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| Perth Now, 1st February 2015 |
The piece in today's Sunday Times, including Simpson's dummy spit in referring the matter to the LGAB and the Electoral Commission, has me utterly gobsmacked.
As a piece of so-called journalism, this is about as bad and as biased as it comes. The piece gives prominence to the views of a single resident but gives no recognition to nor mention of the substantial information I understand was provided by Kwinana Council in response to questions. I guess the answers didn't suit the agenda of the reporter or her so-called newspaper.
As far as I can see, the LGAB has no role here (the Local Government Act does not say anything about the actual conduct of a poll nor any campaigning that is part of it) and I have seen nothing that suggests to me any breach of the Electoral Act.
This is purely vindictive on the part of the Minister - who can see his grand plans unravelling thanks to the concerted effort of Council and Community in Kwinana (and, hopefully, even without the strong Council support, in East Fremantle and South Perth).
It is atrocious reporting by the Sunday Times and reinforces my decision of a decade or so ago not to buy this scurrilous rag that masquerades as a newspaper.
My message to Kwinana, East Fremantle and South Perth is to keep up the good work. I look forward to being able to report their achieving the 50% target by the end of the week.
I am glad you picked this one up. Homer is completely off course. LGAB has no role in this, what so ever, they are not the governing body of a local government. The LGAB’s role in this shambolic process has finished and remains finished, until such time they receive any further submissions and in the order as prescribed under the Act.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt when Kwinana, East Fremantle and South Perth deliver a fat NO, Homer will be there with his trickery again trying to get the LGAB to accept his yet another pathetic ‘boundary adjustments’. It is like dealing with a little school kid throwing a tantrum because they can’t get their way. He is hopeless.
I doubt very much any PR consultants would engage in any inappropriate conduct, telling the truth is not inappropriate conduct, not in Australia anyway, yet.
The City of Kwinana should be commended for supporting their community, that’s what they are there for; to do just that, and not like the other two that obviously forgot something in the process.
It would also be nice of course if Homer would come out and let us know a bit about how many calls he had received from ‘distressed residents’ over his misguided council cull.
Looking at the City of Kwinana’s website what could be more fair and square. It’s out in the open, appropriately presented and you the electors choose. Not like you know what...
A tale for local government amalgamation poll electors:
DeleteThe artful dodger (Barnett Government) shrank from pursuing his local government reform at election time. Then he side-stepped the path to amalgamation polls and plucked from the Town of Victoria Park its biggest ratepayer (Crown Casino at $2.8 million).
Stung into action, the Town and its voluntary partner, the City of South Perth, invoked the Battle for Burswood and Fair Amalgamations. Their joint submission for a merger on their own terms found favour with the LGAB and thus enabled their electors to access the path to a poll.
The dodger decided to sit back and let them travel up that path because it was so unlikely that they could outwit him. Getting 250 electors’ signatures on a petition for a poll was easy, but getting thousands to vote in a poll was very hard indeed.
By this time, some electors were also miffed at the name City of South Park and had no liking for a merger to be paid for from their own pockets. So they organised themselves and set out to urge at least 50% of their number to vote and at least 50% of that number plus one to tick No to amalgamation.
Banners, posters and leaflets spread the word, and Australia Post thought that Christmas had returned to South Perth and Victoria Park as its sacks enlarged with voting papers.
After three weeks, the close of the polls was reached at 6 pm on Saturday 7 February 2015. What had action in store – would a merger proceed to the delight of the dodger or would his ploy come to no avail?
The end of this tale must wait because the result is, as yet, in a steadily decreasing number of electors’ hands. A majority No vote in either electorate spells the end of amalgamation, that is, until the dodger can come up with another gambit.