Yesterday Liverpool lost a Giant amongst men.

This time yesterday John Eastwood creator backbone and stallwart of YADA (Young Adults Disability Association) died after failing health over the last couple of years.

My sincere condolences to Buffy, his family and the too many to name people who worked with him in his vision. A quiet man of big vision, great hopes and success. A man who brought people together, who created an amazing (yet sometimes described as unsightly) recycle facility to our community. What may have appeared disheveled was a tight knit group of people who do a great deal to support each other and our community. Last week or so i reported that the Anderson Avenue facility was to close…I’ve not been successful in finding a new site however i do hope someone else has. This is more than a place to bring stuff, its been a source of support for many as they settled in a new land, for those struggling and for those doing it tough but its been even more thsn that its been a place to lend a hand, make new friends and of being of worth when you thought you had little left to give. Please someone see the vision (& tax breaks) and help YADA relocate and continue Johns dream.

Vale John Eastwood may you rest well and your vision continue for young and old.

Signe ♡♡♡♡

Its been a while

I”m sitting here reading through old posts, how things change and how much they stay the same.

Here we are again, for those who didn’t know I stopped posting when I found that there was nothing positive to say and I was tired of being the bearer of sad, unhappy news about council. so where are we today…

The present CEO has what seems to be a good handle on what is happening around our LGA, her staff are on the ball and to be honest, not much has changed with the councillors. I heard a rumour the other day that our former Mayor Ned was considering a comeback grrr can’t imagine that would be a choice/mistake the good people of Liverpool would make again. While for the past few years his wife has been a voice on council I have to admit she is by far more articulate and while I’ve not agreed with many of her choices, she has stood true to what she has said… at least from what I can see. I can’t help to note that everytime I go back and think about the former mayor I also revisit the CEO choice he and his cohort made and tbh in my opinion…. whatamistakeatomake….that was.

There is still much happening in our LGA that is not ideal, the Moorebank intermodal appears to be going ahead regardless of the impact on our community regardless of our air quality and regardless of the impact on our roads. Then there is the Airport, 10 of the largest transport companies have signed an agreement ( according to last weeks Paper) because we will have a 24/7 airport for freight on our doorstep. Yes businesses are coming to Liverpool, yes there is growth but at what cost? Time will tell, our next big mess will be the Metro link, we need to stay with heavy rail we need to be clear and we need to be outspoken on this. Handing our transport needs to profiteers is not in our best interests…public transport should be public owned!

Last week I attended the Gift of time dinner … what an impressive roll out of amazing and dedicated residents who give freely of their time to achieve so much and how wonderfully appropriate that council puts on a great spread to acknowledge the enormous commitment our fellow residents give week in and week out in our great city.

Sadly that was also the night I heard that our beloved YADA (Young adults disability association) had finally succumbed to pressure and would be closing their Anderson Avenue doors. I and I know others have looked long and hard for another location for this amazing organisation without success… I do hope someone with a factory unit or a location they could set up is out there somewhere… so many people go there everyday sort out recyclables, break down broken tools into their individual parts and components for reuse and so so much more. SO many older people give freely of their time to do what is needed, when it’s needed and for no other reward than the company of other good people and a sandwich amongst friends. Please let this not be the end of such an amazing caring group of dedicated Liverpudlians.

Thanks for making it this far… I’ll do my best to keep an eye on our wonderful local government area, annoy those who don’t value it like we do and try not to increase my 6 inability to attend a council meeting in the last 12 years,,,which reminds me we have one on Wednesday this week… so with a little luck I will see you there. Come up and say Hi I generally sit in the front row to the right (when you come in)

see you out and about in Livo…

Let’s chat about why you should elect me to the Legislative Assembly.

FACT: women bring an entirely new perspective to debate, Liverpool has had a male representative for just on 25yrs, a long time one might say but also a long time being detached or at arm’s length from the everyday issues that affect our community.
It is also fair to ask what has our sitting member done in all those years? A quick look at Hansard shows from time to time he speaks on issues, good, but how often are those issues directly related to our community? You can only talk about the rail spur line so many times!
My name is Signe Westerberg, I’m a 63yr old woman who lives in our community, I’ve worked in our community and I regularly speak up for issues affecting our community. (Not all the candidates are local btw)
I am not doing this because I’m, looking for “ a career change” why I’m standing in this (and have in other) elections is we need real change, genuine change. The only way we as a community can achieve this is by creating a situation that will scare the bejingies out of the two old parties and remind them there are alternatives and there are opportunities.
I represent our community through the Greens policies because they are the most relevant, they address the needs and desires of the people with whom I live, work and play. I chose to be part of a party because as an independent (I was originally) you do not have the reach, the input and the experience of anyone but your immediate circle – our party is genuinely representative of members, who decide on policy that the MLC’s speak to and all our policies are readily available and relevant to our community so I can stand confident that I represent my communities needs through them.
Its oft been said that if you keep doing as you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten…
Isn’t it time we made a difference? Isn’t’ it time our voice changed? This election you can make the difference. Bringing people together from all parties will ensure the whole community is represented, sticking with the two old parties merely ensures two old views have turns ☹

BTW if you trust me enough to get me elected, and to be honest we will need to work hard to rally enough votes, I will do my utmost to encourage, mentor and bring other women and young people along with me so when my time is up we can be assured, well prepared younger women are ready to take my place.
See you at the polling booth…thanks for your time 😊

Justice has its day

As many of you are aware I’ve been long outspoken about the former CEO of Liverpool…this update from the ABC website. for your information.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-15/ipswich-city-council-ceo-carl-wulff-sentenced-for-corruptionoe in/10814924

I was advised from Court in Queensland last week that the former CEO of Ipswich council ( Liverpool & one Victorian council)  Carl Wulff was convicted  and sentenced to 5yrs gaol and his wife Sharon Oxenbridge 4yrs (out in 9mths and 6mths Respectively) (details in ABC post)

Thankfully organisations such as the ICAC and the QLD CCC equivalent is there to serve the public.

We need to be very careful who we trust with our public assets and our public purse and from incidences like this you can see how important a Federal ICAC is to protect the community.

On Politics of a different (but the same) nature

We have a few very busy months ahead of us with State and Federal elections, do yourself and your community a favour and really check out the candidates, know who your voting for so you can sleep well in the knowledge yours are the interests are the ones being considered by our politicians not those of big business or worse self serving. NOTE: Mr Wulff was not an elected representative he was an employee of council.

Footnote, since his departure from Liverpool the horrid work services organisation imposed on our council is now long gone as well and I personally see our council  moving in a stronger direction. While I may not always agree with all the decisions, I do believe the large majority are made with the communities best interests at heart.

 

’til next time

 

Justice in QLD – will it head south?

As many of you will know I was not a supporter of the former CEO Carl Wulff. I have however maintained contact over quite some time with people who were directly impacted by his less than upfront methods in Queensland. I have heard their sadness and the impact of the decisions he made affect them, their families, their health and their future and  I can now say how pleased I am to hear that the Qld CCC has taken serious action to ensure the people of Queensland are rid of dishonest people who infested places of trust like local councils. I have read pages and pages of information that now appears to have been proven as correct and am delighted that in some small way those most affected have been vindicated even though they will probably never be compensated the real cost of their losses.

 

There is a plethora of information available online and it will be interesting over time to see if anything untoward was attempted whilst on our payroll is uncovered. It won’t however be truly known the depths of the evidence the CCC have against him or his partner until the court appearances on October 24th. One has to wonder if there is anyone closer to home who would be worrying about his loyalty or his willingness to roll over to protect himself… alas we may never know but I am so pleased to hear justice is being served in Qld and while there are some here who are relishing the news out of Queensland, please remember, they were the ones who employed Mr Wulff here even when their own due diligence was being questioned. Some of you may recall my posts in relation to the contact not only from Ipswich but those in Dandenong who contacted me who were highlighting their concerns.

If you are interested I’m pretty sure a google search of Carl Wulff will make available a number of articles that all appear to be quite confident of his guilt, what actions have been taken and those who have also been swept up in the deceit of the ratepayers of Ipswich council.

As always if you have differing information please don’t hesitate to share. Cllr Balloot advised me at the last council meeting that there were inaccuracies in some of my posts and I have invited him to share his version/view for publication here. Then of course it will be up to you to decide which is correct…that said I’m always more than happy to share differing views, however to date they have not been forthcoming. One point he clarified that I and I’m afraid many others were of the impression, that he is not in anyway related to the former mayor. Knowing that I had been given that information from several people, my apologies for the error, I too would have wanted that cleared up quite quickly.

 

Finally something Positive

Hi all,

I have refrained from posting for a while, I am determined to not only post negative stuff and I have to say there are times when that proves to be a bit of a chore. I have, as always been attending the community forums, council meetings and as much as possible all things Liverpool. Conflicting events means I’ve missed a couple but as I’ve said the forum have always been a really important community interaction I do my utmost not to miss. I did in the past week attend the Rural forum at Bringelly where the CEO was a special guest to discuss the happenings around Badgerys Creek airport construction and development. So the positive, I sat there listening to the CEO speak, answer questions and ensure more information will be forthcoming, most importantly she was HAPPY to be there. The last time I was privileged to watch the most senior Liverpool Executive genuinely glad to be interacting with the community was the late Phil Tolhurst, he relished his interactions with the community as does I believe our present CEO. Kiersten Fishburn. So much so she has committed to attend regularly and keep the community informed, not only as our CEO but as the only Liverpudlian representative of the Federal Government’s airport advisory group.

Council meetings are now, while better behaved degenerating into some of the behavioural issues of the past. Some councillors who think they are more important than the rest, others who play political games and others who clearly seem to be guided by ghosts from the past. Either way, not a lot is changing and while nothing untoward is happening, nothing exciting is either. That can be seen as both good and bad. Of real import to me is that under the leadership of our new CEO the morale in council appears to be on the improve, matters of significance are held to a higher standard of behaviour even against the wishes of those keen to create havoc.

There are a few things as a community we need to be mindful of and some we need to be prepared to take action:

Local events: The Spring Carnival next week, local forums to attend and council meetings to observe.

Farther afield: Rallying the community to stand up for equity and fairness in the upcoming Non Binding postal survey into allowing Same Sex Marriage.  It is really important that we do not look at this as a religious issue, while for many religion does have its place this purely and simply is an equity issue. All Australians being treated fairly and this is just the first step, once we do this we have some enormous issues in treating our first Australians with equity and fairness, treating the disabled, the elderly and refugees fairly and equitably. What saddens me about this is that it is un-Australian to be doing otherwise, yet here we are rallying for a fair deal and fair treatment for everyone, our young need access to further free education options, our unemployed need to be guaranteed a fair income and our Homeless need HOMES. People need to be ensured they can either find well paid, meaningful work or are not penalised when it is not available to them.  When you talk to the average person they are decent and caring, yet we continue to elect politicians who truly do not represent us.

I was having a conversation the other day with someone who said they cannot wait for a Federal election and in so many ways, Me too, however  while ever we continue to just switch between two parties who offer much the same thing none of the important stuff is going to change. Neither Labor nor Liberals, state or Federal have forward thinking, positive outcome, objectives, they are stuck in the past and mired in history and not even bothering to learn from it. I know I am a bit spoilt, I associate on a regular basis with truly forward thinking, positive outcome politicians, whose first focus is not on what is in it for them but what the country and the community truly need for a better, healthier, safer future.  I can hear your tutting from here 😀  lol, but it is something I actually get to experience and while it will take time for more people  to get a grasp but thats ok…one step at a time.

The big question I believe we need to ask as individuals is why, for the first time in history, is the next generation not being left in a better situation than the past? Followed by What can we do to change this… for the better?

Well now I’ve posed the big questions, I will leave you for now. See you out and about in our fabulous city, remember don’t believe everything you read, ask questions,  be sceptical don’t just believe everything you read. I was browsing a former local pollies pages today and the inaccuracies were overwhelming. I am always happy to answer questions, clear up anything you need more info on, so don’t hesitate to even question me and I will do my utmost every time to ensure the info I share is accurate and honest. I don’t print gossip, I don’t want to share incorrect information and if your view/opinion is different, share it I will post views and opinions even those different to my own.

Just before I sign off, congrats to the many Greens who did so well at this week’s council elections, there are more Greens on councils who will ensure many positive things, most especially that the community and environment get priority over development.

Til next time, remember YES to equality in the Postal survey and follow it up with a call or email to your local MP to make sure they know you expect them to represent you and the overwhelming majority of people who want/demand fairness and equity. VOTE – YES

Chris Hayes’s office number is 8786 1004 (has publicly stated he’s voting NO) e: Chris.Hayes.MP@aph.gov.au

Anne Stanley’s office number is  9829 7477 (has publicly stated she is voting YES) e: Anne.Stanley.MP@aph.gov.au

Craig Kelly’s Office number is  9521 6262 (has publicly stated he’s voting NO) I couldn’t find an email so you can Contact via:  https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Contact_Senator_or_Member?MPID=99931

 

my two most recent submissions to council

I have been busy writing submissions and numerous other things, however one I didn’t post in the hope it wouldn’t fore warn some councillors that the Nursery Mattered… alas they voted down to actually supply the nursery and eco centre we  were promised when first asked to accept an environment levy. Alas I shouldn’t be surprised and am always hopeful that we can as a Council stick to our word to our community.  This has now happened on two major occasions, first when we were surveyed about the Special Rate Variation and now on the outcome from the Environment Levy you and I all pay to have our precious environment cared for. in the cast of the nursery, what was worst for me is  that a non resident councillor spoke so vehemently against it based on one attendance at a meeting that a number of us had been attending and supporting for 8-10 years.

So here are my last two submissions, sadly mine was the only one received by council for the Operations and delivery program draft and as today is the last day for the community halls one I can only hope I am not the only person attempting to save our community halls from sale or as they’re calling it rationalisation.

The Facilities submission is due today, I emailed mine last night and am hopeful we can achieve a good outcome on saving our halls. If you’ve not had a chance to look at it, log onto Liverpool LIstens, I know they will accept a late submission if you take the time to get one in. With the changes to Section 94 (developer) contributions, money from there can NO LONGER be used to build community centres and the like, so future buildings will all have to come from grants and rates. Some of our older buildings are on prime real estate and the reality that once they are sold they are gone forever should raise some interest.

here they are:

submission re council facilities 27.729.5.17

Delivery and Operational budget submission

Don’t forget the National Tree day planting is at Brownes Farm in Hoxton Park this sunday, council always throws a good BBQ and entertainment for the kids, so come along, plant a tree or three and have a lovely day out in what is being promised a pretty spectacular 26 degree day.

 

See you there

Honouring agreements or being opportunist

I did the unprecedented thing last night, I walked out of council making the comment as I went that the money councillors spend is NOT THEIR OWN.  I know I say this often about council, state and Federal politicians because the belief they own our money is a furphy, while they might have care and control in the day to day, it’s not their money and there is a degree of honour attached to all things we take to the community and act upon. While there are numerous times over the past years things have been changed without the support or knowledge of the community two major items spring to mind here in Liverpool.

First is the promise that was made when we were being asked as a community to agree to the special rate variation. I attended all the community information sessions relating to this issue and was swayed by the promise that with the SRV we would not be borrowing money, that the SRV would fill the void. One councillor at the time said : over my dead body will this be extended or continued” clearly he’s still alive and happy to live in the knowledge he lied (or simply forgot) to the community who trusted him to stand by his word. Then again he was not alone and we all know that little nugget was not of gold as we might have expected but a load of “sh*t” as it turned out. Onto the second most recent, the one that had me leave council last night. Again this is something I’ve written about before, I stand passionately as your representative on the Environmental Advisory Committee and have lobbied long and hard that what was promised in the initial request to apply an environment levy was delivered. There will always be people who have a differing view of what should and should not happen in  council, lord knows we’ve had more than one delay in implementing promised outcomes but on this I stand firm. We said we would provide to the community and environmental centre and community nursery as part of the funds collected… we have the money set aside. However there have been those, interestingly the same person as I mentioned above, who have continually and deliberately stymied the delivery of the promised centre, time and time again. To be clear, there have been sites selected, there is money to build and set up what can and would have been a self funding cost neutral centre over time. You have already paid for it from your enviro levy.  We have engaged consultants who, while pointing out some minor overcomable concerns endorsed  the building…. UNTIL our former CEO, saw the bucket of money and wanted it absorbed into general funds and commissioned ANOTHER consultant report that interestingly highlighted some other option as an outcome. The old expression money can buy any opinion you want may be truer than I had ever thought or perhaps its interpretation, I guess I’ll never know. There are only two community reps who have been on the EAC for the entire time. Last night after attending 1 (ONE) meeting new councillor Rhodes spoke in council as the ‘authority opinion’ against the centre… while others said they’d never heard of a successful nursery, I suggest they look at Sutherland council and Wollondilly, Sutherland Council recently issued a video singing the praise of theirs (link below).  Cllr Harle used his chairpersons vote to break the tie and  support  some of the members on the floodplain committee- not the EAC but now combined committee (interestingly led by the same bloke as above) to oppose as he has always done, spending the money as was initially promised. The vote was 7 for and 7 against with Cllr Harles casting vote going twice to the negative.

OK to be clear this rant is NOT ABOUT A NURSERY, I am not a gardener, I am passionate about the environment and I am even more passionate that integrity and honour is upheld and if WE PROMISE AN ENVIRO/NURSERY WE NEED TO DELIVER A NURSERY/ENVIRO CENTRE. I accept that all people concerned are entitled to different opinions, I am however also very clear in that what we promise we need to deliver on all things great and small. Clearly there are going to be and were differing views on this, I respect that.

My second big issue of the day:

I am also aware many of you will be hearing the media conversations in relation to the Greens, the party I represent locally and think it is probably worth explaining what the media is not. I do this as an individual, not the convenor/spokesperson of our local group

1. Greens members join a state party, there is no Federal membership to my knowledge just an affiliation of all groups to the greater.
2. Greens NSW has a strong leaning towards equity and supporting our 4 pillars. (Listed below)
3. Greens NSW expect our representatives on all levels of Governance to represent the views of the membership/therefore their voters and supporters, they don’t have conscience votes and they are spokespeople not decision makers.
4. Decisions they need to represent are debated throughout the membership before becoming policy, we meet regularly to hammer out our positions and reach consensus. Like sausage making the process isn’t always pretty but the outcome superb.
5. Greens NSW discussed the potential shortfalls for local schools on the Gonski 2.0 and made it clear, many of us directly to all our Fed Senators and most certainly to our state senator that we did not support Gonski 2.0 (Seriously too many of our local public schools were going to be significantly worse off under the Turnbull changes)
6. Our senator acted in direct support of the membership decision.
7. there are calls for the National Greens to look closely at the decision to stand our State senator down, (basically not include her in discussions in the party room) as our convenors have indicated publicly we don’t see it in correlation with our constitution.
8. There are comments that this is the NSW Greens or the Greens nationally imploding, this is not true, I have witnessed unprecedented support for our Senator and condemnation of the public outburst and leaking that has allowed what could have been discussed civilly and sorted out as a grab for media and power. Worth noting those who are doing the leaking are getting off scot free.
9. Most people who have supported the Greens over time, have done so because we stick to our principled and environmentally focused agenda. The one we publicise and advertise as we advocate. We carefully evaluate the impacts on the greater population and always aim to bring better outcomes for the majority not the few.
10. Equity is a right, education should be readily available for all and not based on your ability to pay more.

In summary, when you elect an MP or a Senator, it is not unreasonable to expect that they (regardless of the party) represent the needs of the people who elect them, that is the state from which they come and are elected to represent. If more senators did this, again regardless of the party, would we be seeing the Great Barrier Reef being destroyed, would we be seeing wholesale destruction of our forests, would we be seeing massive foreign ownership, would we see coal mining growing instead of renewable energy options etc etc ? From what I have observed Mr Brown has had a long standing personal issue with our Ms Rhiannon, he regularly throws comments that incite and cause a media storm, sadly his once respected view is becoming nothing more than a bitter old man who doesn’t like to play in the sandpit anymore. Is he seeking relevance? who knows but his outdated and sad attempts are not doing him or the party any good.

Of course all these views are mine, based on what I have witnessed myself, you are free to disagree, comment even, I’ll print it here as you write it. I welcome discussion, even that of those who have a completely different view and I respect differences as long as they are debated with respect and goodwill. Clearly my opinions are just that, I’m sure others will have their own. I bear no ill will to those with whom I disagree, only that all opinions should be aired freely for others to make up their own minds.

As always, send your views, add a comment or voice your concerns… Clearly I do, so am happy to ensure you have a platform to do likewise.

 

 

 

 

The Four Pillars of the NSW Greens:

Ecological sustainability | Social equality and economic justice | Grassroots democracy | Peace, nonviolence and disarmament

 

Sutherland council video 7/6/17 on Sutherland council Facebook page.

In this week’s Mayoral Message Mayor Carmelo Pesce visited our Native Plant Nursery to chat to Bushcare Coordinator Jonathan Watson and his staff about the importance of native plants for our local environment and ways in which the community can contribute.

Look out for your native plant voucher which entitles you to two free tube stock each year in your July rates notice.

For more information on Sutherland Shire Bushcare and how to become a volunteer visit bit.ly/2sQGx7D

I want more

This is a year old, our situation has not improved, the govt cares even less and they refer the needy to charities. My question, if our govt isn’t working why are we paying them?

 

So far all I can see is that the rich get better deals, better tax benefits, they benefit from insider info meaning that private rail is now more prevalent and developers are making a motza. Driving past Northconnex today showed me clearly developers are cashing in and the residents are being screwed.

 

More people live below the poverty level than ever before, electricity prices are rising (contrary to the promise of cheaper with privatisation) renewable energy is a promise with no real improvement in making it happen other than energy companies are now selling you the dream and raising the costs. The QLD labor have sold their souls and seem happy to destroy the Great Barrier Reef and we’re supposed to be grateful that the Fed got is guaranteeing gas is more readily available locally.

 

I am disillusioned, sad and angry.

 

More people live below the poverty level than ever before, electricity prices are rising (contrary to the promise of cheaper with privatisation) renewable energy is a promise with no real improvement in making it happen other than energy companies are now selling you the dream and raising the costs. The QLD labor have sold their souls and seem happy to destroy the Great Barrier Reef and we’re supposed to be grateful that the Fed govt is guaranteeing gas is more readily available locally. The myth that all Baby boomers are sitting on a fortune and making it difficult for the millennials to buy a home, lets face it how many of us doing our level best to help them, be it with cheap rent at home, child minding, cash support or what ever?  The Rich boomers are fewer than the struggling ones and those struggling are doing what they can to help the next gen. Its like saying all Millennials are leaners, of course they’re not and not all Boomers are investors soaking up the future.

 

I am most certainly disillusioned, angry and extremely sad, not because I’m not doing my best but that My government doesn’t give a shit about the everyday person, they don’t’ give a crap that there are thousands of people living on the streets, sleeping on couches and unable to find housing or work. I’ve paid (as have most of my contemporaries) paid my taxes, worked hard, made good and bad choices. Too many Australians care more about themselves than the state of the country, they forget when we look after each other we all do better. Giving the unemployed a reasonable increase means they will spend money locally, they will increase businesses and that business will employ more people, more jobs means more taxes, more taxes means we can help more people, grow the economy and advance our society.

 

I won’t even start on the lies and rubbish being said about refugees or reconciliation, I won’t harp on about public transport being sold to the highest bidder in NSW and I won’t even begin on how we are treating our natural environment… because each is a whole thing on its own.

 

Seriously, is there anyone in the old parties that gets this? Because seriously you’d never know it listening to question time, you’d never know it watching the Qld Govt sell their soul to Adani.

 

Ok this is long and if you’ve made it all the way to the bottom, well done, by now you can add a whole bunch of inequity you see around you yourself and can add a bunch to this loooong list.

 

I want more, not so much for me, but for my kids, my grandkids, I want them to get a good free education, I want TAFE restored so those not wanting a Uni degree aren’t forgotten and I want them to be able to rent a nice home they can call their own even if they can’t afford to buy one, I want renters to have rights, hospitals to be well funded and I want access to either decent support or a job for those who need one.

 

I WANT what’s fair and I want it now. I would say this is the end of my rant but lets face it, its not, its just the end for tonight.

Do you think you’re getting value for your rates dollars?

We have three days to let council know what we want out rates spent on, if we think there needs to be more money spent on maintaining parks, if your roads need replacement or repair. If you say nothing you will get nothing, if you don’t let council know what your priorities are they are not able to ensure funds are made available to ensure your ‘will’ is done. Its your rates money primarily paying for the things in the budget.

As you know there is a draft budget and delivery program on exhibition at present, its a hefty document and can be read on line via the council website or the “Liverpool Listens” website. Please take a few minutes to see what is being proposed and what is on offer, support it, reject it or simply add to it, but you must do something. We cannot complain about things we want that aren’t done if we don’t get involved in the process. I am presently working on a document that will highlight some of the structural problems with the document and I am probably a little more aware than most of the challenges and aspirations attached to this document however every year only a few, sometimes only one of us, sends the council their thoughts and hopes, wishes and plans.

If you think your local park needs a little more attention, let council know that you support more staff being employed to service those parks, if you think the local community centre is well run or needs a little attention let them know. If you are happy to pay more in parking meters tell them, or not. But you cannot complain later if you say nothing now. We paid out 33million for an entrance to Westfields, aka the mall, there is now a civic centre proposed for the Scott Street site, are you happy with council borrowing almost another 100M (82.9 to be clear) to build a civic centre?

On the Liverpool Listens site is a terrific map where you can click on the link and it will show you what is proposed in that location, whether it is a bus stop, road works, park embellishments what ever and you can see for yourself. This is a fabulous addition to the process and I strongly recommend you having a look. Liverpool Listens (click here)

You may need to register but it doesn’t’ take long and when you are finished there is a link to directly advise council of your views and opinion. No need for a lengthy document you can do it straight on line or you can prepare an emailed style of comment.

Here are the links:

click here for Draft Delivery and Operational document

click here for Liverpool Listens

I strongly recommend you have a say, I have some fine tuning of my suggestions to be done before I email it in, and will post it here on the submissions page.

We have almost 200,000 residents and last year I think the council only received 6 submissions, please don’t let this be the case again, these are your rates dollars and you need to be involved, you need to be heard and you can’t really complain if you sit on your hands now.

The only downside for me is I don’t get to read them, I do see the summary once submissions are received and ready for endorsement or denial by councillors.

Have a good weekend, I may see you at the Liverpool Animal Shelters open day tomorrow and please spend a few minutes (more if you have the time) and have your say.

Address your submissions to:

The Chief Executive Officer

Ms Kiersten Fishburn

Liverpool City Council

Locked Bag 7064

LIVERPOOL BC 1871

 

Delivered VIA EMAIL TO lcc@liverpool.nsw.gov.au

Reference: 2016/2702