Dear News Of The Area,

THE Mambo-Wanda Wetlands Conservation Group welcomes the announcement from Catherine Cusack in the NSW Parliament on Wednesday night that proceedings have begun for a compulsory buy back of Mambo Wetlands, sold in June, 2016.

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The community of Port Stephens has been campaigning for this outcome for over two years and finally we have some action.

Timing is everything in politics and of course we should know the final outcome just before the NSW State election in March.

Thank you to everyone who has signed a petition, sent a letter, attended a meeting, made a phone call or sent an email on this issue. Your efforts and determination have finally paid off and the community thanks you.

We also thank Port Stephens Council for their unwavering support, from their original submission to the State Government advocating that the sale not go ahead in 2016, to their unanimous decision in January this year to appeal to the State government for a buy back. Thank you to Councillor Abbott for bringing this matter before Council and to Catherine Cusack for pursuing the matter with the NSW Government.

We would also like to thank our local MP Kate Washington for her sustained efforts and support of an issue she knew the community felt so strongly about.

The Mambo-Wanda Wetlands Conservation Group will continue to pursue issues around the original sale in 2016. Ms Brown said the Mambo Group is still waiting for documentation from the NSW Planning Department surrounding the auction held in 2016.

This will be finalised in late December. We continue to ask the government about a commitment made in 2017 by Ms Cusack to a local Landcare Group, that she would ensure that government processes that allowed this sale to take place, would be reviewed.

There are still many questions to be answered around the original sale, but for now we appear to be on the path towards having Mambo back in public ownership.

Congratulations to the Port Stephens community on a job well done.

Kathy Brown, Secretary,
Mambo-Wanda Wetlands Conservation Group