Charity registration represents another step in the Port Macquarie tidal pool push.
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The Port Macquarie Tidal Pool Committee has been registered as a not-for-profit charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.
The commission is the independent national regulator of charities.
Port Macquarie Tidal Pool Committee chairperson Kathryn Butler said the charity registration was an important step.
“We are putting our ducks in a row before we start serious fundraising,” she said.
A key goal is a feasibility study which would inform the future direction.
The tidal pool campaign hit a hurdle when Port Macquarie-Hastings Council changed its position on the issue.
Council backtracked in May on an earlier decision to write to Port Macquarie MP Leslie Williams requesting funding on behalf of the Port Macquarie Tidal Pool Committee to undertake a detailed feasibility study.
Council, instead, decided in a six to three vote to place on the record that a tidal pool was not a priority for the council.
The decision came as a blow to tidal pool supporters.
“We’ve been knocked down but we have to pull ourselves up,” Ms Butler said.
Ms Butler remains hopeful a tidal pool will go ahead but she says it will take more time to get there.
“It’s a longer and rougher road than we were on,” she said.
The Port Macquarie Tidal Pool Committee is seeking to expand, and in particular, is looking for a new treasurer.
“If anyone has the time and passion and wants to join the committee, just get in touch,” Ms Butler said.
People interested in joining the committee should email pmqtpc7@gmail.com or send the group a Facebook message.
Meanwhile, advice has indicated the committee is unlikely to receive deductible gift recipient status.
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