These are based on issues our readers have voted as being of most importance to our community.

We asked: What is your position on the long-term management of the waterway at Lake Cathie?

Here are their responses in the order groups/candidates appear on the ballot paper:

Read more:

GROUP A - Fighters for Our Region: Lisa Intemann, Kingsley Searle, Stewart Cooper, Narelle Milligan, Paul Bradford

Team Intemann will give first priority to the Coastal Management Program, as legislated, to ensure dedicated council resourcing, as well as finding ways to speed up the process.

All relevant parties - Council, councillors, NSW agencies, community groups, scientists - have agreed that we need the historic information and new studies on various issues, and then decide a program of works.

The stage 1 scoping study has been completed, identifying main issues to be addressed regionally, not just for Lake Cathie but for our entire Hastings and Camden region.

Lake Cathie will, however, be first cab off the rank due to significant management issues across the entire lake system - from the lagoon which everyone loves, to Lake Cathie proper, Cathie Creek and then the vast Lake Innes that stretches up to Port Macquarie.

Stage 2 will do some in-depth study of important issues:

There is also the 'problem' of who is responsible for each aspect of lake management - NSW government or council. NSW 'owns' the lake system, so we need to clarify council's responsibility and funding.

Team Intemann sees the first main tasks as: funding in council's budget; address historic roadblocks especially communication, and find ways to streamline the whole process.

In particular we would urge council to engage a panel of dredging firms and stop making a new tender each time it dredges.

Also run studies and works in parallel where possible, to speed things up and make efficiencies.

This is a huge puzzle that we are looking forward to help solve, for the good of the lake system, the community and our future.

GROUP B - Hastings First: Nik James Lipovac, Kerry Fox, Linda Lenord, Michael Clarke and Justin Hardie

Water management is the responsibility of a water management committee appointed for each NSW region by the relevant Minister.

We need to find out who is on this committee, when they last met, and what actions have been taken because until we know that, it's hard to pin down a starting point.

In saying that a seawater solution rather than Freshwater solution would appear to be more cost effective and environmentally sustainable.

The management of Lake Cathie is much more than a local government issue.

Councillors can all agree that certain actions or measures must be taken however there are several authorities and organisations that must be involved in the care of the lake and who will undertake the bulk of the work.

There are so many factors that have led to the lake's demise over recent years, both natural and man-made, so there is no easy solution or quick fix to return the lake to its once healthy state.

We need patience, calm heads and a realistic attitude to what we can promise and deliver.

GROUP C - The Greens: Lauren Edwards, Stuart Watson, Drusi Megget and Les Mitchell

The Greens acknowledge that the Lake Cathie estuary is a highly valued landscape and recreational feature for the whole Port Macquarie-Hastings community.

We believe that Council is responding reasonably well to the concerns of the Lake Cathie community through the Lake Cathie Community Plan, the Coastal Management Plan and forums such as the Community Council Action Teams.

The Greens support a sustainable strategy for the estuary that recognises that Lake Cathie is an Intermittently Closed and Open Lake and Lagoon, but that it has been compromised by developments around the estuary.

We recognise that its hydrology was greatly affected by a significant period of below average rainfall preceding 2020.

Management of the system must balance the needs of the community and the important ecological values of the estuary.

In Council, the Greens would ensure absolute best practice in managing water quality of urban run-off. We believe direct interventions should be limited to opening the estuary when flooding threatens important assets, and for dredging of the bed of the estuary east of the Ocean Drive bridge.

Closure of the notch connecting Lake Innes should also be further investigated.

We recognise that State Government agencies are responsible for the lake and estuary west of the Ocean Drive bridge and Council should continue to work closely with those agencies to ensure that the estuary's social, economic and biodiversity values are all given consideration in its management.

GROUP D - Team Pinson: Peta Pinson, Adam Roberts, Sharon Griffiths, Danielle Maltman and Josh Slade

Team Pinson values the lake, so much so that we will take the lead from Narrabeen Shire Council and implement a Lake Management Plan into the Coastal Management Plan which is currently underway.

Part of this plan will include moving the frequency of lake dredging from its current low priority, to a high priority.

The plan will also address the coastal erosion issue adjacent to Illaroo Road. We are not fixated on a massive, unsightly and so far unfunded revetment wall, which would be a potential blight on our beautiful coastline.

Regular nourishment for the beach adjacent to Illaroo Road using the dredged sand would negate the need for a revetment wall entirely and would be a much better visual amenity outcome for the lake entrance.

Regular beach nourishment would also be more in line with local residents expectations given their strong opposition to residents having to pay millions of dollars for a revetment wall that will cause more issues than it solves.

For far too long, the lake has been neglected and not made a priority.

Team Pinson will continue to include in future operational budgets, enough resources to further enhance the lake surrounds and also do whatever we can to ensure the water quality improves and is safe for swimming, fishing and making the lake visually appealing all year round.

GROUP E - Team Sheppard: Rachel Sheppard, Greg Freeman, Linda Elbourne, Ethan Francis

Team Sheppard has regionally relevant policies that guide our positions on single issues. The crux of our platform is a sensible, sustainable approach to progress. This means getting the right balance between economic, social and environmental factors for results that reflect community interests.

In the face of historical development and the recent drought, Lake Cathie's ecology has now likely been permanently changed. Our responsibility now is to make better decisions to recover what we can, protect what remains and re-vision what the lake can be. We note that the long-term environmental health of the lake is critical to the desired long term social and economic benefits.

Better decision making means considering the science, listening to input from subject matter experts, and meaningful collaboration with community. To this end, we support Revive Lake Cathie's (RLC) '2021 Strategic Framework'. Acting as a voice for the lake, liaising respectfully with the relevant authorities, dredging, replacing the Kenwood Drive Bridge all make sense with the evidence available.

'Future proofing' through the finalisation and implementation of the Coastal Management Plan will provide the strategic direction for Council. However, this will need to be integrated actively into council's development and growth strategies. Otherwise, the results of the CMP will be undermined by developers or representatives whose approach to development is "reducing ... green tape".

We understand that debate is underway between other candidate groups regarding possible comprehensive action plans specific to the management of Lake Cathie. We believe that by broadly supporting the RLC 2021 Strategic Framework, and by drawing on RLC subject matter expertise and community activation, the councillor team elected in December will be in a good position to work as a team and make the best, sensible and sustainable decisions for our community.

Jon Bailey - Independent

The health of the waterway is obviously the most important point, the aquatic life and public safety are paramount.

Revive Lake Cathie's latest water sampling and testing conducted by Dr Deb Geronimi is concerning with traces of sulphates and ammonia detected.

It's such a complex issue with housing developments around the waterway also impacting water quality. Run off from washing your car and spraying herbicides for weeds and bindis etc. can trickle into the waterway and have serious ramifications on the water quality.

Then you go back to 1933 when Lake Innes, a former freshwater lake was opened to saltwater which changed the whole ecosystem, and then the ridiculous building of the Kenwood Bridge with a tiny opening which just clogged everything up, and then you have so many different government department hoops to jump through it's ridiculous.

Bottom line is run off into the lake needs to be more controlled, and if council could dredge and open it to the ocean on a more regular basis it may be a more healthy waterway.

Long term, the Kenwood Bridge needs to be rebuilt or replaced and Lake Innes would be a great asset to the environment if it was returned to freshwater for our wildlife and for freshwater fishing.

Steven Gates (mayor only)

Awaiting response.