Holdom rules out criticism response

TWEED councillor Dot Holdom has ruled out hitting back at claims the council's general manager Mike Rayner had acted like a “climate change sceptic”.

TWEED councillor Dot Holdom has ruled out hitting back at the Caldera Environment Centre over claims the council's general manager Mike Rayner had acted like a “climate change sceptic”.

Last week environment centre co-ordinator Hop'e Hopkins said Mr Rayner was acting like a climate change sceptic or denialist by refusing a request from Greens Party councillor Katie Milne to devote “a full scale edition” of the council newsletter Tweed Link “to explain the science of climate change”.

Mr Rayner through a spokeswoman later declared he was “not a climate change sceptic” and said an upcoming edition of the Link would focus on sustainability and associated council initiatives.

Council staff provided the Tweed Daily News with a wide-ranging list of council strategies and programs to combat the impact of climate change, pointing out they included $3000 of funding towards World Environment Day celebrations to be hosted by the environment centre on June 5.

Following last year's event the funding was questioned by Cr Holdom after councillors were criticised by the centre for not attending. Several councillors said they were not officially invited.

But Cr Holdom said she would not revisit the issue.

“We cleared the air quite a while ago. Hence there will be no revisiting from me,” she said, adding that Mr Hopkins had based his criticism on misinformation about Mr Rayner's response.

She revealed she supported the decision not to have a “climate change” edition.

“The role of the Tweed Link is to inform the reader, not push a party political view,” she said.

However, Cr Holdom said the council had not been sitting back and waiting to take action on “sustainability matters”.

“I walk some of the corridors of the council building; I see what has been initiated – recycle/reduce/reuse, energy efficiency measures, smart cars, bikes etc.,” she said.

Originally published as Holdom rules out criticism response