The debate about adding fluoride to public drinking water supplies is set to be re-ignited during a deputation by Australian lawyer Michael Lusk.

Mr Lusk, who has been working as a legal adviser to Citizens Against Fluoridation, will speak to council on behalf of the anti-fluoridation group Clean Water for Life Group.

The Clean Water for Life Group was singled out last week by NSW shadow health spokesperson Walt Secord for “spreading health concerns and conspiracy theories on fluoride”.

Mr Lusk’s presentation comes after a survey for council showed a majority accepted the addition of fluoride to the remainder of the Bega Valley water system. 

Council has added fluoride to drinking water in the Bega/Tathra supply system since 1963. It is proposing to add fluoride to the drinking water from other council water supply systems, and it is on this proposal that councillors are expected to vote.

Councillors will also vote on whether to adopt the revised commercial centres strategy and forward it to the NSW Department of Planning. The revised strategy maintains Bega’s primacy as the seat of local government, major health and educational facilities, the courthouse and government offices. 

However it recognises that the population of the Pambula, Merimbula, Tura Beach coastal strip is double that of the Bega district. The documents points out that despite the difference in population between the two areas, Bega district has double the retail space of the Pambula, Merimbula, Tura Beach area.

The revision has been driven by the purchase of land at the corner of Tura Beach Drive and Sapphire Coast Drive by Wesfarmers who wants to put a Bunnings there but is prevented by the currently planning rules that identify Tura Beach as a village.