SEARS, stated “State Forests are a very suitable tenure for this type of proposal”. Furthermore, Orange Mt Bike Club has recently received funding to build their “Trail of Awesomeness” in the State Forests. Clearly, they too believe that the State Forests are suitable. There is no need to build in the SCA at all.

How can OCC propose $1.5 million for the bike track proposal when no updated business case for it has been released?
There is no mention of what the $1.5 million will be used for. Over $500,000 has already been spent with much more to be spent to meet the SEARS requirements. This means that over $2m of ratepayers’ money will have been spent just to find out if the proposal can go ahead. This represents a waste of ratepayers’ money at a time when there is considerable debate in local media about council’s rates and fees.

OCC are raising rates to the maximum amount allowable this year and it is inappropriate to put this amount towards a project that will be used by only a small proportion of the population.

The funds would be much better spent on community facilities that can be used by everyone such as enhancement of walking tracks and parks and improvement of roads .

Construction of the tracks (if approved) would involve considerably more money than this ($10s of millions if ongoing maintenance is considered). Who pays for this?

The OCC proposal is for a bike track development on land outside their council area and on land where OCC has no jurisdiction. Why spend Orange ratepayer’s money outside the council boundaries?

Could the actual budget itself be provided with some guidance on how to interpret it? There seems to be different sections, such as Consolidated, Collaborate, Prosper, Live, Preserve, General Fund, Water Fund and Capital Program, but no indication about how these relate to the overall budget...

For instance, 'Rates and Annual Charges' has $51,663,144 under Consolidated, which is the sum of Collaborate ($36,084,180) and Preserve ($15,578,964), but why is this split like this? What is the difference between Capital Items under the General Fund, and the Capital Program which has been budgeted separately? Can 'Materials and Contracts' be broken down any further?

What is provided is a sheet of numbers that doesn't lend itself to any form of interpretation or analysis.