DIVERSITY AND GOVERNANCE

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Tasmania's Local Govt Act 1993 (Link) has a provision for a range of people who are not Australian citizens, not actually resident in a municipality, not a ratepayer, but nonetheless think of themselves as citizens –Launcestonians. Yes, they can vote and indeed stand for election in Local Govt Elections. 

This is all possible IF they are enrolled on THE GENERAL MANAGERS ROLL – and there is the rub. Bureaucratically, all kinds of stumbling blocks can be put in a person's way. The one that people often come across is that when an inquiry is made, the 'officer' they speak to, doesn't know, doesn't understand the questions be cause the person asking is doing so in their second language, or is quite simply the officer is uninformed – disinclined even. 

That is apparently so from the bureaucratic angle and the in-house protocols can be frustrating, mind numbing and less than empathetic. Expectations of 'positive regard' for anyone asking for assistance seems a bridge too far and many are put off given that there nothing 'compulsory' about being registered on the GM's Roll,

However, from the political perspective, in Launceston at least, when Council has been asked to promote the possibility of 'outsiders' being encouraged to be 'citizens of the city' the obfuscation one receives is palpable. 

Reminding a Councillor that it is unlikely that say the city's hospital could function as well as it does without 'non-citizen medicos' very often raises their ire. One is even likely to be told that if they voted they are likely to "vote for the wrong people". And then there are oversees students, and it is certain that they'll vote for undesirables, non-Christians perhaps, indeed people like themselves.

From a 'marketing perspective', there is a legion of reasons to be proactive in encouraging outsiders to think of themselves as insiders. Nevertheless, disrupting the comfort of the political cum bureaucratic status quo will always be presented as money poorly spent.

SAM HAY DECLARES!

 THE EXAMINER: A former Amazing Race contestant is set to run for a position at the City of Launceston council.............................. Local retail and finance business owner Sam Hay competed on the hit reality show with his best mate Geoff Stick in 2012. ............................. Now, almost a decade later, the 34-year-old has decided a future in local government was the right move to make. "Every little section of the community has their own issues, and I feel that there's a little bit of a disconnect at the moment between them and the council," he said.............................. "One thing that the council is also lacking is someone by eg to represent the younger generation, especially with compulsory voting this year, ............................. Mr Hay also said he would like to pay particular attention to issues in the hospitality industry, as well to Launceston's unprecedented homeless crisis. ............................. "I'm going to listen to and try and help as many people as I can," he said.

LINK CLICK HERE

LAUNCESTON best mates Geoff Stick and Sam Hay are the first Tasmanians to compete in reality television show The Amazing Race. ....................... The Australian series was filmed last year but the 24-year-olds were unable to tell family and friends about their participation in the show until this week. ....................... The Amazing Race is a competition that sees 11 teams of two travelling to various countries and undertaking physical and mental challenges. ....................... When Stick and Hay found out that they had been chosen for the show, they had to lie about where they were going for about six months. ....................... Hay quit his job at a bank and said he was moving to Queensland, and Stick said he was going on holidays. ....................... The pair entered the show because of Stick's strong desire to be involved. ....................... ``I've always watched the show - I entered for the last series with a different mate, saw the ads for this and thought I would enter again,'' he said. ....................... ``I liked the fact you got to race around the world with a friend, and you do it in a competitive environment.'' ....................... Hay said he was not as keen as his friend to enter but thought they should give it a go. ....................... ``I enjoy travelling, am competitive as hell and saw it as an awesome opportunity,'' he said. ....................... ``We were living together at the time, we're best mates . . . so I thought: why not?'' ....................... When asked if they had a strategy, the pair were tight-lipped and said they could not reveal too much about the soon-to-be-aired show. ....................... ``You can't really prepare. We watched a lot of last season . . . and talked about going to the gym to get a bit fitter, but that never happened,'' Stick said. ....................... He said one of the obvious challenges was the fact that he only had one hand, which could have posed a problem for challenges that required two hands.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND HOUSING STRESS

 

PLEASE DO NOT VOTE FOR THE INCUMBENCY

Bereft of an alternative approach, when push came to shove, Launceston's Council empanelled "Homelessness Advisory Committee" when the issue is actually to do with 'housing'. 'Homelessness' may well be to do with the lack of housing but, at face value this cohort of 'advisors' lacks any expert membership who are experiencing 'homelessness' or indeed a brief, or relevant professional experience, to advise on housing options or policy.

Council no longer has an indemnified 'City Architect' to fill that gap since such people have been made redundant. Interestingly, no such person qualifies to be an adviser when it seems that 'the advised' qualify to advise themselves. There we go, if you want the answer you want just ask yourself the questions!

Indeed, it would seem that to qualify to be an 'advisor' one needs to be housed and employed. However, homeless people may well be employed and earning an income – as some are in Launceston. And yes, all but for the grace of GOD many of us might well have been homeless – or possibly so even yet. 

Mother Teresa said that "We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked, and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty". One wonders if this advisory group is likely to make any headway politically, or bureaucratically, in dealing with the poverty of spirit that those in 'housing stress' experience. 

The word is that all this is about the short supply of money but the evidence is that in fact it is all about the paucity of ideas.

When the 'poverty' is to do with the lack of morality in determination processes, the attendant paucity becomes palpable. When that is unacknowledged, the spiral downwards speeds up until the abyss is plumbed. What is most concerning is that this 'committee's agendas and minutes' are 'confidential' and well beyond public scrutiny, criticism and critique.

Equally, and bureaucratically, such committees are designed to go on meeting until there is consensus within them that there is nothing realistic, or affordable, that they can do. Job done! Then comes the wringing of hands and the words of lament, and the calls for someone else to do something.

https://betterlauncestonnow.blogspot.com/p/housing-issues.html

IN THE EXAMINER Launceston homelessness committee to focus on advocating and connecting  By Alison Foletta June 12 2022 - 5:30pm 

 

ACTION: The Launceston's Homelessness Advisory Committee will advocate to services and government. 

 

As winter sets in and homelessness and housing crisis continue to be an issue in Launceston, City of Launceston continue to work on the establishment of the Homelessness Advisory Committee. ..............................

CONFIDENCE BOOSTERS FOR LAUNCESTON TOWN HALL

CLICK HERE To watch demonstration video

“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'” .... Isaac Asimov

INCUMBENCY AND POLITICS

FROM THE EXAMINER : More announcements from councillors who are running for Launceston deputy mayor
With current City of Launceston deputy mayor Danny Gibson announcing he will run for mayor in the October local government election, other councillors have announced their intention to run for the role of deputy. ........................ Councillor Hugh McKenzie said he would be running for deputy mayor and congratulated Cr Gibson on his mayoral intentions. "I'm very comfortable to support the next mayor. And so my view would be that Cr Gibson's done a good job in what he's done as deputy mayor and I'm very happy to support him in his quest to become the mayor," he said. ........................ Cr MzKenzie said he offers experiences and a well-rounded background to council. ........................ "What you get from me is a very broad-based skill set," he said. ........................ Cr MzKenzie  said regardless of who was successful for the mayoral position, if he was successful in becoming deputy mayor he would involve himself fully as he does as a councillor. ........................ "I have a sense of what matters most to the people of Launceston," he said. ........................ Councillor Krista Preece, who came into her councillor role in 2021, said she was ready for the role of deputy mayor. ........................ "I've worked really hard this year and have demonstrated commitment," she said.  Cr Preece said she wasn't a "gunna girl". ........................ "I'm a person that does things," she said. "You have to be committed to actually being the voice for the people and working hard for the people that have put their trust in me to represent them in the city." ........................ Cr Preece said she was keen to see how compulsory voting would play out in the election. "I'm really hoping that by having compulsory voting a lot of people - a lot of younger people - who haven't voted before and haven't seen it as an important thing will be really fired up and take the time to actually think about who they're voting for and what they're voting for," she said. ........................ Councillor Andrea Dawkins ran for deputy mayor in 2018 and just missed out on the role. "It's important to provide an alternative to the mainstream," she said. ........................ "I'm a committed women's rights activist and I'm the most experienced woman on the City of Launceston Council currently and I want to be able to continue to provide that voice in leadership." ........................ Cr Dawkins said the changes to voting means an "elevation" to local government. "It shows that it's a serious level of government. As people often say, it's the level of government closest to the people," she said. ........................ Cr Dawkins also encouraged people to consider running for City of Launceston council in any capacity. ........................ "We want a lot of people to stand to know they're supported, and that it's a fantastic role for anyone to take on," she said. ........................ In 2018, there was just a five-vote difference between Cr Dawkins and Cr McKenzie - 3885 and 3880- in favour of Cr Dawkins from the first count. Nominations open on Monday, September 5.

FROM THE EXAMINER :  Danny Gibson has put his hat in the ring for Launceston City mayor By Alison Foletta Updated August 26 2022 - 1:39pm, first published 9:03am 

City of Launceston deputy mayor Danny Gibson will run for mayor in the upcoming local government elections. .......................... Cr Gibson was first elected to the City of Launceston in 2011 and elected deputy mayor in 2018. .......................... Cr Gibson said he decided to campaign for the leadership position after being urged by supporters. .......................... He said seeing the trajectory the city was on he wanted to be a part of that. .......................... "I would love to work with our council team of the future and see some of those things come to fruition, a renewed energy, a sense of optimism about what our future and its people can achieve," Cr Gibson said. .......................... Long serving mayor Albert van Zetten announced he would not be running for the role in early August. .......................... At the time he said Cr Gibson was "obviously suitable" to the role. .......................... Cr van Zetten reiterated this belief, saying Cr Gibson had been an "exceptionally good" supporter over the years. .......................... "He's been a great deputy mayor and I had hoped he'd put his hand up," he said. .......................... Cr Gibson said he had learnt a "great deal from mayor van Zetten".

POLITICS THE WORLD OVER 

"It's amazing I won. I was running against peace, prosperity, and incumbency." ... George W. Bush, June 14, 2001, speaking to Swedish Prime Minister Goran Perrson, unaware that a live television camera was still rolling. ... LAUNCESTONIANS might well look George W up, they might well hear something resonating.

INCUMBENT PART 1 ... They don't shy away from voicing their opinions on the contentious moments of Scott Morrison's prime ministership. ... "He does not accept any mistakes. So he just tries to go around, round, round, in order to justify what his actions were. But he, he really does not accept any mistakes. Civil engineer, seat of Parramatta, NSW ... https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/election-2022-scott-morrison-the-incumbent-part-1/13744368

Paul Strangio "Incumbency Dominance: an Unhealthy Trend?*" ... "In other words, once elected governments are usually guaranteed tenure equivalent to at least two electoral cycles, with ‘oncers’ very much the exception in all jurisdictions (the only cases in the past two decades are the Field Government in Tasmania, 1989–92, and the Borbidge Government in Queensland, 1996–98). Various factors contribute to the relatively slow rate of government alternation, including, first, the near universal employment of single member preferential electoral systems for the houses of government (the exception being Tasmania)

LAUNCESTON, CITIZEN'S ASSEMBLIES & INCUMBENCY

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE MEETING'S RECORDING

NB Click on the image above the word 'city' and the time dot will appear and it can be advanced to the time indicated saving the need to listen to what preceded.

On the face of it this agenda item – 25.8.2022 ... 13.2 Notice of Motion - Renaming of Batman Bridge - Councillor T G Walker FILE NO: SF5547 – is about renaming a bridge in respect to acknowledging the inappropriateness of its current name. However Cr. Walker's motion sought Council's approval for a 'Citizen's Assembly' as a method to engage 'the community' on this, and by extension other issues.

As they say in vernacular, this is when the 'brown stuff' hits the fan and the verbage flew all over the place for this item. Management trotted out 'the fiscal factor' based on that other element that goes 'we've done the numbers' that typically requires trust rather than 'evidence'. (Scroll to end of this for direct quotes)

The promulgation of misconstrued, slanted and misunderstood information based mostly upon assumption was palpable. When Al Gore bumped against this phenomenon in regard to 'inconvenient truths' he reminded us of the false assumption that we are not connected to the earth and how that has led into ecological crisis. 

Equally, false assumptions that we are not connected to each other that has led into multiple social crises at every level of governance. So, we really do need to be more than wary of self-serving bureaucratic clap trap sprinkled liberally with 'pixie dust'. 

'Citizen's Assemblies' cum 'Citizen's Jury' is quite simply a group of everyday people chosen by democratic lottery convened to consider a given topic and provide a response or recommendation to the governing body.

However rusted on status quoists do seem to be threatened by the voice such assemblies give to the otherwise 'voiceless'. Even though by design, they have no legislative power they are vehicles for accountability and their processes are transparent.

So, it is not surprising that rusted on status quoists might find such 'assemblies' threatening if they are tasked to interrogate the possibility of change – especially fundamental change. It also appears to be the case that 'incumbency in governance' finds the notion of fundamental change and citizen's assemblies somewhat threatening given the lengths incumbents are likely to go to rain on their parade.

LINK

IN THE EXAMINER ... Renaming bridge not erasing history, but a 'step in the right direction' Alison Foletta By Alison Foletta August 27 2022 - 4:00am

Aboriginal Land Council or Tasmania general manager Rebecca Digney welcomed the motion to explore changing the name of the bridge. File picture.

The Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania has come out in support of City of Launceston councillor Tim Walker's motion to take action to rename Batman Bridge. .

............................. Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania general manager and woman Rebecca Digney said having an iconic Tasmanian landmark named after a person who was reported to have deliberately murdered two Aboriginal people for walking to slow was a "horrible". .............................. She said a name change would be welcomed and a "step forward in the right direction and it's a really positive step in terms of truth-telling". .............................. Ms Digney said for local councils to take on actions like this was an act of reconciliation. She said Cr Walker had reached out to the Aboriginal community. .............................. "He certainly hasn't gone off and done this without any consultation or without lengthy discussions with people within the Aboriginal community," Ms Digney said.  In regard to "erasing history", she said history was not something found only in names of monuments. .............................. "History isn't contained in statues or the names of bridges, the history still exists regardless," Ms Digney said. .............................. She praised Cr Walker for his work with the Tasmanian Aboriginal community and his "bold and brave" stance and for local government leading the way "in terms of truth-telling in this state." .............................. After his amended motion passed without his vote, Cr Walker said he was "disappointed". .............................. "We're only just at the beginning of this discussion. There's different opinions, that's exactly why I was suggesting a citizen's jury or assembly to forward this process," he said. .............................. "We're a moderate community, and they [council] want to take moderate steps forward." .............................. He said a citizen's was a chance to inform and educate given the controversy around renaming a Tasmanian landmark. .............................. "My concern is that we're back in a situation when nothing much will happen," he said. .............................. Cr Walker said this was an opportunity for councillors to take a step towards a democratic process. .............................. "Change is hard. If change was easy, it would have happened by now," he said. .............................. In regards to what the name of the bridge should be Ms Digney said it was a difficult question and should be done with a variety of consultation beyond the Aboriginal community. .............................. "In the Aboriginal community, the way that we tend to do things in a cultural way is we tend to consult and we do things on the basis of consensus," she said. .............................. "Any name would be more appropriate than calling the bridge after somebody who quite cold heartedly and maliciously murdered Aboriginal people."

HAS DEPUTY MAYOR DANNY GIBSON BEEN MISLEADING ON AUGUST 25?

It has been reported that Deputy Mayor Danny Gibson, from the chair, in answer to a question without notice, he asserted that the City of Launceston had a number of qualified "architects" on staff and apparently without hesitation. Also, the GM/CEO did not contradict him, so apparently that should mean that it is indeed the case.

Concerningly, if a constituent calls Town Hall asking to speak to "an architect" they will be asked "what for?" Answer something like, 'to discuss architectural practice at Launceston Council' and nobody can be found. Moreover, you'll be requested to put your question in writing. Protocol says that your answer to a written requestb takes weeks.

Again concerningly, ask which 'architect' can one address a question to and Town Hall reception is unable to:

• Provide a name for an 'architect' on staff;
• Provide the tittle of the position the  'architect' holds; and
• Provide any information in regard to which division/department they work in.

On the face of it, Deputy Mayor Danny Gibson owes Launceston constituents an explanation and most likely an apology. Likewise, GM/CEO Stretton should join the Deputy Mayor in his explanation cum apology.

While apologies are good to get, they don’t really change anything. What does change things is action and accountability and that would be welcomed.

WHAT PASSES FOR CIVIC PLANNING IN LAUNCESTON

You just know that you have entered some kind of bizarre time warp if you are an 'outsider' and you engage with the so-called 'planning department' at Launceston's Town Hall in Tasmania. If you bump into 'the Mayor' at a ribbon cutting ceremony chances are he'll be all blinged-up in his quasi vice regal garb with lace ruffles and everything. 

Interestingly, even in 'MUVVA HINGLUND' they've for the most part stopped this silliness but there we go in colonial Launceston – the elsewhere place at the end of the earth. Not a good marketing look in 2022.

Have a chat with the planning department and you will discover a whole lot of things that are written in stone back in the time when convicts did Launceston's roadworks and the city's founders were profiting from what they managed to get onto ships bound for elsewhere. It was a time when it was OK to use a waterway as a sewer. Indeed, you are likely to be told that it is too expensive now to do anything different – and that's not just with sewerage.

Mention 'the climate emergency' and you'll quite likely be told that Council has a policy for that but not an action plan yet because that too is too expensive – and anyway the jury is still out on that one. Mention 'placescaping, placemaking' and you'll be asked "what do you mean ... please explain" – with no hint of any real interest in what you might mean. 

And, worryingly 'placemaking' is what Local Govt is all about.

Make that observation and the conversation will quickly swing to revenue collection and your need to know about that. Talk about cultural landscaping and you'll get a lecture in English grammar and you'll be introduced to the notion that 'it' (cultural landscaping) is a 'thing', a noun and not a verb 'a doing word' –one wonders how it became a thing if nobody did it. 

It turns out that the planning department at Launceston's Town Hall is a wondrous place to have your vocabulary expanded in extraordinary ways. And you'll quickly learn that while there are 'planners' at Town Hall but they are tasked to manage 'development'. Yet another linguistic twist to take on board along with the advice that 'architecture' has lost its original meaning.

Raise the issues of history, heritage, cultural diversity, terra nullius even, and you'll be advised that these things are nothing to do with 'planning' since whoever had the most or biggest guns won and that's that. They do however get in the way of 'development' and thus they are the kind of ideas that need to be neutralised in development processing if development is go forward uninhibited by irrelevant detail.

Mention "trees" and you will be informed that developers think that they are annoying and therefore there is a need for them to be gone – best of all over a weekend. Mention the possibility of offset 'cash payments' coming into play, as is the case in other jurisdictions, and you'll told, as likely as not, that such an initiative would be inconceivable in so much as it would be cost neutral to Council.

Mention "the spectre of the flood" and again, as likely as not, you'll be told the Council has done the research and asked property owners to flood prone areas, how many times did they imagine that they imagine they could 'tolerate' being flooded. Mention that Launceston and say Lismore in Northern NSW have much in common and you'll discover that you are deluded and that your research is flawed.

The City of Launceston under appreciates the intellectual might that is at work in the city's planning and especially so when the elected representatives come together as a 'PLANNING AUTHORITY' resplendent with their skills, qualifications various and expertise. Voters need to think long and hard about all this relative to THEIR aspirations in regard to PLACEMAKING in their precinct, their cultural landscape, their cultural realities, their fiscal contributions, their cultural identity.

Robert Peel, the father of policing, tells us that "the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence." 

PERHAPS NOW IS TIME FOR CHANGE !

QUITE POSSIBLY TIME TO CONSIDER WHO IS PAID FOR WHAT 

PERHAPS NOW IS THE TIME NOT TO VOTE FOR THE INCUMBENCY

THE GOLD TAP DEMAND

When an administration operates without a moral compass and harbours the belief that designers, architects et al are essentially 'a bunch of wankers' it is on the way to achieving the lowest possible denominator at the highest possible price. When a bunch of decision makers abdicate, hand tasks to someone else and refute their obligations while insisting upon being paid it is more than troubling.

Everything is designed but so few things are designed all that well. Opinions should start discussion and deliberation, not to end them. A city with one overarching perspective and with one player claiming  ownership, its rather like someone with one eye. Sadly all too often it turns out badly with the eye turning out to be glass and unseeing.

Most visionaries never reach their goals because they are unable define them, or ever seriously consider sharing them in order to make them achievable. Achievers can tell you where they intend to go, what they will do along the way, and who they will be sharing the venture with in order to get there.

Hunting in bottomless pits is exhausting and especially so when it cuts through layer upon layer of greed. The hunter eventually gets into an endless effort to satisfy a want without ever reaching an end.

THE LAUNCESTON CANBERRA PARALLEL UNIVERSE

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With the 2022 Local Govt Elections almost upon City of Launceston citizens and ratepayers the city GM/CEO, Michael Stretton, is delivering the kind of opaque, hubris ridden and self-accountable administration that for all world looks like an incarnation 'EX PM Scott Morrison's' conceited, self-import and unconscionable behaviours. 

With his endorsement(decision?) to let a contract for $600K without going to tender when the advised protocol says a tendering process is required for expenditure over $10K. And, it seems this is becoming 'standard practice' that does not, at face value, pass the 'pub test' – let alone any credibility assessment give the apparent lack of 'expert advice'. 

Given that Council does not employ an architect/designer, is the plan an appropriate design for the circumstance? 

Recent advice is that this scenario is being played out yet again at the QVMAG! Apparently, the GM/CEO is approving the letting of a contract for over $300K without it going to tender.

It seems that the GM/CEO has persuaded the 'people representatives' to hand all meaningful 'authority' to him thus allowing them to virtually abdicate but continue to collect their stipend. The evidence points to 'the elected 12' virtually making determinations in camera every two weeks to formally decide the next week around the table in Open Council.

The question hanging here is why are the 'the elected 12'  stipends paid at all if they have handed, for all practical purposes, abdicated and turn up for a bi-weekly sham cum counterfeit performance.

The justification for voting for the incumbency at Launceston's Town Hall shrinks by every minute one ponders the proposition.

PLEASE DO NOT VOTE FOR THE INCUMBENCY

YET MORE TOWN HALL OBFUSCATION

Alex Treacy 2 min read August 22, 2022 - 4:32PM

A northern Tasmanian councillor wants to reignite debate about the appropriateness of naming an important river-spanning bridge after a “colonial murderer”, a week after Hobart City Council voted to remove a statue of a former premier. 

The City of Launceston will debate Councillor Tim Walker’s motion on Thursday, with [Cr.]Mr Walker’s recommendation that they partner with West Tamar and George Town councils in setting up a consultation process to ultimately submit a new name for the Batman Bridge for consideration by the Nomenclature Board, likely to be voted down due to cost. [What costs? How were they estimated? By whom?] ........................ The Batman Bridge, which spans the Tamar River and connects Hillwood and Sidmouth, is named after John Batman, the pastoralist who founded Melbourne after earlier relocating from his native NSW to what was then known as Van Diemen’s Land. ........................ Batman participated in the notorious ‘Black Line’ in 1830. ........................ Batman Bridge (AAP Image/Diana Plater) All three councils have previously made moves in this direction, but former premier Peter Gutwein responded to overtures by noting “that as no proposal for a change of name has been suggested, there is no decision to be made”. ........................ The recommendation from  [Cr.] Mr Walker is that the City of Launceston “agrees to write to the George Town and the West Tamar councils to invite them to partner in a Tamar Valley wide community consultation that will provide educational historical context, community feedback and a citizen assembly or jury in each of the municipalities to agree on a recommended name to be submitted to the Nomenclature Board”. ........................  [Cr.]Mr Walker’s report presented to his fellow Launceston councillors noted council had “already agreed that his name should not be celebrated”. ........................ Mr Batman was described by  [Cr.] Mr Walker as a “colonial murderer”. ........................ “We… have a significant Aboriginal population who would like to see an end to the celebration of John Batman, along with many non-Aboriginal people,” he said. ........................ “Ultimately this has to be a decision that is made and owned by the community, to ensure that the state government take it as a meaningful change. ........................ “It is important that this cannot simply be a vote of residents, or of councillors, as this could be seen as a judgment upon racial or cultural grounds. ........................ “If a consensus is reached, all councils would need to agree to support the next step of nominating a name change.” ........................ Council’s chief executive Michael Stretton recommended the motion be voted down by council as the “organisation does not have the available capacity to deliver the project at this time”, either financially or in terms of the council officer manpower required, estimated to be north of 400 hours. [This is a truth by assertion without any evidence being presented to support the assertion. PLUS clearly this should not be seen as expert advice in accord with SECTON 65 of the Local Govt Act. IN FACT, such consultation processes as Cr. Walker proposes are conducted at arm's length without officer involvement except as 'witnesses'.] ........................ Mr Stretton instead recommended Launceston, George Town and West Tamar councils “utilise the engagement framework included in the City of Launceston Aboriginal Partnership Plan to consider the potential for a project to develop and submit a change of name for the Batman Bridge to the State Government’s Place Names Office and the Register of Place Names for inclusion in the 2023–24 Annual Plan and Budget”. ........................ The federal electorate of Batman was changed to Cooper in 2018, named for Yorta Yorta activist and leader William Cooper.

CONCERNING CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF LOCAL GOVT

CLICK ON AN IMAGE TO ENLARGE

CLICK HERE To discover more about the Director of Local Govt.

IF concerned citizens are under any delusions about the capacity of the OFFICE OF LOCAL GOVT to sit on its hands while Representational Democracy goes to hell in a hand basket in Tasmania, this correspondence should clear your doubts up once and for all.

First up, the lack of diligence on display here is palpable but saying so will get you nowhere. Why? Well the State Govt is clearly disinclined to ensure that Local Govt constituents are well served by the Local Govt Act 1993 – albeit that the Act is redundant, broken and well past its USEbyDATE. 

That it might take so very long to respond to na serious concern is more than troubling and non-trivial. Indeed, anyone who has spent any time as a bureaucratic functionary will see the the bureaucratic obfuscation plainly on display – in the letter itself and in its timing!

This 'office' will it seems will do whatever it takes to maintain the status quo and it will demonstrate its disinclination to look after the interests of Council bureaucrats without encouragement.

However, IF you are asking this office for anything like 'natural justice' you'll see yourself consigned to the Integrity Commission and/or The Ombudsman where there is a "lack of resources" to deal with your issue. Yet more Bureaucratic Obfuscation 101 on display. Writ large in all this is 

gossamer thin status quoism!

If you entertain the notion that meaningful local governance is achievable it seems that in Tasmania that it is not on the agenda really and letters like this may well provide the evidence.

It is said that 'accountability' breeds response―ability! Someone needs to lead the way! Just keep on asking for it and maybe one day ...........

LOCAL GOVERNANCE SORT OF EXPLAINED

YES, YES, this is good and sort of on the money! The point that seems to be missed serially and surreally is the TRUST FACTOR. 

What these figures are telling us among lots of things is that not much less than half of LAUNCESTON VOTERS did not see the point in voting for Councillors because you just cannot TRUST them to do what say they'll do. Some are so blatant as to imply 'trust me I'll listen to you' etc. etc. Town Hall should be renamed 'The Hall of Hubris' and voters could trust that albeit that there would still be no need to vote.

To be fair some might have imagined that they could 'do something' and found that the Local Govt Act 1993 actually worked against such perverse notions. One current incumbent serially bleats that they "do not have the numbers" and that if I say that "they'll laugh at me" – OH MY GOODNESS what a terrible state of affairs. 

When a candidate tells you that they'll 'represent you' you really do have to take it with a 'pinch of salt'. Pretty soon you'll discover that there is a subliminal agenda and overtly standing up for a constituent or the constituency is not there when the going get tough – the avoidance of exertion is omnipresent.

So, why would you vote for a cohort of people who have no real commitment to be held accountable? 

How could they be trusted by anybody? 

The Act, on close inspection, mitigates against 'elected representatives' doing so. Moreover, in local governance money is never far from the cut and thrust of things and if you are into bureaucratic Empire building, money is never back of mind. Thus, pesky well-meaning 'representatives' need to be bureaucratically curbed – and if you look, the rest is history given the distorted provisions of 'the Act'.

Launceston's Council has a history of rejecting any notion of empanelling a Citizen's Assembly/Jury. The accountability and transparency that Direct Deliberative Democracy brings with it is quite, quite, unwelcome on the evidence coming out of Launceston's Town Hall – and the answers to questions in open Council. 

Town Hall's preferred 'consultation process' is the one where 'responses' can be orchestrated and if needs be, massaged, in order to get the outcomes vested interests desire for whatever reason. It is said that a meeting is an event at which the minutes are kept and the hours are lost. Bureaucrats will tell you that a meeting is a practical alternative to work and that they'd be over much more quickly if nobody spoke at them.

Traditionally competition makes us look at winning. A worthy project inspires us to take an attitude of seeking improvement. The winning mindset focuses attention on 'being first come what may', the other way of doing things allows us to pay attention to how we manage to achieve an outcome – the ethics, the accountability, the transparency. 

When a Councillor declares the importance of 'money' and asks you what you mean by "ethics" you just know that you are at an intellectual dead end. When David Morrison told us that “the standard you walk past is the standard you accept” he was on the money and he quite likely did his research in places like Launceston's Town Hall.

YOUR REPRESENTATION AT LAUNCESTON'S TOWN HALL

Cr. Jim Cox ... 491 First Preference Votes  Cr. Nick Dakin ...  1,076 First Preference Votes  Cr. Andrea Dawkins ... 1,076 First Preference Votes  Cr. Danny Gibson ... 1,042 First Preference Votes  Cr Alan Harris ... 639 First Preference Votes  Cr. Hiugh McKenzie ... 763 First Preference Votes Cr. Krista Preece ... 276 First Preference Votes   Cr. Paul Spencer ... 786 First Preference Votes  Cr. Karina Stojansek ... 361 First Preference Votes  Cr. Albert van Zetten ... 5,034 First Preference Votes  Cr. Tim Walker ... 622 First Preference Votes  INFORMAL VOTES ... 1,965 Total ballot papers counted  24,646 QUOTA 1,745

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CONSIDER YOUR OPTIONS AND PLEASE 

DO NOT VOTE FOR AN INCUMBENT

The risk here is, if we do not change direction we 

will finish up where we are heading towards!

LINK TO INCUMBENTS LIST

Launceston is a city in the north of Tasmania, Australia, at the confluence of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the kanamalukaTamar  Launceston has a population of 87,645 (2021).Launceston is the second most populous city in Tasmania after the state capital, Hobart, As of 2020, Launceston is the 18th largest city in Australia. Launceston is fourth-largest inland city and the ninth-largest non-capital city in Australia. Launceston claims to be the most liveable regional city, and was one of the most popular regional cities to move to in Australia from 2020 to 2021. 

An incumbent who is never up for

accountability at the ballot boxI

HOWEVER, his contract was recently unanimously

renewed for four years by the incumbents!

Interstingly, his qualifications are apparently confidential?

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DIRECT DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRACY NOW