4 September 2024
By Grahame Lynch
Milsons Point resident Peter Noble is heading the CommUnity 1st ticket for Cammeraygal ward at the upcoming Council election, prompted to run by the political factionalism he observed in the current term.
Having been a resident of the area since 2009, Noble said his decision to run for council is driven by a deep concern over the current council’s focus on political factionalism at the expense of addressing local issues. “The driver was the hostilities of factions and the political aims of the council. I thought that the council really needed to focus on local issues, and it appeared to be ignoring them,” Noble remarked.
Noble brings a lifetime of legal experience to the table having headed practices across Australia, Asia and North America. His career also includes significant roles in the life insurance industry, where he demerged and listed a life insurance company on the stock exchange.
Latterly, his involvements extended to the Australian Meat Processor Corporation, where he served as chairman, and the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, a Commonwealth research institution focused on feral species and weeds.
His frustration is particularly evident in his criticism of the council’s handling of the local pool project.
Noble highlighted what he said was the mismanagement of the pool, which has been plagued by delays and cost overruns. “Two and a half years over $40 million, and you find out that for the first two years of council it effectively wasn’t on the agenda and nothing happened,” he explained.
Noble’s approach to resolving this issue is rooted in his extensive experience with large projects, particularly in the IT integration and mergers and acquisitions sectors. He advocates for a more hands-on approach, suggesting that the council should engage directly with contractors and stakeholders to resolve the issues rather than resorting to litigation, as council has done with a lawsuit against the architect. “Suing them just puts up a big wall. Once you start suing people, then the walls go up,” he added.
Noble is also keen on revitalising Bradfield Park, proposing a comprehensive master plan to enhance both the north and south sections of the park. He criticised the current state of the park, particularly the presence of Transport for New South Wales, which has taken over parts of Bradfield Park South to build a controversial bike ramp. “We should kick Transport for New South Wales out of Bradfield Park South. I think the (original enabling) legislation shows that the land should come back to North Sydney Council, and we ought to push them for it,” Noble stated.
His vision for the park includes improving the canopy by planting 2,000 trees owed to Council by virtue of the 2-for-1 tree state government policy and the use of Cammeray Park land for road purposes, which he believes would significantly reduce the ambient temperature in the area. “If you keep putting concrete paths all over the place, then the ambient temperature’s going to go up,” he noted.
Noble also expressed concern over the neglect of existing master plans, particularly those for the waterfront areas around Lavender Bay and Blues Point. “They’re all just languishing in council. They’ve been there since 2019. They need to be resurrected,” he said. He pointed out the poor state of pedestrian infrastructure in these areas, such as under the Harbour Bridge and around Blues Point, where barriers and neglected walkways create an unpleasant environment.
“In terms of active transport, pedestrians are a rather neglected lot, and there are 10 times more pedestrians walking around here than there are other people on bikes, Noble asserted, emphasising the need for better infrastructure to support pedestrian traffic.
Central to Noble’s campaign is a call for greater unity and purpose within the council. He expressed concern over the entrenched factional hostilities he believes undermine effective governance and prevents the council from addressing the real issues facing the community.
FACTIONALISM: “When I go there, it’s just factional hostility,” Noble observed. He questioned the current leadership’s ability to foster collaboration among councillors, stating, “that takes a really strong mayor, and I don’t know whether the mayor actually engages with the councillors on a basis where she can get that sort of trust around the boardroom so you can have a proper conversation.”
Noble also criticised the council’s handling of heritage issues, particularly the bike ramp approval process. He noted that despite strong opposition from the community and councillors, six members voted in favour of giving heritage consent for the project’s land requirement due to a misunderstanding of the legal context. “They had to get three separate sources of legal advice to understand what the law was,” Noble said. He emphasised the importance of preserving the heritage value of the area while also accommodating necessary infrastructure improvements, suggesting alternative solutions like the community cycle ramp design.
Ian Mutton, a sitting councillor who has chosen to run on the difficult position of two on the CommUnity 1st ticker after two terms, explained his decision to have Peter Noble lead their election ticket.
“For any council to be successful, to properly represent the community, it’s imperative that the composition of council turn over constantly and you get to a point after two terms when it’s time to hand over, it’s time to bring new people on,” Mutton said.
Mutton said “The problem with North Sydney Council at the moment is the debates are empty because the positions don’t change,” he added, underscoring the importance of fresh leadership.
Noble is a Liberal Party member but does not have their endorsement.