Kiama Municipal Council has hosted a visit by its most influential ratepayer, former Prime Minister, Paul Keating, who moved to the NSW south coastal town two years ago.
Mr Keating met with the Greater Cities Commission’s Chief Commissioner, Geoff Roberts; Chief Executive Officerm Chris Hanger and Illawarra Shoalhaven City Commissioner, Jacki Johnson; along with Mayor, Neil Reilly and CEO, Jane Stroud.
As a Gerringong resident, the Labor Party patriarch has an interest in the South Coast, environmental and open space protection, town planning and housing outcomes, Council said in a statement.
“The Greater Cities Commission is the NSW Government planning body that is charged with developing the Six Cities Region, which includes the Illawarra-Shoalhaven,” it said.
“The Commission issued a discussion paper last September, which includes ideas for the future of our region.
“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.”
Mr Keating was accompanied by well-known architect, Richard Francis Jones, who has designed numerous award-winning public buildings and spaces in Australia and New Zealand.
The former PM reportedly purchased a beachside Gerringong property for $2.7 million in 2021.
