Ahead of this afternoon’s Extraordinary Council Meeting, Councillor Imogen Draisma has signalled her intention to propose an alternate amended motion – one that mirrors the original motion, apart from taking out the reference to selling the Barney St Quarry by expressions of interest.

That motion looked to explore all options for divestment and capital works reductions opportunities through an Options Paper, acknowledging the need to restore cash reserves and the balance sheet in the order of $30 to $40 million.

“The letter from the Minister regarding the intention to implement a performance order notes that there is a body of work to still be completed in regards to the keep, lease or selling of parts of or the whole of Blue Haven, and that is to come before the Council by the end of the year,” she says [Minister notifies Council of intention to intervene].

“My position is that if we were to vote a motion to sell Blue Haven Bonaira it isn’t going to contribute to a solution for the next two years of negative cash flow. There is a serious body of work to be done that impact on our ability to go to market. It is beyond the scope of time that we need an injection of cash into our reserves to pay for our liabilities, including our loan to TCorp.

Councillor Draisma

“It is tomorrow’s solution for today’s problem. We need to be looking at other asset sales, and they need to occur after we have seen all the options and explained them to the community.”

Rudi Oppitz, an organiser for the United Services Union which is opposing the sale of Blue Haven, agrees with this strategy of looking at all options, “Had the original resolution been acted on they would have been further along the line and the Minister would have seen Council was doing what they had been asked to do.”

Councillor Draisma has told The Bugle that Council has received legal advice that the Mayor’s amended motion, to sell Blue Haven Bonaira, is not a legal motion as it currently stands as it doesn’t sufficiently acknowledge or deal with the existing classification of the land. It is understood those amendments are being made before the meeting.

The Extraordinary Meeting will held this afternoon from 4.30pm, after Public Access at 4pm. It will be livestreamed from the Council Chamber for those who can’t attend, as is usual practice.