Council meeting 27.2.12

Well that comes under the ‘interesting’ event tag. A fairly quick meeting, consisting of an attempt at a censure motion, yelling locals, usual topics and new people to meet…

Last night councillors spent considerable time discussing an urgency motion regarding totally inappropriate comments made by one councillor on a website…as I’m sure there will be more on this I will not mention the name of the councillor… however a great deal of discussion went into how to word the complaint, etc, etc …and while having a coffee later I was taken back to a similar situation some time ago when Cllr Hadchiti was accused, proven inappropriate and censured for making inappropriate comments to another councillor… the outcome… having the whole thing not only heard by all councillors, taped for record keeping and witnessed by the gallery, considerable dollars spent on the investigation when the ruling was handed down, he simply chose to ignore, dispute and disregard the outcome.

So what can we expect to come from this.? What will happen here now the precedent is set?… could we expect the same, should we expect the same? For the record I was personally disgusted by the comments made on the website, but I was similarly disgusted by the comments of the previous situation as well… and totally unsatisfied with Cllr Hadchiti’s actions.

Then I thought, ahha the difference here is there will be a number of people who make a formal complaint… then I realised they did before also….so where do we stand?

I can only assume after an appropriate investigation and considerable time (& money)…we will be advised, however the question begs asking…would the previous censure have been acted upon differently if said councillor knew his actions would allow the next one (even more vilifying) to be dismissed similarly… as I said only time will tell… but this is not how our councils should operate and again we are to be embarrassed by poor behaviour and lack of professionalism by some of our councillors.  The true outcome of the embarrassment may not be known until counting time in September when we find out if our community accepts this behaviour OR treats it with the appropriate contempt.

AS for yelling locals, new people… as with most council meeting some residents will not achieve their goals and leave unhappy, while I get to meet new people and put names to faces, which I  must say is always a plus in my book.

Until next time…enjoy your week… come up and visit me at the clean up Australia Day Program on Sunday and where I can I’ll keep you posted on what’s happening about our city.

A big Thumbs up

 

This past weekend was the Councils Chemical and E-waste cleanup -I have to say I was thoroughly impressed with the set up, the manner in which the service was operated and the speed in which we were attended to… see this was my first time, I’ve supported these in the past but not as a contributor but this year was different. We are not a big waste family, things break down and for the most part we take stuff to YADA or dispose of carefully but this year we made a concerted effort to accumulate our waste and take advantage of the council’s service.

We had a small ice cream sized bucket of batteries, some old paint, a couple of broken appliances and decided to rock on up just prior to the end at 3.30pm on Saturday.

Firstly after what must have been a long day in the heat, all the attendants, and there were many, were polite, helpful and jocular…

We were directed through an elaborate maze of parking bays, and drop off points so the staff could unpack our goods and send us on our merry way. As I said we didn’t have a lot but we didn’t even have to get out of the car…actually that is preferred. While sitting there we saw almost a container full of old TV’s, crate loads of Gas bottles and tonnes and tonnes of electrical waste being packed ready for recycling. Much of which may have ended up on the kerbside if such events weren’t organised by council.

Well done I say, congrats to the organisers in council and to the State Dept who ably assists in the removal of the chemicals and safe removal of Heaven-know’s-what.

We made a conscious effort this year to collect our batteries, store our dysfunctional electrical equipment to ensure they were disposed of responsibly… so to council I say YAY, well done and I encourage you to do similarly, watch the local papers and do the right thing.

Relay for life 24 & 25th March 2012 (Video)

Ever wondered what Relay for life is all about…and why I bang on about it and encourage you to support us or join our team… have a look at this short video…about 8mins and then sign up and walk with us on the 24 & 25th March… each one of us, knows of someone with cancer, has lost someone or agrees this insidious disease needs beating… http://relay.cancercouncil.com.au/2012/liverpool_2012/The-Green-team

 every dollar counts, every participant counts and we need your support.

Do they think we’re dumb?

I was asked that question last night…do they think we’re dumb? a)Who is they and b)well I  don’t know…

Now let me explain,  Last night was the new combined Urban Forum, new starting time and a guest speaker. Sal Husain who spoke about growth in the CBD etc which was very interesting and another baptism of fire for him as these experienced residents asked lots of questions, all very interesting and informative in my opinion. I love that the forums provide a venue for residents to learn the workings and programs of the council and it is very often a two way exchange of ideas and history but I digress.

The fact: There were no councillors were in attendance last night, last week Cllr Harle attended and Cllr Hadid arrived for about the last hour to the rural forum… not that big deal really as attendance by councillors over the last 3+ years has been sporadic to nonexistent.  Although I’m aware councillors are struggling over the coming budget (Cllr Hadchiti is particularly concerned so much so  I wish he’d focus on the job and leave his petty  politics out) however Councillors on the whole do not attend forums, community events etc, be it a tree lighting or whatever. The Mayor does of course attend a great number of events when officiating however hasn’t attended any of the forums in the last 4+ years.

Cllr Harle does attend quite a few, Cllr Lucas a couple and the rest pretty much don’t attend at all… that is until election time… which is why I was asked if they thought we were stupid.

It seems once an election is coming close councillors tend to think community interaction is important, so much so there is a likelihood that the August forums will be cancelled in light of the upcoming election on the 8^th September…so do they think we are stupid, I can’t really say what our councillors think but I do know one thing, attendees do know who shows up and who doesn’t and the last minute be seen attempts will not go towards a vote.

Liverpudlians are a clever lot; they know the difference between genuine concern and involvement as opposed to ‘oops remember me I’m your councillor’ and  ‘look at me I’m a candidate’.  Thank goodness the community knows the difference.

Urban Forum

 A quick reminder that two forums (Eastern and Central) have been merged into one and will be held tonight at the Liverpool (Mill Road) Community Centre at 6.30pm. (yep earlier than in the past) 

I invite you to come along, share your hopes, thoughts and aspirations for our city along with other dedicated and community minded people. For these forums to continue we need to ensure that a good cross section of the community is represented and that we provide feedback to the council and they in turn share programs and ideas with us.

Tonight the council speaker is Sal Husain who is the recently appointed Manager of Economic Development and he will share some interesting information regarding his role in LCC. (No- I’m not psychic.. he was the speaker at Rural as well last week).

This forum is a great place to meet like minded residents, people who care about our city, from east to west and everything in between. I look forward to seeing you there.

Here’s a Question for you

There has been an endless barrage over many months against the Greens and the Federal Government with regards to the Carbon and Mining Taxes – true- so much so in Liverpool we devoted a community debate to it, again -true- so here’s the question, If those ‘taxes’ are going to be so incredibly bad for the community, why is the NSW Liberal Govt wanting to explore the options of MORE Mining? (I refer to this week’s hot topic of mining exploration by the NSW Govt across the state)

My guess is, when you take the politics away from the topic, and acknowledging mining is one of, if not our major exports…those involved in mining are making truck loads of profit and there is no doubt a list of people who want IN on the operation.  The mining giants were happy to argue the point, of course, they like making their enormous profits and want to retain as much as possible, but if all the doom and gloom and sky is falling rhetoric is true (which I clearly believe it isn’t) why would our Premier be exploring the opportunity of creating even more?

It saddens me deeply when we have two possible options 1) all the bluster about the Carbon/mining  taxes were purely political expedience motivated by vote grabbing and the good of the people wasn’t what it was all about at all, [surprise surprise] OR 2) Mr O’Farrell is selling us up the river and doesn’t care what the cost to the community is as long as we get to dig more big holes in the country side. This I consider doubtful as I don’t want to believe anyone in his position would actually aspire to doing that… heaven knows I hope I’m right here.

If the Carbon Tax and Mining resources Taxes are sooooo bad…why would we be looking to do more… and to our resident Cllr  Tweeter…perhaps July 1 really won’t be that bad after  all so no need to panic.

which one do you think is most likely?

I came across this poster on Face book and thought considering many of the posts I’ve done asking the question “when did we stop trusting and believing our scientists” that you might like this. Credit was given to and my thanks go to Derek Meek for sharing this with us, the Occupy Wall Street face book page for posting it and my daughter for finding it.

While I have you, it’s been a busy week of meetings and they’re not done yet I have two tonight. People often ask where I get the energy to attend as much as I do and I’ve worked out it is really quite simple, the people of Liverpool inspire me, they energise  me and remind me how important it is to work with fellow residents to make things happen. We are a force to be reckoned with when Passion and Dedication collide. 

Our first meeting for the Rural forum was as always good and productive, the work being done on the hall is great (as it should be for $247,000) and not yet finished…the need for sound work or mitigation is essential, this lovely big hall and sound bouncing off nearly ever surface makes it very difficult to actually hear the spoken word.

Tonight is the Community & Rec Panel meeting so anything you’d like me to share, just let me know and following that, time permitting I’ll be off to the Justices Meeting. Sadly a conflict of meetings prevented me attending the safety Audit being done in the 2168 area tonight but I look forward to hearing the outcome of that in due course.

Relay for Life Update

As you probably already know…. the Green team has registered again for this year’s Relay for Life weekend 24 & 25th March. We are keen to have a large group this year to share the walking, please consider registering now,   the $15 fee includes an  ever so stylish purple shirt and the pleasure of being part of a special caring group of individuals who put politics aside, raise money and have a very good time all in the name of a charity that does so much to support those afflicted with this insidious disease.

Raising money for research and support of local families is as simple as manning a table at Casula Mall or the Mega Centre Markets for an hour or so, or putting a coin box on your desk at work. As everyone is touched by cancer in some way at some time you need say very little, people simply walk up and donate, for some it may be just a few coins others a little more but it is very simple and the money is used in education programs, support or research locally.

So please click onto

 http://relay.cancercouncil.com.au/2012/liverpool_2012/The-Green-team 

If when the day comes you cannot come and walk with us, your $15 still goes to the cancer council, if you can come you can be part of our 3rd year of fun, chatting and mischief.

Consider joining us now…whether you vote, green, blue,  red or purple it doesn’t matter…because at the end of the day we all have lost, cared for or known someone with cancer and together we can fight it.

Please call me on 8777 5599 or email swesterberg@lso.com.au if you’d like to know more, schedule a time on the tables or would like to sponsor our team.

They’re Baaaccckkk

For those who may have missed them (as have I) forums (& Committees)  return next week, we’re down to two, one Rural and one Urban and there is a new starting time, so heads up and see you @6.30pm on Tuesday nights 2nd & 3rd of the month excluding January & December. Some of us fought to keep them running so come along, meet some new and not so new friends. Find out first hand what is happening in your community.

Involvement in the community is very rewarding and a little addictive.

A Better turn out

Following on from yesterdays post I attended the Biz-safe workshop held at the TAFE last evening, compared to the 4 attendees last time, a healthier 25 or so attended last night including 3 councillors. Most importantly the forum was set up to allow local business people to voice their concerns and have questions answered and they did. Mayor Waller began the conversation with a comment that resonates well with me, don’t believe everything you hear on the news or read in the paper. (Locals media exempted of course). If you were to believe the news we are a crime capital of the state, actually quite the opposite is true, and as she said in business often perception is truth, which is not good for business or the overall mood of a city. The police offered statistics and real, on the ground information as to criminal activities and offered advice on how to make your premises less desirable for theft and break ins. Members of the community spoke of individual instances and sought advice. All in all an interesting event and one I suggest you watch out for in the future as I believe the police and council are keen to keep these on the agenda, and in reality I believe the numbers will grow as more and more people involve themselves in the safety programs that will not only enhance and protect their business but also create a vibe that will encourage more and more clients into their businesses.

Thanks also to Liverpool TAFE who generously allowed the community to use a lecture room.