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This consultation has concluded.
When you tell people you live in the Southern Highlands, what response do you get? Usually it is related to how lucky you are to be surrounded by all those trees, fresh air, beautiful landscape, and the bountiful opportunities to get close to nature.
Unfortunately, it has only been in the last ten years or so that we have realised how much work we need to put in to both preserve these features, and fix what we have neglected in the past.
In 2000 Wingecarribee Shire Council, in consultation with the community, introduced the Environment Levy to do just that: maintain river health, remove weeds, regenerate the bush, rehabilitate the riverine corridor, control sediment and erosion, restore degraded land, and conserve and enhance natural biodiversity.
Eleven years on, much has been achieved, not only by Council but also as a result of the thousands of hours volunteers have contributed to environmental works.
The benefits have been enormous however all of this work needs to be maintained and there is a lot more that needs to be done. The current Environmental Levy was approved for 5 years and is due to expire in June 2013. Council is applying to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) early in 2012 to seek approval for continued collection of the levy.
Council has developed a number of options concerning the future funding of environmental works, and is now seeking community comment for inclusion in its application to IPART.
Have your say. We need you to be involved in this important community decision and encourage you to: