Dear Mayor and Councillors,
April and May are my favourite time of year. Not only because of autumn colours but also because of two special community events: ANZAC Day and the Celtic festival. It was these events in particular that gave me the true feeling of being a part of the community and it was that sense of community that ultimately led to my desire to become an Australian citizen.
Though circumstances have meant that I am temporarily away from my community, I find it very fortuitous that I was home during the community consultation period for Council’s proposed Special Rates Variation (SRV). Since I will be unable to address Council at the public forum before Council votes on the SRV, I wanted to take what opportunity I could to make that public submission.
The reason why I originally ran for Council was because I wanted to serve my community. I hope that was your reason for running too. As a servant of the community, your concern must be broad and your wisdom must be fathomless.
Unfortunately, all I have witnessed over the past month has shown me that Council is only concerned with its own bottom line and its unrealised greatness regarding the things it could do … if only. It is incumbent upon local government to be fiscally responsible and sustainable. And it is a noble desire to want prosperity for the people of Glen Innes Severn LGA. Unfortunately for us, personal prosperity doesn’t appear to be what Council envisions. The reason I say this is not because of anything lacking in the Community Strategic Plan. It is probably a perfectly good document showing a snapshot of community needs, desires, and goals; you have condensed it down to “growth and prosperity”. What I fear, though, is that Council thinks being “financially
sustainable” and “growth and prosperity” can be achieved the same way: with more money in Council’s bank account.
Financial sustainability for anyone is dependent on balance; i.e., just “enough”. It is how Council plans (or not, I haven’t actually seen any plans) to achieve “prosperity” where we hit the sticking point. What does a prosperous community look like? As far as I can see, things like geo-tourism trails; escape rooms and other tidbits of tourism entertainment; roundabout “art” and other beautification initiatives might be nice; but let’s be honest: it doesn’t do much for the people who actually live here. Those kinds of things are icing on the cake; what the community needs is something much more substantial.
I know local government is at the mercy of state and federal funding. And it really is shameful that state and federal grants are limited in how they can be used. It seems to have become a little like “bread-and-circuses” funding; it distracts the people from seeing the decay that is really happening in the background. But small communities, especially those that are somewhat removed from the greater centres offering important services (like health and transport) can’t really afford the bread and circuses, even when the money is being offered. And for a Council to increase rates in order to fund their own bread and circus projects is an egregious imposition on those communities.
I have seen nothing in these draft plans that makes me think otherwise than that this is the future our current group of councillors (bar a few) are wanting to create. The surface will look good; the underbelly will be rotten.
But what really upsets me is that there seems to be little concern regarding the very real harm to the prosperity of the individuals who are being called upon to fund the bread and circuses. What of their financial sustainability? What of their ability to pay their bills? Whenever this question has been asked – and it has been asked repeatedly – the only answer anyone gives them is a shrug, or worse, they get told about the Hardship Policy. What this tells me about our Council is that they don’t care about individuals. Council’s focus is on Council’s financial “sustainability”, and Council’s “growth and prosperity”. They have forgotten that the community is made up of individuals.
Councillors will be making a decision that affects – personally – the prosperity of every person in the community, but their choice may not necessarily deliver on providing for the real needs of that community. Whatever scenario they choose, Council will have cash for their balance sheets and we will be paying for “strategies”, “plans”, and “case studies”; on the path to more bread and circuses, but nothing that will truly serve the people. Our needs are simple and tangible. Make it easier to live and move in Glen Innes, in Emmaville, in Deepwater, in the hamlets. Make it easier to create, build, and run our businesses. Make it easier to build homes. Make it easier for us to invest in our community. Make it easier for us, as individuals and families, to grow and prosper. Give us opportunities, not superfluous building projects. Buildings, no matter their purpose, give us none of those things; and I doubt your “Growth and Prosperity” scenarios will either.
Respectfully,
Lara Gresham
