PM Submission - Tom Whitaker - MCU25/0118

                 shocked at how Council claimed the land would be remediated safely when I
                 know from personal experience that this is not completely possible.
                 Kim Rawlings (recorded) stated during an on-site meeting with the consultant
                 that Council would take any steps, no matter the cost, to keep residents safe.
                 However, when one resident asked to have the clearly visible dust on her
                 pool cover tested, she was told, “Sorry, it’s not in the budget.”
                 Since remediation began, there have been a number of moderate wet-weather
                 events—not unusual for this area—that have had significant effects on the
                 street. Contaminated dirt has spilled onto Dianella Court multiple times and,
                 when this occurs on weekends, it is left until Monday to be cleaned up. How
                 do the so-called biosphere climate activists on Council (such as Brian
                 Stockwell and Tom Wegner) consider this acceptable, especially given how
                 silent they have been throughout this entire process?
                 Being in construction, it is easy to see the potential harms of poor runoff
                 management—something Council itself acknowledges by employing
                 numerous plumbing inspectors. Yet when these questions were raised, I was
                 made to feel foolish and told to “trust the process.” The runoff at the back of
                 my property has increased dramatically since the removal of the tree canopy,
                 and I am expected to simply watch my property erode over the next decade.
                 The clustering of this many units, all of which are social or commission
                 housing, poses a substantial threat to the safety and wellbeing of my family
                 and our surrounding neighbours. Given that Frank Wilkie has already stated
                 publicly that Lots 2 and 3 will also be of the same nature and similarly dense,
                 where is the safety net for my family in terms of increased risk of crime and
                 general nuisance? It is well established that these types of developments often
                 bring additional challenges, and in this case, they put my family’s wellbeing
                 at risk—a path I strongly urge Council not to take.
                 I suggest councillors remember that they hold their positions because
                 residents like myself vote for them—and can just as easily vote them out.
                 Both Council staff and councillors are supposed to serve the wants and needs
                 of local ratepayers, yet throughout this entire process, it is clear that some
                 individuals are more focused on appeasing those they perceive as above them
                 rather than those who actually pay their wages.




Document Set ID: 24329284
Version: 1, Version Date: 24/11/2025