More Than Coincidence?

In what must rank as one of the greatest coincidences of all time, the Wet Australian [deliberate 'error' there], after all but ignoring the groundswell of concern and anger about local government so-called reform for months, suddenly publishes a full-page 'opinion' just four days after legal action is launched against the Minister and the Local Government Advisory Board - and yet barely mentions the legal action itself.

Has someone been exerting influence on the Wet A? Or is it simply its natural prejudice coming to the fore?

This so-called opinion piece has to be one of the worst-researched and argued pieces I have seen in a long time. If I were a teacher in high school, I wouldn't fail it - it is so bad I would tell the writer to go away and start again.

I once had a colleague who started a book review with the words: "This book should never have been written". I don't know whether that was fair comment on the book, as it wasn't in my area of knowledge or expertise - but it is certainly the case that this opinion piece should never have been written - not because I disagree with much of it, but because it destroys the credibility of the very case the writer is trying to make.

It is full of vague assertions and the only source the writer mentions is the widely-discredited Robson report. And those parts of the Robson report she does use are nothing to do with the current government push to create larger councils, but are matters that could be addressed with the current structure - and would need to be addressed even if the number of councils were reduced.

Has the writer used any sources other than her own prejudices? If so, she should have the sense to mention them if she wants her work to be taken seriously.

She bemoans the breakdown of relationships between councils and administrations that "have been at the heart of several council implosions", but ignores the fact that these implosions have affected both large and small councils - and very few of either.

And to conclude that "the debate must be widened beyond individual councils trying to protect their boundaries" and to plagiarise the Minister's threats as "those who believe local government reform is unnecessary may not survive to see it happen" demonstrates an abysmal ignorance of the basis for community and local council concerns about the process, the bullying and the illogical current proposals.