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Adjudication No.  923  (May 1997) [1997] APC 24

The Australian Press Council has upheld a complaint from the Council of the City of Shoalhaven against the Milton-Ulladulla Times.

The newspaper's reports were critical of the quality of the water in Lake Conjola. They stated that residents complained of the appearance of the lake and that its users were suffering from health problems. They further criticised the testing and analysis which were submitted by the council. Claims were made that tests conducted by independent residents contradicted the results as submitted by the city council. The reports said that there was a perception in the community that the council had covered up the fact that water in the lake was polluted.

Councillor Max Atkins, Mayor of the City of Shoalhaven, claims that the city council has been diligent in its approach to water quality in Lake Conjola and has been extremely open with the results of its testing and their media releases and the availability of test reports support this.

Although early tests may have been taken by private residents, their readings were not taken under valid test conditions. When these conditions were fulfilled, in conjunction with the city council, results confirmed the accuracy of the council's findings. The newspaper did not report this.

Lake Conjola is an important asset to the Shoalhaven area and it is understandable that a community newspaper would have an intense interest in its quality. However, its reporting was unfair to the city council in that it did not publish a report from the Illawarra Public Health Unit showing that samples from the lake indicated low levels of faecal coliform and good water quality. Nor were there adequate grounds for the newspaper to suggest that the council may have been dishonest in its reports on water quality in Lake Conjola.