Kiama Council has deferred the debate on a notice of motion that would have suspended the sale of Blue Haven Bonaira until February 2024.

Councillor Kathy Rice submitted the motion on 11 December 2023 which, if successful, would have suspended all action on the sale of Blue Haven Bonaira and instigated an investigation by the Office of Local Government into the entire divestment process.

The notice of motion was submitted before the deadline for its inclusion in Council’s business papers for the 14 December 2023 Ordinary Meeting. However, CEO Jane Stroud advised after the original business papers were published that the motion doesn’t comply with sections of Council’s Code of Meeting Practice.

Given the far-reaching legal and financial ramifications of suspending the sale of Blue Haven Bonaira, the motion will instead be debated at the next Ordinary Council Meeting on 13 February 2024.

The Office of Local Government confirmed that decision, and Council has advised members of the public that were going to speak at the Public Forum on the motion about the deferral. If the motion were to be debated today, there would only be a few hours between the Public Forum and the Ordinary Meeting, giving very little time to consider the community’s input.

The motion was submitted in response to an open letter submitted by former Kiama Mayor Sandra McCarthy and former Kiama Councillor Howard R Jones, which details the divestment process for Blue Haven Bonaira. McCarthy and Jones argue that Kiama Council undermined the social licence it believed it had to sell Blue Haven Bonaira in the face of community concerns.