Why should the people of Wollongong continue to be penalised for the shortcomings of four ALP Councillors?

A more just penalty would be to ban the ALP from standing in the next Wollongong local government election.

WCC Website:

“ICAC’s recommendations

As part of their third and final report into corruption allegations affecting Wollongong City Council, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) made 27 anti corruption recommendations.

Council confirmed that of the 18 anti corruption recommendations related specifically to Council, all of them have already been implemented or are in the process of being introduced.

Last Modified: 5/11/2008″

For more details see

http://wollongong.nsw.gov.au/documents/5_iii_d_ATTACH___ICAC_Corruption_Prevention_Recommendations_-_Implementation_Plan.pdf

Open Letter - Monday 27 July 2009

The Administrators

Wollongong City Council

Burelli Street

Wollongong

Dear Administrators,

UNPRECEDENT LOCAL CRISIS AND LACK OF ELECTED COUNCILLORS

The Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has outlined, in his article in the Sydney Morning Herald (25-26 July), how the next phase of the global economic/financial crisis will negatively impact on our local communities – rising prices; rising interest rates; higher unemployment and “painful and unpopular” government decisions.  Such a crisis is unprecedented during the time in which Wollongong City Council has existed.

Prime Minister Rudd has also outlined a key process for a decade of Nation Building for Recovery through strong productive growth.

The absence of our elected Councillors and Lord Mayor (and properly resourced Precinct Committees) places the people of Wollongong at a severe disadvantage both in terms of (1) dealing with the negative impacts of an unprecedented financial crisis and (2) from timely participation by our representatives in the decade of building recovery.

In light of this, and the lack of any relevant information in Council’s planning documents to 2012, I request that you provide me (and other interested people in our City of Wollongong) with the specific reasons as to why any of the remaining corrective measures required as a result of the ICAC investigation into Wollongong City Council cannot now be implemented, either in part or in full, with the presence of newly elected Councillors (who have not been found to be corrupt).

Yours truly

(signed)

Bruce Reyburn

brucer@reformwcc.info

In his two page article in the Sydney Morning Herald (25-26 July) Prime Minister Kevin Rudd very clearly spells out what is coming up next in Australian life as a consequence of the virtually unprecedented global financial/economic crisis. The real impacts of a global crisis such as this are always felt at the local level.

The view from the Office of the Prime Minister predicts, with a high degree of certainty, a rise in unemployment; higher prices; higher interest rates and “ some painful and unpopular” government decisions.

He does not touch on what may be the impacts of such ‘secondary’ problems such as the swine flu pandemic and global warming.

STAGGERED START FOR WOLLONGONG IN NATION BUILDING FOR RECOVERY DECADE

Prime Minister Rudd has also outlined the need for a Nation Building for Recovery decade, based on long term productivity growth. We need our local government elected representatives (and our communities via consultative committees) to be up and running now in order to maximise our chances of participating fully in this ‘building decade”.

Without a local government election until 2012, we will lose the ability to fully participate in the first three years of the building decade, and may never come up to fully productive speed in comparison with the other cities in NSW.

With the unfair dismissal of our non-corrupt elected Councillors, the ALP NSW Government has effectively lobotomised our local communities and prevented us from participating in decision making at the local government level. Bureaucrats cannot do this job for us – the choices they make are not those which have the spark of life which comes from running for office, and winning an election, and having to creatively represent the interests of your constitutency.

This NSW government action, by removing the Lord Mayor and Councillors, has also stunted our communities ability to participate in regional, state, national and international affairs necessary for the good of our city.

In light of the unprecedented crisis and difficulties which now face the people of Wollongong – an area in which there is already severe disadvantage – it is extremely bad management by the ALP NSW government to deny us elected representatives until September 2012 unless there is genuine and compelling reason to do so.

I have studied Council’s various management plans between 2009 and 2012 and I can find no specific and detailed reference to the reform process which justifies an absence of elected Councillors at this time.

One would think, given the great importance of this equally unprecedented interference in the democratic process, that any measures required by the NSW government (and ICAC) would provide a clear and unambiguous program.

In the absence of such specific documentation, and generalisations and motherhood statements do not suffice, there can be no real reason to deny the people of Wollongong a local government election in 2009 so that we may be better placed to deal with the local community impacts the deepening global crisis outlined by the Prime Minister.

This loss of our good and hard-working non-corrupt Councillors has severely disadvantaged the people in our communities at the very time we require all hands on deck by way of both elected representatives on Council and fully functioning and probably supported Precinct Committees.

In addtion to the global economic crisis and the next phase of the harsh medicine necessary for recovery in Australia, when it comes to managing our local community interests in Wollongong at this time, we are also burdened with the dead-hand of the NSW ALP.

Minutes of Neighbourhood Forum Convenors’ Meeting with Administrators

Date 3 March 2009

“Regulation and compliance issues

· If the community are aware of structures that they feel may not be approved or not comply, then they are asked to bring them to Council’s awareness through the Environment and Development Compliance Manager, phone 4227 7679.

· If there are problems with private certifiers then they can be raised with Council.”

MINUTES of NEIGHBOURHOOD FORUM AREA 3 Austinmer – Woonona

Tuesday 16^th June 2009

…

Dave Martin was elected as vice-chair of Neighbourhood Forum Area 3.

…

“Recommendations for prosecution

The ICAC is of the opinion that consideration should be given to obtaining the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) with the respect to prosecuting Beth Morgan, Glen Tabak, Frank Vellar, Joe Scimone, Valerio Zanotto, Kiril Jonovski, Zeki Esen, Frank Gigliotti, Ray Younan, Gerald Carroll and Lou Tasich for various criminal offences.

Status of prosecution recommendations

Briefs of evidence in relation to all eleven persons have been submitted to the DPP, and the Commission is awaiting advice from it on whether to proceed with prosecutions.”

Source -

http://www.icac.nsw.gov.au/index.cfm?objectid=D4A883D8-FBCE-C122-A28383386C686BD5

See also Illawarra Mecury “Corruption scandal: ICAC moves on findings”

“The other two senior Wollongong City Council staff who were found by ICAC to have engaged in corrupt conduct, former general manager Rod Oxley and former development assessment and compliance manager John Gilbert, were never recommended for any criminal charges.”

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/local/news/general/corruption-scandal-icac-moves-on-findings/1572983.aspx

Deparetment of Local Government (NSW)

http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/dlg_index.asp

On that home page you can decide if you want to download the reoprt:

NSW Local Government Councils Comparative Information 2007/2008 (3736 kb)

http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/documents/Comparatives/Comparatives_2007_08.pdf

Local Government Week 2009 3 to 9 August 2009
 

“Local Government Week (LG Week) in NSW provides a focus for councils to promote the importance of Local Government to the community. Councils across NSW host a range of great events and activities during LG Week to show the community their council’s day-to-day activities.

Interpreting the theme “Keeping it Local”:

Keeping it local works on many levels – political, social, community and commercial. It is about appreciating the differences in our communities and locations that set them apart from each other. It is about the uniqueness of regions that give them depth and colour, through their multicultural tones, food and religion to name just a few elements. It’s the diversity of ‘Chinatown’ to Gilgandra, Manly to Blacktown. It’s putting the Blue into Mountains, the Ned Kelly into Jerilderie and the ‘heart’ into Leichhardt!”

More info:
http://www.lgsa-plus.net.au/www/html/2774-local-government-week-2009.asp

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“Illawarra urged to embrace low carbon industry

The Australian Local Government Association predicts a bleak future for regions such as the New South Wales Illawarra.

The State of the Regions update report projects that more than half of Australia’s regional areas will experience worse employment rates by the year 2012.

The report says areas reliant on high carbon industries, like the Illawarra, will be the worst affected.

It recommends that regions structurally adjust their economies towards low carbon industries.

full story

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/07/13/2624092.htm?site=news

And for more on the State of the Regions report see:

http://www.alga.asn.au/policy/regdev/sor/

“This is the eleventh State of the Regions Report produced by National Economics.

This year’s State of the Regions Report for 2008-09 critically examines:

    * economic implications of the Federal Government’s emissions trading scheme and the recommendations arising from the Garnaut climate change reports;
    * the underlying factors that have created the global financial crisis and what this may mean for Australia’s approach in dealing with climate change challenges;
    * case study examples of how some local governments are seeking to mitigate and adapt to likely climate change impacts;
    * the state of Australia’s households in terms of wealth and debt, the baby bounce, migration patterns and employment; and
    * the rate of progress being made in enhancing Australia’s broadband telecommunication infrastructure.

The 2008-2009 Report adds to the accumulated knowledge of previous reports by continuing to examine the State of Australia diverse regions, with specific emphasis on climate change and the implications of the current economic financial crisis.

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