Frustratingly, the most important decisions at council will always involve balancing competing interests. If everyone in the community wanted the same thing, and needed the same thing, setting direction and making decisions would be an easy job.

Our duty as councillors is to be objective and make informed, evidence-based decisions for the benefit of the whole community.

There are so many key words there, but being informed is critical. It is not for us to listen to just the loudest voice, nor the friendliest, nor the angriest. Our responsibility is to consider all the facts and balance that with the opinions from all sections of the community.

At our March meeting, council voted to defer the decision on our Holiday Park Master Plans to allow for more time to digest the reports which included detailed community engagement findings and the financial data. Importantly this deferral also gives the community a chance to also understand the facts around what's being considered.

Council has a legislated responsibility to maximise the entire community's use and enjoyment of council managed Crown Land. Our public parks, reserves and foreshores are a very visible example of this duty as they are some of the most stunning and highly used spaces in the Shire.

Everyone in our community can benefit from the Holiday Parks without staying there. The revenue generated has recently contributed income towards many facilities such as Stuarts Point Foreshore Refurbishment works, the Crescent Head Foreshore and CBD Amenities, Lifeguard and beach cleaning services and the Horseshoe Bay day visitor area. This is in addition to the reinvestment into maintaining and upgrading the park facilities and is funds that would otherwise have to come from the general rates.

How we invest in and set-up our Holiday Parks over the next 10 years will be a subject of discussion and debate at our next meeting as the councillors make decisions on the long-term balance between commercial and community uses of the parks and surrounding foreshores.

It's a very complex issue. It's not a decision we will take lightly.

All of the documents for the draft Macleay Valley Coast Holiday Parks - Annual Licences and Master Plans decision before council are available on the website at ksc.pub/holidayparks2021.