Darling slams LIA over lake works

Independent candidate Alex Darling (centre) meets with members of the Save Lake Illawarra Action Group (l-r) Bruce Tarter, Helen Stewart, Bob Parsons and Geoff Rose, as he gears up for the State elections next March.

INDEPENDENT candidate for the newly named seat of Shellharbour, Alex Darling, met with representatives of the Save Lake Illawarra Action Group (SLIAG) on Monday to discuss issues surrounding the lake entrance works and the lack of communication between the Lake Illawarra Authority (LIA) and both local government Councils and the community at large.

Mr Darling, slammed the Lake Illawarra Authority, describing their lack of communication as frustrating and saying the Authoritys lack of transparency is a major concern.

Council gets no information from the LIA Board, Mr Darling said.

We have no idea how much money they have, how reasonable or otherwise the budget blowout was or why and how it happened.

We just dont know whats happening with the money both Wollongong and Shellharbour Council have contributed to the works and weve had no advice from them as to whether the State Government has matched the two Councils latest funding contributions.

When the LIA needed the additional funds from both Councils, they should have given us each a proper briefing as to why the costs had blown out.

Mr Darling said that if he was successful in next years elections he would push for an investigation into the management of the LIA.

The lake is the jewel in the crown of the Illawarra and it is important that it is managed by the appropriate people and that the Authority is both transparent and has accountability, Mr Darling said.

Im not certain that any of these is the case at the moment.

SLIAG announced at the meeting that they will throw their support behind Alex Darlings parliamentary aspirations in next Marchs elections.

Mr Darling has committed to support SLIAGs call for community representation on the LIA board as well as ensure that the long awaited back channel study detailed in the Thoms Report proceeds once the entrance works are completed.