save our councils, sack the government
Now there's an Idea !
|
|
0 Comments
Click on the link below for the YouTube Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsctmS1BSDk&feature=em-hot-vrecs Some memorable quotes from the video are: - Minister Rob Stokes said there will be no forced amalgamations. 20 May 2015 Public Meeting Pittwater RSL - Pittwater residents unanimous in their voice for ‘No Change’. The tragedy of this whole amalgamation situation is it is set to result in the destruction of Pittwater and that’s the Pittwater that was created less than 25 years ago by pioneers who wanted to protect what we have always had here. The whole process has been based on deceit, a snowball of deceit, that just continues to gather more deceit as it rolls on. It started with the deceit of the Minister and Cabinet on No Forced Amalgamations for the platform for the prior elections. The deceit of Rob Stokes when he positioned this whole amalgamation process as an opportunity for minor boundary changes. The deceit of the council and the Mayor in commissioning a report on a Greater Pittwater model that had no input from the community what so ever. The relationship between the council (PIttwater) and residents groups has been totally dysfunctional and unlike other councils that we’ve seen we’ve had no support and no intervention in what is essentially a political process The deceit of Stokes, The Council and The Mayor in Stokes briefing on a Greater Pittwater concept immediately prior to the Public Meeting and telling the community representatives that the only position he could defend to Parliament was the Greater Pittwater concept. The whole process is about money and Local Government is about people. The deceit of council (Pittwater) when they organised at short notice 400 members of the community to come to the bay side reserve (Winnererremy Bay) and form a gigantic NO. Everone I spoke to that day and to whom I have spoken since all thought we were going there to support no amalgamation, no change to Pittwater, but the council used that as a platform for no single northern beaches council, but to support their greater Pittwater concept. Where will the deceit end? Greater Pittwater is the Great Conjob, no matter how they try and sugar coat it what is proposed and will be created will be North Warringah, it will have very little to do with the Pittwater as we know it today. The area of North Warringah will be 2 ¼ times of the Pittwater we know today. The geographic centre will be in the southern part of Ingleside, further south than our furtherest southern boundary at present. The population of this new council area will be 2 ½ times of that of our Pittwater today. North Warringah will only be 20% less than the total of Warringah prior to Pittwater breaking away. As was the case then what we know as Pittwater now will have such a minority representation in that council it will not be able to achieve anything that it wants for Pittwater because it will be outvoted by the interests further south. All the amalgamation arguments are based on deceit. All the arguments, which convinced a boundary commission to create Pittwater less than 25 years ago, still apply. 1 October 2015 a public protest rally was held outside the office of Member for Pittwater and Minister for Planning Rob Stokes MP protesting against the Baird Governments forced Council amalgamations.
VOICES of PITTWATER - community leaders speak out on amalgamation - Lynne Czinner, Frank Makin, Marcia Rackham, Mona Vale Residents Association, Kyle Hill, Peter Middleton, Gavin Butler, Newport Residents Association, Palm Beach & Whale Beach Association, Angus Gordon, Chris Hornsby, Warriewood Residents Association, David Murray, Phil Walker and many others.Some memorable quotes from the video are: -
The Government have provided no evidence of any of the major benefits of amalgamation The evidence that has been provided is so erroneous The KPMG report doesn’t even agree with itself Numbers just don’t add up, report is awash with errors 89% of Pittwater says no to any boundary changes Why has there been so much spin on this whole process The whole situation with the boundaries commission is a total sham So in other words it is a rigged process, you could say that, yes. The subtext is really about planning, its streamlining planning for developers. Local government can be reformed without forcing amalgamations in this incredibly undemocratic process, it’s a disgrace and it’s a disgrace for the Government parties, in this State. The council (Pittwater) has been no assistance in raising our political awareness in a process, which is totally undemocratic and has ignored the resident groups. The council (Pittwater) is supposed to represent us and our views, it is not doing that and has not helped. This council really hasn’t supported us during this period with NO amalgamation of Pittwater which then changed suddenly without anyone else’s approval except the councillors (for a Greater Pittwater model) and here we are in Peninsula Living today (Magazine) it says Warringah is extremely disappointed, Mosman says there is absolutely no upside, Manly is relieved SHORAC will stay intact and Pittwater says " it’s an exciting time, so this is from our Mayor and our Mayor further gets quoted, while Everyone else is nursing the bruises Pittwater Council is all smiles". Like the other council’s their first preference was to remain independent but Mayor Jacqueline Townsend was wearing the rose coloured glasses when Peninsula Living visited their Warriewood offices, "It is not a setback at all it is something we should all embrace and hopefully we will, Mayor Townsend gushes". That just about sums up the approach of this council. What ever happened to no forced amalgamation, we are self sufficient, why change it when it’s not broken. The Governments enquiry into the suitability of Pittwater proved that Pittwater didn’t need anything fixing and when they got that result they turned around and said we’ll change the rules so that we will have the result that we always wanted. A drone captured the unity and determination of some 300 + Pittwater community members on the shores of Winnererremy Bay, Mona Vale, who formed a human ‘NO' sending a clear message to Premier Mike Baird expressing their opposition to forced amalgamation for the northern beachesROB STOKES PROMISED - THERE WILL BE NO FORCED COUNCIL AMALGAMATIONS
|