Wollongong City Council’s controversial move to strip northern Illawarra dog owners of three off-leash beach areas was based on 25 complaints from just 15 households, campaigners have revealed.
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Complaints about dogs on McCauleys, Little Austi and Sharkeys beaches represented less than a third of all complaints about dogs on beaches made to council between July, 2012 and March, 2014.
Of those 25 complaints, more than half were made by the same three households, according to information supplied to the Illawarra Dog Community group under the Government Information (Public Access) Act.
Committee member David Hurley said it was worrying that ‘‘a mere handful’’ of complaints prompted councillors to propose sweeping changes to council’s existing dogs on beaches and parks policy.
‘‘If you’re going to change a policy like this, which affects the lives of so many, then our group feels you need to have substantial evidence to back up those claims,’’ Mr Hurley said.
‘‘The worrying thing is, it is obvious now that those complaints [councillors] are referring to have been made by just 15 separate households over two years.
‘‘[Councillors have made] the 2000 people who showed up on Sunday and the 500 people in our group fight to keep something that means so much to them, when there is no evidence that it is in the interest of anyone other than those 15 households to take it away.’’
Mr Hurley said the information flew in the face of several councillors’ claims that they supported the policy review based on the sheer volume of complaints they received about dogs at off-leash beaches.
Any complaints made directly to councillors are required to be logged with a central registry.
He questioned why councillors would make ‘‘such radical changes’’ to the policy with ‘‘no evident justification for it’’.
Under proposed changes, dogs would only be allowed on Sharkeys, McCauleys and Little Austinmer beaches at restricted times, provided they are on a leash.
The proposed policy is on public exhibition until October 6.