GOVERNANCE AND INCURIOUSITY

 

The British conservative Enoch Powell once famously said that all political careers end in failure, and that was certainly true of his own. If you were around at the time, how can you forget John Howard, who lost not only the office he had held for nearly 12 years, but the seat he had held for more than 30 years?

It is said that those who fear ridicule never get very far, for good or otherwise. They and their talents are held back. Even if they have genius, they are doomed to mediocrity. International art critic and cultural commentator, Robert Hughes observed that ... “Confidence is the prize given to the mediocre”.

The writer behind the legendary Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle, likewise observed that ... "Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself; but talent instantly recognises genius." The reason self-serving self-annointed 'leaders' do not know much can in large part be put down to premeditated ignorance. CulturaL commentator Stephen Fry called out such people saying "They are incurious. Incuriosity is the oddest and most foolish failing there is.”

It is said that mediocre people in leadership lecture their suppllicants. On the other hand good leaders explain, and great leaders demonstrate how things can be achieved. However, great leaders inspire others to do what needs doing.

 

THE CHANGE IMPERATIVE

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." .... Margaret Mead, American cultural anthropologist 

BAMBOO AND PLACEMAKING

 

click on an image to enlarge

LINKS

https://makingplacednesstasmania.blogspot.com/

https://taswegianbamboo.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572795051398

BETTER GOVERNANCE

 

LAUNCESTON IS THE FRACTION THAT REPRESENTS THE WHOLE

LAUNCESTON'S CANDIDATES FOR LOCAL GOVT

Made up of 9 councillors, including 1 mayor and 1 deputy mayor.

Melissa Anderson

Kyle Barrett

Alex Britton

Susie Cai

Daniela Cavalletti

Rose Diamond

Fenella Edwards

James Garcia

Matthew Garwood

Jacob Gelston

Martin Gilmour

Tim Gunton

Alan Harris

Jess Hoyle

Paul Mallett

Ross Marsden

Jarad Murray

Andrew Palmer

Joe Pentridge

Krista Preece

Jamie Quach

Gabriel Robins

Frank Rosol

Bob Salt

Paul Swiatkowski

Tim Walker

LAUNCESTON SHOULD & COULD HAVE:

• ... AN ACCOUNTABLE & TRANNSPARENT MANAGEMENT

• ... NOBODY SUFFERING FROM HOUSING STRESS

• ... A RESOURCE RECOVERY CENTRE

• ... A SUSTAINABLE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE

BUT ON THE EVIDENCE MANAGEMENT HAS RESISTED SUCH A DEVELOPMENTS IN LIEU

OF MAINTAINING THE STATUS QUO

AS FOR THE INCUMBENCY WHY NOT:

• ... ASK THEM WHY THEY DELEGATED SO MUCH OF THEIR AUTHORITY TO MANAGEMENT

APPARENTLY 70 PLUS PAGES OF DELEGATIONS

SEE https://betterlauncestonnow.blogspot.com/.../delegated...

ALL GUNNAdo CANDIDATES WILL NEED TO CURB MANAGEMENT’S EXCESSES BEFORE

THEY CAN EVEN BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT REPRESENTING THE CONSTITUENCY THAT VOTED FOR THEM

VOTE PURPLE

LINK

Any man can make mistakes, but only an idiot persists in his error... Marcus Tullius Cicero

Go for a business that any idiot can run - because sooner or later, any idiot probably is going to run it. ... Peter Lynch

DILLUSION BUILT ON DILLUSION

 

https://timwalker.com.au/

YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A COMMO

 

INCEDULOUS INCURIOSITY

 

When incurious councillors don't read the fine print, ratepayers pay the price.

By Craig Thomson

Updated August 9 2026 - 8:29am, first published 5:55am

The most alarming detail in the City of Launceston councillors' decision to hit some property owners with a 40 per cent rates increase isn't just the size of the rate hike; it's the candid admission by councillors that they voted for a sweeping policy shift without understanding its real-world fallout.

Councillor Tim Walker's admission that he "did not realise the implications" exposes a systemic failure in council governance: approving complex rate strategies on paper without first demanding granular impact modelling. Local democracy breaks down when elected representatives act as rubber stamps for policy documents rather than probing how those decisions affect household budgets.

Launceston Town Hall. Picture by Paul Scambler

Lumping lifestyle properties and cost-neutral hobby farms into the same rate tier as profit-generating commercial hubs fails basic economic logic. Residents like Abby Collins aren't running high-margin enterprises; they are land-rich and cash-neutral. Broad-brush rates strategies designed to "even things out" end up penalising residents who receive few, if any, commercial council services in exchange for their tens of thousands of dollars.

Even the proposed 20 per cent rate cap represents a steep, unbudgeted surge for local families. As Cr Joe Pentridge put it, a 20 per cent cap is nothing more than "kicking someone and then giving them a band-aid." A genuine remedy requires a complete pause and overhaul of the strategy, not a compromise born of political embarrassment.

Local government budget shortfalls should never be balance-sheet problems dumped onto unsuspecting ratepayers overnight. Consider the precedent: the City of Launceston Council previously decided against implementing a differential rate rise for short-stay accommodation owners because an official review concluded short-stays were not a major driver of local housing stress. Where was that basic due diligence before hitting primary producers?

Paying lip service to an unintended consequence doesn't clear a surprise bill of thousands of dollars from a ratepayer's kitchen table. Expecting hobby farmers to swallow a compromise hike to resolve an administrative oversight places an unfair burden on the community.

While it is rare to hear politicians openly admit "we made a mistake," owning up to an error is only step one. If fixing this mess means the council has to absorb the revenue shortfall and tighten its own operational belt, so be it.

The City of Launceston must immediately implement a full 12-month freeze on these revised primary production rates, issue adjusted notices, and fund the difference out of its own budget while a transparent review takes place.

Councillors were elected to scrutinise policy, ask tough questions, and protect their constituents from administrative overreach. Instead, they imposed a crippling financial penalty on more than 500 local properties, then admitted they didn't realise what they were voting for.

That isn't just an administrative blunder; it is a fundamental breach of public trust.

Craig Thomson is the editor of The Examiner.