An unusual thing happened last week – it was almost like unicorns exist!
Lismore MP, Janelle Saffin, gathered signatures of other local MPs and mayors and put the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (NRRC) on notice for their poor performance.
And she told her boss, NSW Premier, Chris Minns, to get on with assisting those devastated by the 2022 floods. Unfortunately, Minns sounded fairly tone-deaf and uninformed when asked directly about the NRRC’s performance.
The answer of course, is to sack the NRRC. At the least, stripping them, and the NSW Reconstruction Authority, of their corporate status, would provide more accountability.
Anyway, when politicians make the public aware that, for example, the NRRC are terrible, it sends a strong signal to within the ruling elite.
It is not the way politics is usually done, but should be.
There is generally a cosy relationship between those who create policy (the elected) and the administrators of that policy (the bureaucracy).
Together, they form a large rainbow tent of governance, and they operate at the local, state and federal level. This collection of large, secret and unwieldy tents are heavily guarded by both those elected, and the bureaucracy.
Only a few voices are strong enough to last inside the tent, while also poking their head out to tell us what’s going on.
Those inside the large and unwieldy tent say confidentiality is required, so they can have frank and open discussions. Or that the discussions contain sensitive commercial information.
Yet any argument based on hiding information from the public because you can only express yourself honestly in private, or are too lazy to redact the bits with dollar amounts, is more likely about hiding poor governance, or worse.
This week’s Council agenda is again filled with secrecy and questionable staff reports – it is dutifully reported in this week’s news pages.
On page 5, The Echo reports that Council staff are putting the squeeze on buskers with new policy.
On page 6, The Echo reports on Thursday’s secret meeting that will consider handing over freehold title of a major Mullum public car park for ‘affordable’ housing. If this is such a great idea, why can’t it be a public debate? It’s a public asset after all.
General Manager, Mark Arnold, refused to release the relevant documents to The Echo upon request, despite that request including that the commercial in confidence details be redacted.
And on page 9, The Echo reports Council staff rejected a request by a councillor to be better informed around a major technical investigation that will underpin the Shire’s Coastal Management Programs.
So – do you believe councillors are working for your interests?
Which councillor/s are doing the heavy lifting, and asking informed questions, and who are the lightweight seat-warmers who seem to treat public office as a boost to their shallow and frail egos?
Who is poking their head out of the tent and telling us what the hell is going on? (NB – it’s not the mayor).
To find out, tune into the meeting this Thursday.
Hans Lovejoy, editor
News tips are welcome: [email protected]
Yep typical lovejoy/ greens comment on public housing : demand for it as long as it’s not near them.
And have a swipe at the Mayor on the way through as lovejoy/greens.
The real essence of what I am saying is that good governance occurs when politicians represent the public, not the bureaucracy or special vested interests. They should tell us what’s going on from inside the tent. Be great to report that this Council understands the importance of transparency and accountability. This is not a ‘greens’ thing.
just looking where to post his guys :-)..clearly a reality of figures you didnt know .
The wind generators proposed for Mt Emerald near Walkamin are far from efficient and will provide no economic benefit for the Tablelands. The sheer lunacy of the Labor Party’s carbon dioxide tax starting on July 1, also will provide no worthwhile economic or environmental benefit to Far North Queensland. The wind towers will however provide the local area with a constant low humming noise while ever the wind is blowing, which some researchers claim is a health problem for humans and animals in close proximity to the wind farm.
Thirty years of wind power generation in the United States has proven it is totally inefficient when compared to other forms of power generation. There are thousands of abandoned wind turbines scattered across the Californian landscape, which are too expensive to repair because the investment attraction of these unsightly towers lies in the availability of government subsidies.
When the subsidies run out the power companies usually close down.
Here are the statistics on the cost of power generation from the
Australian Governments own Productivity Commission:
Coal fired power station $79 per kw/h (kilowatt/hour).
Gas fired power station $97 per kw/h or 1.2 times the cost of coal power.
Wind farm power $1,502 per kw/h or 19 (nineteen) times the cost of coal power.
Solar power $4,004 per kw/h or 50 (fifty) times the cost of coal power.