While we aren’t privy to what his views were, Kiama Council has reporting hosted a visit by former Prime Minister Paul Keating to discuss aspects of the Greater Cities Commission.

The Greater Cities Commission is the NSW Government planning body that is charged with developing the Six Cities Region, which includes the Illawarra-Shoalhaven.

Mr Keating, who has a property in Gerringong, met with the Greater Cities Commission’s Chief Commissioner Geoff Roberts, Chief Executive Officer Chris Hanger and Illawarra Shoalhaven City Commissioner Jacki Johnson, along with Mayor Neil Reilly and CEO Jane Stroud.

Mr Keating has long had an interest in environmental and open space protection, town planning and housing outcomes, and now the impact of these on the South Coast is closer to home.

A statement from Council says, “Mr Keating used the meeting to discuss the Commission’s plans, especially the development of housing targets for our region, the maintenance of inter-urban breaks and preserving the environmental values that make our area unique.”

Also at the meeting was architect Richard Francis Jones, who has designed numerous award-winning public buildings and spaces in Australia and New Zealand.

If Mr Keating is a reader of The Bugle, we would love to find out what he thinks of the Greater Cities initiative.