Much ado was made about council’s “Counsellors in the Community” sessions conducted last month.
Council’s
Media Release announcing the program in
October quoted
Mayor Russell Fitzpatrick in describing the sessions as saying:
“The aim of the Councillors in the Community program is to enable members of the public to engage with councillors and senior staff in a relaxed and informal setting, about matters important to them.
The sessions always bring out creative thinking on the challenges we face as a Shire and this year in particular, we’re keen to have conversations about ideas for supporting and advancing the region in the wake of the summer bushfires and COVID-19.
We want to hear from as many people as possible, hence the roaming nature of the sessions and evening scheduling.
Councillors really look forward to these sessions. They’re a chance for us to engage on the topics that are important to residents and our focus is very much on working towards finding solutions for any concerns raised.”
While the association has no reason to doubt the sincerity of Cr Fitzpatrick’s claims, it would have been a whole lot more impressed if more councillors had taken the trouble to attend the six sessions & if senior staff were a lot less cynical about the exercise, only the third such public consultation process held in the past four years.
At one of the sessions, council’s know-it-all Director, Assets & Operations, Anthony McMahon, was heard to dismissively observe that the only people with a grievance bothered to attend them.
So what?
If some residents are concerned enough about some issues to take the opportunity of communicating those concerns directly to their elected representatives & council officials, surely they are doing precisely what Cr Fitzpatrick suggested they should.
Of course, the association believes that Mr McMahon’s attitude typifies that of council’s senior management, which is that it knows best about everything & that residents & the elected council should just accept that without question & let senior management get-on with doing whatever they like, regardless of how the community might feel about it.
The association believes that such sessions should be viewed as an opportunity for council to positively engage with the community & measure sentiments around key issues that are raised such as the proposed expansion of the Central Waste Facility in Wolumla, the construction of an Ocean Outfall Pipeline off Merimbula/Pambula beaches to pump treated sewerage a couple of kilometres off shore directly adjacent to an artificial reef built by the federal government to encourage marine life, to pump even more millions of dollars into the “black hole” known as Merimbula Airport, the availability & condition of sporting facilities, the quality of community streetscapes, council’s website & many more.
Smart organisations welcome complaints knowing that they contain excellent data that helps them recognise what they are doing well but, more importantly, what they need to do better.
Such feedback need to be taken seriously & such discussions should be approached with openness, curiosity & a willingness to listen & respond on the part of councillors & council’s senior management, rather than being met in a defensive manner & being seen by some councillors & council’s senior management as just a predictable waste of time.
Many in the community believe that such feedback sessions would produce more positive outcomes if council’s senior management stayed at home or even better, lived somewhere-else. They also believe that a great deal more could be achieved if the sessions were professionally facilitated.
While it is not clear what council plans to do with & about the feedback it has received from the community through the sessions, it has said that the discussions will be summarised & shared with participants.
The association can only wonder why the discussions couldn’t have been recorded & made available publicly on council’s website for everyone to hear, in particular as attendance was limited due to Covid2019 restrictions.
The association believes that genuine openness & transparency helps build public trust, confidence & mutual regard between the Shire’s communities, the elected council & council as a whole, while also promoting & encouraging civic engagement & support for the activities of council.
John Richardson
Secretary/Treasurer
Bega Valley Shire Residents & Ratepayers Association
Tel: 0264945669
Email: secretary@begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au
Website: http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au