1. The LGA provides Councils with sufficient leeway to delegate powers to Council-Community Advisory Groups (however called).

2. Wollongong City Council retains all the powers of a Council under the LGA – with the Administrators serving in lieu of elected Councillors

3. The arguments for Council-Community Advisory Groups are sound when Councils have elected Councillors who serve to provide a voice for their constituents.

4 The case for Council-Community Advisory Groups is even stronger when Councils have Councillors removed and people therefore a lack of an institutionalised voice.

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“Please be advised that the next Council Meeting will be held on Tuesday, 25 March 2008 commencing at 5.00 pm in the Council Chambers. The meeting agenda and business paper items will be accessible on Council’s website on Thursday, 20 March 2008. The Council meeting schedule for 2008 is listed as an agenda item, with the remainder of the dates for 2008 to be confirmed at that meeting. For your information, the agenda and business paper items can be accessed from Thursday on Council’s website at http://www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/YourCouncil/2209.asp “Contact council@wollongong.nsw.gov.au

A community board is an elected body that represents a particular community (community is defined in the Local Government Act). It is an unincorporated body that is neither a local authority, nor a committee of council. Whenever a community is established, whether by reorganisation scheme, or by resolution of the council (a resolution must follow either a request to establish a community from the electors within the proposed community, or following a review of representation arrangements), a community board must be established also.

Community Board members are elected under the Local Electoral Act 2001, or appointed by the local authority. The local authority may only appoint to a community board, people who are members of the local authority, and if there are wards, members who represent the ward in which the community is located.

The role of a community board is to: Read the rest of this entry »

Press Release

Members of the Socialist Alliance have thrown their weight behind the growing community campaign for fresh elections to Wollongong City Council. They join the Greens, the South Coast Labour Council and Wollongong Against Corruption (WAC) to name just a few of the groups calling for such action.
Geoff Heise, secretary of the Wollongong branch of Socialist Alliance said: ‘The reported ICAC findings are just breathtaking.. They expose what many in local the community have suspected all along. An ALP party machine that solicits donations from developers and the corporate elite cannot represent the real interests of the Wollongong community.
‘The disgraced ALP councillors had to go, but unfortunately sacking the whole council is unjust to the honest councillors and alienates the community from the democratic process even further. Putting Iemma appointed administrators in for four years will only benefit the ALP machine and their corporate backers – the very people responsible for this mess! Read the rest of this entry »

Christchurch City Council – community boards.

Can we learn something about one form of community advisory groups – community boards – by way of best practice from across the Tasman?

Check out the url links for Terms of Reference; delagated powers; community engagement and working in partnership with indigenous peoples in ‘comments’
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South Coast Labour Council Resolutions 12 March 2008

Wollongong Council in Administration – Reclaim the City

That the South Coast Labour Council condemns the imposition of Administrators to run the affairs of Wollongong City Council and demands an immediate return to the democratic government of the City.

Accordingly Council resolves to coordinate, along with other regional stakeholders, a broad based community campaign around the theme of “Reclaim our City”.

As a first step, Council will organize a public meeting to look at the future for the city and provide a platform for stakeholders to present their vision for our community and expectations regarding our local government. The administrators will be invited to attend and participate.

The Secretary will invite community stakeholders to participate and assist in the organization of this event and the ongoing campaign to “Reclaim our City”.

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“It was also revealed yesterday that Minister for Local Government Paul Lynch had asked the administrators to report back to him on whether they thought Wollongong needed a panel of planning experts to examine major development proposals.

Already present at some other councils, Independent Hearing and Assessment Panels are delegations that can make recommendations to the council. ” (Brett Cox, Illawarra Mercury 13 March 08 url at end)

My recollection is that, in opting for the sacking of the non-corrupt Independent WCC Councillors, the Illawarra Business Chamber was pushing for these ‘independent panels’ at the same time. In whose interests are these ‘independent’ panels?

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 Liberal medial release. Tuesday 11 March 2008

NSW Opposition Leader Barry O’Farrell, Shadow Minister for the Illawarra Greg Pearce and Chair of the Illawarra Taskforce Shelley Hancock today [Tuesday 11 March]  met with Independent Wollongong Councillors to discuss the need for Local Government elections by September 2009.

“The people of Wollongong have been failed by the Labor Party,” Mr O’Farrell said.

“It will be an even greater failure if the Iemma Government refuses to commit to restoring the right of Wollongong’s residents to democratically elect a new Local Council by September 2009,” he said.

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Illawarra Mercury -  Extract of story by BRETT COX

More than 140 people who attended a public meeting at Wollongong Town Hall last night demanded a royal commission into corruption in the Illawarra.

The residents signed a petition calling for a royal commission into corruption in Wollongong, Shellharbour and Kiama and that Wollongong be allowed to vote for a new council along with the rest of the state in September.

The meeting was hosted by community group Wollongong Against Corruption whose spokesman Paul Matters also proposed a delegation be formed to make representations to Wollongong City Council’s new administrators and its general manager, David Farmer.

Its first task would be to ask the council to accept liability for the “psychological damage” experienced by former council employee Vicki Curran.

Neighbourhood committees should also be re-established, he said.

Full story url http://illawarra.yourguide.com.au/news/local/general/call-for-royal-commission/1200531.html

Extract -story  by Brett Cox

“This morning the city’s three new administrators will meet the council’s general manager David Farmer for the first time to plan how they will run the city over the next 41/2 years.

Colin Gellatly, Robert McGregor and Gabrielle Kibble will have the power to run the ship as they see fit, under the guidance of Mr Farmer.”

Administrators have been appointed to councils before, Department of Local Government deputy director-general Ross Woodward said, but not in the same circumstances under which Wollongong finds itself.

The department expects each administrator will work for two or three days a week and attend council meetings, although this will be determined in discussions with Mr Farmer.

Mr Woodward yesterday tried to allay community concerns – reiterated by outgoing councillors – that there would be less public consultation.”

Full story at:

http://illawarra.yourguide.com.au/news/local/general/gong-administrators-start-work/1200530.html