Not sure what Cr Swivel is doing. But while he appears to be providing support for both sides of the community/business coin, his support for either of just those options does constrain the process to a limited coin toss of either 90 or 180 days, when the State Government Planning Panel has the authority to shut down the game entirely (the EP&A Act gives the State Government Planning Panel the authority to ‘request the minister to determine that the matter not proceed’, i.e. the panel can recommend that the entire short-term rental legislation be revoked and that tourist accommodation planning be handed back to councils). Is his intent to give the impression that he publicly supports restrictions, but at least, at the very worst, designed to get something for the short-term rental industry, to position himself for the next 2024 Council elections?
I note that Swivel’s Habitat Estate office is around the corner from the Habitat Estate office of A Perfect Stay holiday letting agency (who are also closely aligned with the holiday letting peak agency body Australian Short Term Rental Association). Councillors are cautioned on privately meeting with ‘developers’, [but Swivels’ letter to the minister supporting STRA was attached to A Perfect Stay’s CEO’s letter to the minister].
Politics is an interesting beast – when on Council I sent one email to two ‘warring’ parties (Council’s GM and a community group) stating ‘it was unfortunate intransigence was in the way of a resolution’, I received back agreement and a thank you from each party. But the very core of our political system is knowing what politicians stand for, and Cr Swivel’s (and Cr Hunter’s) present positions on short-term holiday letting do not supply that.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
