Blacktown City Council Follow Up On ' Have Your Say'

An item of interest from last week that we want to share with you.Y
ou may have seen the Channel Nine story that the people wanting to build an energy from Waste generator at Eastern Creek are offering 1,000 solar panel gernerators for local houses if their plan is approved by the NSW Government.  Mayor Bali's response to this (also attached) was pretty straightforward:

Blacktown Mayor slams “blanket and trinkets” offer for EFW approval

Blacktown City Mayor Stephen Bali MP has reacted with outrage to the offer of free solar panels for western Sydney residents if an energy from waste incinerator is approved at Eastern Creek.

Dial a Dump founder Ian Malouf has offered to install solar panels at 1,000 homes in Erskine Park and Minchinbury once construction of his controversial proposed waste incinerator begins.

See the story  here.

“There is a rich man’s arrogance about this that reminds me of the way natives were conned out of land rights by being given trinkets, beads and blankets,” Mayor Bali said.
“Let me understand this:  Ian Malouf thinks giving 1,000 homes free solar panels is going to change the opinion of the 2,100,000 people who live in western Sydney about his project?

“As The Castle’s Darryl Kerrigan would have said: ‘Tell him he’s dreaming’.”

“He’s desperate for approval, it’s a cynical offer and it’s demeaning to the residents of western Sydney.

Mayor Bali also says there is an irony about the offer to give away a super-sustainable electricity generator in exchange for getting support for a waste incinerating electricity generator that the EPA has criticised.

“If he thinks solar power is so good, why not go somewhere outback and make money from a big solar generation plant?
There is a hint of desperation about this, which has angered the locals, Mayor Bali said.

“The feedback I have been getting is that Mr Malouf’s attempted PR tactic has backfired.

“Locals are rightly acting with contempt that someone thinks going into a solar power lotto they will be convinced to change their mind.

“I am wondering if ICAC should be taking interest in a developer who thinks approval for projects can be won by a give-away campaign where opinion is shaped by doing favours or handing out gifts.

“Any project should be either accepted or rejected based on its merit, not on trinket giveaways.