…you would have been transparent in the first place
It’s an odd Byron Shire Council that Mayor Michael Lyon, and acting General Manager (GM), Shannon Burt, lead.
It’s odd because there is an air of desperation to fast-track development as much as possible, no matter how poorly it is done.
Of course, they don’t see it that way. They would maintain everybody had the chance to make comment on a major land rezoning policy, the Housing Options Paper.
They fulfilled requirements to exhibit the plans and to ‘take into account’ your submissions.
Trust us, we’re the government!
And yet, the mayor seems confused. Community groups are on record as being unhappy with the lack of transparency and poor process of the recently adopted Housing Options Paper. According to the mayor, it’s the fault of The Echo’s editor for using it as a ‘cloak for the fact [the editor] just don’t like the decisions we have come to’.
It’s a theme he’s been running with for a while.
Is he hoping to distract from his critics, instead of reforming poor process that has occurred under his governance, for years?
Instead, he seems to want his personal grievances to be taken seriously.
However, it appears that Council aren’t taking the community seriously.
Council’s press release on the recently adopted Housing Options Paper was very light on details.
It didn’t say what lands they asked the state government to rezone.
Council also listed the lands as just Lot numbers in the mayor’s December 14 motion.
As the Mullum Residents Association rightly point out, you have to figure out the addresses, just to add to the confusion. Sweet.
One of the reasons given for why staff chose to make public submissions confidential, according to acting General Manager Shannon Burt, was ‘the tight timeframe to report back to Council’.
Given that there was no pause to ask for an extension from the state government on this important issue, the optics are that Council consider the state government’s wishes more important than properly informing us.
Neighbouring councils provide unredacted public submissions, without a fuss, and without claiming there are legal obstacles.
Putting state government interests above the community is not what local governments are elected to do.
Given the mayor told The Echo, ‘I take transparency and honesty with the community very seriously’, we look forward very much to seeing when that transparency and honesty begins.
Hans Lovejoy, editor
News tips are welcome: [email protected]
Neighbouring councils provide unredacted public submissions, without a fuss, and without claiming there are legal obstacles.
Not all of them.
Case in point is Lismore CC decision to sell it’s waste collection business, one of the few parts of it’s operations that is profitable.
The decision was secretly made behind closed doors, giving rise to suspicions that an Industrial Waste Incinerator will be built at Casino.
Such an Incinerator would pose a threat to Public Health, Beef, Dairy and Cropping within a 30 KLM radius of the facility.
Well said Hans. Transparency so hard to view these days. However, the PUBLIC SUFFERS AND PAYS FOR SECRECY AND SPIN. Talk to the homeless and traumatised folk in the Shire please Council. Enough is enough. If there is no empathy and understanding for Public concerns ….get another job. Democracy always please. EMPATHY IS ESSENTIAL ALWAYS.
The Mayor is correct concerning the Editor.
Particularly the last paragraph.
Obviously, I am not a rusted-on Green.
I too am very dissatisfied with the lack of transparency regarding public submisssions on the Housing Options Paper. As it stands, only Council administrative staff have access to those public submissions. Nothing of actual substance re community sentiment has been put forward for perusal by the community. Any problems cited with respect to necessary redactions remains an utter excuse. People in the Shire are entitled to know what others are thinking – it is supposed to be a public feedback mechanism after all.
We are left with only Council’s interpretation of public sentiment – not good enough. Handled as it’s been, this is a route by Council for pursuing their agenda re housing intensification within the Shire under the imperative of State Government policies. Byron Shire Council is treating their electorate as fools. Where is the transparency???