This post is meant to be illustrative. That is, for residents to realise that the Glen Eira way of doing things is no longer valid, nor effective. By way of illustration we invite residents to compare the following two approaches on consultation for councils’ community plans.
Bayside has created a committee consisting of 13 community members and a blogsite which is open to all. Minutes of their meetings, and rationale, are online at http://planforbayside.wordpress.com/
In stark contrast have a look at the Glen Eira response to public submissions and the ‘we can’t do anything’ mentality that is contained in the document – http://www.gleneira.vic.gov.au/Files/Consultation_response.pdf
The difference is obvious. Isn’t it about time that councillors stood up on their hind legs and demanded that for once this council actually gets off its backside and really listens to what the community thinks and wants?
Glen Eira Debates 
August 11, 2010 at 8:52 AM
The agenda items are another example of this. submissions on toilet strategy are printed, but not those on the planning report. I would have thought that the latter was far more important. As a result I can only assume that the feedback was so negative that it would have been embarrasing for these submissions to see the light of day. A few negative comments about exeloos can be let through. In the great scheme of things, they are after all, insignificant – even though each one costs the earth. But planning – hey! That would really stir up a can of worms and horror, horror, residents may actually have some good points to make. We can’t have that, can we?