Mad Mayor
THE mayor of Waverley, Mora Main, has a vision of a perfect world and it’s practically car-free.
Residents in Sydney’s east who needed to get somewhere would borrow keys to “share cars” – preferably electric ones – from the council carpark and use them to, say, do some grocery shopping.You might remember Mora Main as the idiot who decided not to fly the Australian flag at Bondi.
The rest of the time, they could just walk serenely from place to place (lugging the children, car seats, sand buckets, mobile phones, handbags and the shopping) or glide along on the light rail (that doesn’t yet exist).Besides cars, Ms Main would also like to see fewer air-conditioners (“because we get beautiful seabreezes and it is only 40 degrees once in a blue moon”), and fewer backyard swimming pools (because the sound of children splashing can disturb creative types trying to work from home). In the course of promoting these ideas, Ms Main – who is 50 years old, never married, has no children and whose politics are Green – has been accused of being many things, among them a batty Leftie, an autocrat determined to tell others how to live, while being out of touch with the lives of “ordinary people”. Could someone explain to me why people vote these fruitcakes into office. Surely the Ms Mains of the world can’t hide all their stupidity during the elections. Poor fellow, my country indeed.
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Look at the usual condition of a council run public toilet and then tell me you would want to get into (let alone be totally reliant on) a council car.
Hey Kev she sounds like a bloody idiot.
Kev, there is a good edotorial in todays Australian about local councils…..
Needless to say I disagree with the solution (what a suprise me disagreeing with something!). I think they should be abolished altogether. Just recently they have become the domain of special intrest groups (read Greens and other assorted left wing whackos).
Why in a nation of around 20 million, do we even need 3 tiers of governence?
Why do we need 3 tiers of Govt? – because if we delete State govts then almost all councils outside Syd/Melb/Bris get ignored because they are too small to
have the numbers to impact on election day.
If we delete Local govts almost all residents outside capital cities get ignored – can you imagine the NSW Govt prioritising fixing the roads in Coonabarabran
over those in Mosman?
I’d love to see one level go for financial reasons, but I can’t see a way of doing it without either the smaller states or non urban residents getting screwed.
These hacktivists get elected because they are successful in concealing their ideologies come election time. The election propaganda from the candidates is nothing but motherhood statements about financial responsibility, amenities, services, rates, etc.. There’s no obvious way to tell useful candidate from activists at the ballot.
I took way more time than most at the last elections, trying to google each candidate. Activists are usually bores who often can’t help spouting their idiotic beliefs in some backyard media stop. I also look for code phrases like “traffic management” & “the environment” in their brochures, and eliminate on that basis. Aspiring activist-politicians have often never had a real job, so unmentioned work histories are a guide too.
I’m sure I’ve still elected idiots though. It’s pretty hard to judge cleanskin local politicians – heck at any level for that matter – look at Barnaby Joyce. You only have to look at that nutbag Thom Lyons to see what kind of intellect The Greens think would be an asset at state level. God knows what dreck is left over for local government.
Harry….call me a simpleton, but a 2 tier system seems to work for other countries. Our system is supposed to be based on the Poms Westminster system….but there are not 3 levels in that one either. Besides my experiences with local councils tells me that the elected reps have little real say over anything. Most of the power is held by the CEO. That being the case, why have them at all? Why not simply administraters?
The UK is the size of Victoria with a population of 60.5 million, so it is not surprising that we have different problems to them – the most similar to Australia
(geographically, culturally and population wise) country in the world is Canada – they have 3 and quite often 4 levels of Govt [federal, provincial or territorial,
and municipal (which is often subdivided into regional and local)].
Re Administrators, how would they be made accountable – at the moment, if a CEO is incompetent or corrupt the councillors can sack him.
Elected reps in my experience have a great deal of say, they can ignore the advice of CEOs and vote to approve or turn down virtually anything proposed, its called democracy – how would
you feel about having a federal CEO with no input from you? on a local scale, that is what you are suggesting – putting someone in charge of some of the most
important things that govt does, without giving you any say in it or their policies.
No I am not suggesting any such thing. I merely point out that we simply do not need 3 levels of governence. The State would take over the running of the State (Fancy that!) and appoint a person (Call him “Govener” if you prefer) to make representation to the state on behalf of the people in his area.
I think you overstate the role of local councils. Lets look at what they do…They no longer take rubbish away, (thats contracted out, I am sure the State government even one with Bracks at the helm could organise that) They do very little road work, they do maintain parks and gardens (only where it suits them I might add. In fact I can think of very little that they actually do that can not be done better and more efficently by them not being there. The finiancial argumant is not really relevent because these jobs still need to be done and they do not get paid a whole lot, so the savings there would be minor.
You may like to see the removal of State representation
But can you imagine these local dickwads with even more power than the very minimal amount they have now?
This is a classic example (like East Sydney) getting the government it deserves; Waverley takes in almost every luvvie area in Sydney, and the peanuts believe the lame green/left rhetoric espoused by these dingbats. The penny finally drops when they actually do what they say they will, and everyone, even those deeply caring, concerned and indignant, are included. They brought in a by-law last year requiring planning approval and a permit to install an airconditioner. State governments should be axed, and local governments replaced by adminstrators, with major caps on their powers; ratepayers would offer a tender every three years, and hopefully an efficient company like Halliburton would then pick up rubbish, maintain public spaces and streets and provide water and sewerage services, and that’s it. Would save a bloody fortune, and remove any clout from activist fruitcups who think they know better than anyone else how to run everyone’s lives.
I received this email from Mora Main in response to my own email asking them to explain exactly how flying the Australian flag would ‘incite racism’.
Dear D..,
Thank you for your e-mail. I can understand your distress given the recent copy in the Daily Telegraph. The copy in the Daily Telegraph is misleading. Of course there is no ban on flags at Bondi. There are plenty of flags at Bondi and no flags are to be removed.
We did vote in December ‘05 not to put Australian and Aboriginal flags on Bondi Pavilion at this point in time. Two Aussie flags are already on Council owned Surf Club buildings. Waverley Council also proudly flies the Australian & Aboriginal flags from its building in Bondi Road and inside the council chambers, and flies the flags at all citizenship, Anzac Day, Remembrance Day and Australia Day ceremonies.
We all love our country no matter what our backgrounds. However, Mr. Turnbull’s offer of a flag (without a flagpole or wages to hoist & lower it) has not considered the number of flags already at Bondi, or the total additional financial burden to Waverley’s ratepayers, which as Mayor I must protect.
I have invited Mr. Turnbull and Mr Iemma to meet to discuss options, and if more flags are agreeable to Waverley’s residents & all its visitors, how we can make this sustainable for ratepayers.
Thank you for your concern
Yours faithfully,
Mora Main
Suddenly its all about economics and staffing.
My reply:
Dear Mora Main,
Thank you for your response to my email. I understand your point that there are plenty of flags at Bondi, but my original dismay was caused by your original reason for not flying the flag – that it would ‘incite racism’.
Faithfully, D..
I’m sorry Patrick, but you are suggesting we hand over some of the most important decisions possible to unelected CEOs – would you like having where you live rezoned
to intensive rural (Piggeries and such) and having the person who does it be totally unaccountable to you?
The people who allocate funding and priorities to supply water and deal with sewerage be unaccountable? repair and maintain local bridges? assign rates levels?
clear snow off the roads? building inspectors? animal control officers and town planners all unaccountable? and you have no input at all into any of those policies
and no one to represent you if things are done poorly.
re the state running the state – do you really think a Govt appointee is accountable to the people in any way? do you believe it won’t just become a plum job for the boys?
As I pointed out earlier, I’d like to see one level go, but it isn’t practical – if you get rid of the state level then the smaller council residents
(outside the big 3 cities) get screwed.
Harry Harry Harry, your becoming hysterical. Local councils have nothing to do with water or sewrage. Maybe they repair the odd bridge, but most roadworks are not carried out by them. Most of them do not “assign” rate levels either. They charge whatever they are advised to by their staff under the all seeing eye of the CEO. It has never snowed here in my lifetime. “building inspectors? animal control officers and town plannersâ€? are accountable only to the CEO now!
And the difference would be………….?
No and neither are the council or it’s CEO. 99% of their shit goes unnoticed. They are under scrutinized.
Of course it will! Surely your not saying local councils are not already a boys club? You surely live in a parallel universe.
No you obviously wouldn’t or we would not be having this strange discussion.
“Local councils have nothing to do with water or sewrage” Would you like to put some serious money on that Patrick? I’ll help you out though, most rural councils do this, mine
does for example. and aside from the odd highway, councils are responsible for all their roads, Councils assign rate levels and councillors set the policy, it snows here and in other areas regularly. “building inspectors animal control officers and town plannersâ€? are accountable only to the CEO now” and the CEO is accountable to the councillors – without that step – the people YOU can sack, they are not accountable to you – you might have heard of it, its called democracy.
If your council is “under scrutinised” it is partly your fault – when did you last read the minutes of a council meeting or attend one?
Given your almost total lack of knowledge of what councils actually do in this country Patrick, why do you feel qualified to discuss removing them?
Actually, the entire idea of elected local government is a bit dodgy constitutionally; they are in fact corporations under most state legislation, and should be run as such. Provision of water/sewers/curbing etc doesn’t need to be done through the public sector- now a lot of it is contracted out (usually to a mate of the works committe chairidiot), so there’s no reason why the whole thing couldn’t be privatised and put up for tender on an annual (or other) basis, with ratepayers deciding who’s made the best offer and awarding the contract. If they fuck up, they cna be sued, unlike any level of government. Win/win for everyone, except for single issue dingbats and busybody fuckheads who want power over people’s lives without being responsible for the resulting apprrobation or answerable to punters for their idiocy.
Harry.
Here is my council’s homepage
http://www.bawbawshire.vic.gov.au/
I would be thrilled if you could find the info about their water and sewrage arms….for that matter the road repairing as well.
Perhaps your shire has an emergency plumber who will come out and shove a plunger down your dunny, but that does not constitute “water and sewrage” being under their control.
They do stuff all, they over reach the power allocated to them and they are not worth the trouble.
Oh and I forgot about this bit…
to which you replied
The council can not sack the “building inspectors animal control officers and town planners” only the CEO can, and I think you will find getting rid of a CEO requires nothing short of a Royal commission (slight exaggeration to be sure but you get my point).
I often read the minutes of council meetings thank you. I don’t attend because unlike the majority of them, I work for a living.
Hey I’m not the one who claims they control things they do not!
“The council can not sack the “building inspectors animal control officers and town plannersâ€? only the CEO can, and I think you will find getting rid of a CEO requires
nothing short of a Royal commission (slight exaggeration to be sure but you get my point). ”
A ‘slight exaggeration’????, the councillors can sack the CEO with a simple vote – if the CEO isn’t keeping the building inspectors animal control officers and town
planners in line, the elected reps can sack him. hence the term ‘accountability’. do you have any idea about how councils work?
“Hey I’m not the one who claims they control things they do not! ”
No, you are the fool claiming they don’t control things that they do. I note you chose not to take up the offer of a bet re your comment “Local councils have nothing
to do with water or sewrageâ€? – not prepared to put your money where your mouth is, are you?
“Perhaps your shire has an emergency plumber who will come out and shove a plunger down your dunny, but that does not constitute “water and sewrageâ€? being under
their control.”
Brisbane Water provides water and wastewater (sewerage) services to Brisbane residents and businesses. (Brisbane Water is a business unit of Brisbane Council).
————–
Water used by Hobart City comes from supply sources maintained by Hobart Water. Hobart Water is responsible for the treatment and distribution of water to
Council networks.
Wastewater (or sewage) is all water that goes down the sink, drain or toilet in your home and into the sewer. In addition, any wastewater from commercial and industrial premises that is discharged to the Council’s sewer network is also wastewater and refered to as Liquid Trade Waste. The wastewater is then delivered to wastewater treatment plants via the Council’s sewerage network. Collection is either by gravity transport where possible but pumping of wastewater is required from the low-lying areas of the city.
The Hobart City Council has two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), one at Selfs Point and one at Macquarie Point, collecting sewage from three sewerage catchment areas.
—————
Gee Pat, if you’d only spent 5 mins looking you wouldn’t have cocked up so badly – feel free to look at a lot of the smaller councils, they do it too.
You see, Australia is a wee bit bigger and more diverse than Baw Baw shire, so basing your argument purely on how it is done there isn’t really helpful.
All that you mention can easily be contracted out Harry, as it is in most of the other of the hundreds of shires you did not mention.
I suspect the communication problem we are having here stems from Jeff Kennet amalgamating many shires in Victoria to “super shires”. These much larger shires do not to all the things you claim the smaller ones do, 90% of what they do (and the smaller ones used to do) is contracted out. You do not need elected people to sift through such contracts as they are essentially business decisions.
Many local councilors complain that the “forced” amalgamations took a lot of their voice or power away, which was of course the whole idea. The problem is Jeff did not go far enough and abolish the whole bloody lot of them.
In as much as what shires in other states do you are more than likely right, but that does not negate the fact that all they do can be done without them. The fact remains that we are completely over governed and over regulated, and the weakest and most unnecessary link in that chain is the local councils. You can squabble on all you like, this is simple reality.
As for sacking the CEO with a simple vote, you make it sound so easy. The CEO must do more than not keep “building inspectors animal control
officers and town planners in line� to raise enough ire to be dismissed.
Funnily enough the departments you mention have their own head, who is answerable to….you guessed it the CEO. Yes I understand the “democratic process� but if you ask me the councilors spend way too much time engaging in the democratic process of squabbling, side taking and “looking out for the boys�. Council is not parliament, council is administrative and as such politicking is a major stumbling block to the administrative job. We have enough politicians playing the politics game as it is without largely faceless un scrutinized people doing it too.
All the arguments as to what they do or don’t do are irrelevant as I obviously believe their jobs can be better and more efficiently done without them and you don’t.
Now THAT my friend is the democratic process.
“You do not need elected people to sift through such contracts as they are essentially business decisions. ”
You need elected officials to keep the business managers accountable to the public, its not like corruption doesn’t happen in business.
“Many local councilors complain that the “forcedâ€? amalgamations took a lot of their voice or power away, which was of course the whole idea.”
of course it was, but that doesn’t make it a good idea, it just means that if you don’t live in the biggest (usually urban)part of your council area, you got screwed.
“You can squabble on all you like, this is simple reality. ”
Thank you, a clear admission of defeat – when you are down to providing no supporting proof, but claim a victory, its all over.
“As for sacking the CEO with a simple vote, you make it sound so easy.”
it is. they vote for him to go. he is gone. a compensation package will be negotiated if appropriate.
feel free to explain whats so difficult about it, you know, in what way it compares to the complexity of a royal commission.
“All the arguments as to what they do or don’t do are irrelevant”
or to put it another way “oh fuck, I’ve just realised that all the things I said councils don’t do, it turns out they do” – Patrick, you’d come out looking a lot better if you didn’t try to weasel out of your cock ups and just admitted them like a grown up.
“as I obviously believe their jobs can be better and more efficiently done without them and you don’t. Now THAT my friend is the democratic process.”
No, it isn’t – efficiency has nothing to do with the democratic process.
If efficiency were the sole arbiter of democracy, we’d get rid of both houses of parliament at the federal level and not waste our time with elections.