THE new committee to manage Lake Illawarra has been branded a "toothless tiger" with little to no power.
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Member for Shellharbour Anna Watson has lashed out at the state government for its "deplorable" efforts in abolishing the Lake Illawarra Authority (LIA) and leaving Shellharbour City and Wollongong councils to "pick up the tab".
The NSW government announced it would dissolve the LIA in June 2013 and the two councils have since been working to set up a Lake Illawarra Estuary Management Committee, of which the terms of reference were adopted by Shellharbour council on May 21.
Ms Watson said the move to abolish the LIA was pure "penny pinching" by the state government and had left the management of Lake Illawarra in "limbo".
"The terms of reference for the new committee simply confirm that it will be an advisory structure only, with no funding, and no ability to make any decisions on the management of Lake Illawarra," she said.
"Wollongong and Shellharbour City ratepayers have been forced to take over responsibility for the management of Lake Illawarra and take up a begging bowl for any government funding."
During her campaigning in the recent election, Ms Watson vowed to revive the LIA with $1.2 million funding allocated a year.
The terms of reference state that the committee would provide "advice, feedback and support" and "does not have decision making authority".
The committee would be made up of three councillors from each council, two community members, one Aboriginal community representative, two scientific advisors, one representative each from Roads and Maritime, South East Land Services and Sydney Water as well as representatives from the Office of Environment and Heritage, Crown Lands and Fisheries.
Mayor Marianne Saliba said the committee's main focus would be on maintenance of the lake's "body of water".
"Shellharbour City Council has for a number of years contributed to LIA doing our own work on the lake foreshore and we will continue to do that and Wollongong as well," she said.
"However, developments and other works will certainly have an impact on the quality of the water.
"We will have a staff member who will work a couple of days a week on the estuary management committee and we will apply for grants from the state government through their estuary funding and both councils will be expected to match that."