The actual situation is quite complex, and involves powerful interests and strong community sentiment, and political commitment has been hard to pin down.

In discussion with one of our better known politicians in regard to the reserve nearly two years ago, I was informed that the issue of the ownership/custodianship/zoning and the sale of the reserve was "a real hot potato". Today, politicians, bureaucrats, councillors and council officers are still dodging and waving around the issue. Periodically, they are unable to respond to straight questions or return calls, or try and shuffle paperwork to someone else's desk, are reluctant to put pen to paper or just refuse to address issues raised.

Consequently, we do not have a transparent, accountable understanding of the situation. All we have are unanswered questions or partial answers and little concrete commitment to an objective for resolution of a situation that "stinks on ice". Some questions that are problematic are as follows:

What about the change of zoning and lack of due process (especially considering proven public interest as demonstrated by the 1997 petition) in making this public open space a residential one zone?

What about the state government and council open space policy that specifies "no nett loss" of open space?

What about the difference between Sovereign Hill Museums Associations' (SHMA) asking price and how should it relate to the government valuation of the property at the time of purchase?

Who pays the rates, how much and did this change when SHMA paid out the restricted Crown purchase in 2012?

When and where should the public have been consulted about its open space and should the presence of a community use res evaluation begin, stipulated in the original restricted purchase in 1997 by SHMA?

Where is the subsidence reservation to be placed on the title as described in internal state correspondence and correspondence to SH MA is July 2012?

What about the historic nature of this importance Eureka period site and its association with William Dunstan, an ex-Golden Point school student and Ballarat's first winner of the Victoria Cross?

What about the under-supply of public open space in the Golden Point area and the pledge by politicians and bureaucrats to tackle obesity and heart disease, especially when elsewhere in the state, councils and the state government are buying private land to convert it to public open space?

There are many other unanswered questions but please ask your politicians, councillors, bureaucrats and council officers what is going on, what has taken place and what are they offering to do about it.

With the state election coming up, suddenly there is money for all manner of things, but there is no commitment for this 'hot potato'.

The loss of public open space should not be tolerated by any politician worth their salt.