Deputy mayor Ian North has defended Bathurst Regional Council staff after a fellow councillor seemingly made the accusation that they hadn't tried hard enough to secure a water allocation from Oberon Dam.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The water allocation was one of several ideas council has pursued to secure Bathurst's water and, although hopeful of approval, the NSW Government denied the request in October.
At Wednesday night's council meeting, during discussion of a motion put forward by councillor John Fry, Cr Jennings said council's leadership had let the city down.
"The failure to get the Oberon Dam water allocation to get us through this summer has created a water emergency on this council because of a massive failure of this council's political leadership and failed lobbying to get that water allocation from Oberon," Cr Jennings said.
He said that, without that water, the prospect of moving to higher level restrictions was more likely and the irrigators may get cease to pump orders before their crops are ready.
"Our leadership failed to back our local irrigators as a lobby group in partnership with this council," he said.
"Our leadership failed to engage the farm lobby sector as a whole, and an example of this failed leadership is that the NSW drought coordinator did not even know Bathurst had a problem until about two days before this decision was handed down.
"You can't tell me that's not a failure in political leadership."
When Cr Jennings had finished his address, Cr North was quick to jump up and refute his claims.
Cr North said everyone had a right to their opinion, but he wasn't prepared to accept accusations that council wasn't trying hard enough to secure the region's water.
"It disappoints me when we come in here and go at a political leadership thing," he said.
"This council at this time, with the previous mayor and the current mayor, I think it's close to $15 million that has been sought and got for [water] activities around here.
"We've worked hard and to suggest, at meetings that you (Cr Jennings) weren't at, that the leadership up here and our staff have not done a good job is offensive."
Cr North said the mayor and senior council staff were regularly meeting with other levels of government to lobby for support for water projects.
Importantly, he said they have continued to push for an allocation from Oberon Dam despite the state government's decision.
"I know we haven't given up on that allocation. They've told us no, but I know our guys and girls who go down there are going to keep saying 'We still want that water'," Cr North said.
"We are doing everything we can."
Cr North reiterated that everyone was entitled to their opinions, but he personally would "never doubt" the work going on behind the scenes.
Cr Jennings later clarified his comments to the Western Advocate, saying Cr North had "misrepresented" his opinion during the meeting.
He said was criticising mayoral leadership displayed by Graeme Hanger and Bobby Bourke, not the work of other council staff.
"At no point have I ever or will I ever criticse the staff and the work they have done," Cr Jennings said.
