Australia - YOUR STORY: Who pays the hidden cost of fluoride

THE Lismore region is about to have the fluoride taps turned on.
Geoff Haycraft owner of Goanna Bakery and Cafe with bakers in the background from left Patrick Stead and Sridharma.

Jacklyn Wagner
As the owner of a local business with a focus on health, organics and chemical free food, I felt compelled to respond to this situation by installing, at significant cost, a reverse osmosis filtration system in my building.
YOUR STORY: Do you have an important issue to raise? Tell your story your way
My concern is that the introduction of fluoride in Lismore's water represents a serious threat to the commercial future, image and ethos of my business.
I recently wrote to council requesting they reimburse me for these costs as I hold them responsible for the threat their decision represents to my business.
Unsurprisingly, this request fell on deaf ears.
General manager Gary Murphy did his best to deflect responsibility by claiming NSW Heath deems fluoride safe, so therefore it must be safe, and by extension, Lismore council bears no liability.
We have a situation here where our elected representatives have made what was probably the most important decision of their entire tenure as councillors, without proper consultation with the community.
I strongly believe this decision should have been pre-empted by a plebiscite as was the case with CSG.
They then refuse to take any responsibility for possible negative impacts stemming from this decision.
Democracy and accountability on all levels of government appear to be in ever diminishing supply these days.
Personally, I believe Lismore Council should be ashamed of itself.
* Geoff Haycraft is the owner of the Goanna Bakery & Cafe at Lismore.