Councillor Scott BennisonWard:
West Phone: 0402 406 241 Public Email: sbennison@lanecove.nsw.gov.au Public Email:
www.scottbennison.com Background:I was born and raised in Wellington NSW and moved to Sydney in 1986 to pursue a career in Accounting after spending some time living in Newcastle and Melbourne. I met my lovely wife in Sydney and was married in 1993 where we moved to Lane Cove in 1996 and have lived here since. I became a Chartered Accountant in 2000 and shortly afterwards established a financial services firm in Lane Cove, Infinity Financial. Our firm has expanded since that time employing about 10 staff and providing additional services in Financial Planning, Lending and Audit. I joined the Lane Cove Chamber of Commerce as Treasurer in 2002 and became President in 2005 until my election onto Lane Cove Council in 2008. This is my second term as an endorsed Liberal Councillor and I will be seeking a third term at the upcoming elections in September this year for a third term to pursue the initiatives that have been created during this term of Council. I was Mayor from 2012-2013 and was successful elected as treasurer of Local Government NSW (NGNSW) in October 2015. I am currently the Vice President of Northern Regional Organisation of Councils (NSROC) and the Treasurer of Local Government NSW (LGNSW) the peak body representing Councils across NSW. Why I stood for Council:I stood again for council in 2008 because like many other residents was frustrated with the lack of car parking in Lane Cove and the decline of small business in Lane Cove. As a small business owner in Lane Cove and professionally acting for a large number of small businesses, I understand the challenges that face small business in an environment of ever-changing government policies at all levels of Government. Small businesses are important to our community as they provide essential goods and services we rely on daily basis. Why I ran for a third term:The proposed amalgamation of Lane Cove Council with the City of Ryde and Hunters Hill puts all what we love about Lane Cove at risk. In my professional capacity as a Chartered Accountant and Auditor I reviewed the proposal prepared by the NSW State Government to merge Lane Cove with the City of Ryde and Hunters Hill Councils and concluded that the proposal was floored in many resects. I was not alone in my conclusions, Professor Percy Alan and Brian Dollery also concluded simular finding. I made many attempts as Councillor to meet with the former Premier Mike Baird to discuss alternative models that would meet the efficiency objectives of the State Government while retaining the autonomy of Lane Cove Council, however these were all refused. I felt no there was no alternative but to challenge the proposal. The NSW State Government business case was based on a report prepared by KPMG that they refused to release. I sough access to this report through the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) and was successful in obtaining the report titled 'Option Analysis' (refer to the following links).
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/alan-jones-scott-bennison
http://www.scottbennison.com/forced-amalgamation/ On the 16 May 2016 at a meeting of Council I sought support from your elected Councillors to take legal action against the proposed merger with the City of Ryde and Hunters Hill. This was successful however not all Councillors supported my motion. We lost that case and I sought support to appeal that decision and again simular to last time it was supported but not by all Councillors. I estimated that the cost to initiate the legal action, appeal that decision and if necessary appeal to the High Court would cost approximately $20 per rate payer. If we amalgamate our rates would most likely increase by up to 30% or about $190pa per rate payer. Recently I sought support again the support of Council to, if necessary, appeal to the High Court and also to have poll at the elections in September to determine our resident's supports the merger with the City of Ryde and Hunters Hill. I was supported by the majority of councillors however there were some who did not support the appeal to the high court or allowing our residents to have their say. I note that the State Government recently announced that it would not be pursuing amalgamations that were currently the subject to legal proceedings. The Greater Sydney Commission (GSC) continually increases our housing targets and as a result puts undue pressure on our existing infrastructure.
Interests: I enjoy playing tennis, riding my Harley Fat Boy, and have a pyrotechnics licence (fireworks). I support closing the gap strategies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander that allow self determination.
Current Positions: Director of Infinity Financial and Infinity Wealth Councillor of Lane Cove Council Deputy President of Northern Regional Organisation of Councils (NSROC) Council representative of Joint Regional Planning Panel (JRPP) Treasurer of Local Government NSW (LGNSW) Council representative of Lane Cove Councils Internal Audit committee
Former Positions: Mayor of Lane Cove Council Non-executive Director of Admiralty Resources NL Chairperson of the Audit and risk Committee – Admiralty Resources NL President of Lane Cove Chamber of Commerce Treasurer of Lane Cove Chamber of Commerce
Education: Bachelor of Business (major in Accounting) Professional Year Program – Institute of Chartered Accountants Diploma in Financial Planning
Professional Qualifications: Chartered Accountant Financial Planner Registered Company Auditor (ASIC) and in New Zealand Justice of the Peace Registered Tax Agent Licensed Pyrotechnical Operator | 
