It seems that Glen Eira Council is very, very, selective in the submissions they actually include in the minutes of their meetings. Apart from those legislated under Section 223 of the Local Government Act, and a Council resolution which also demanded the publication in full of submissions on budgets and council plans, the publication of residents’ points of view remains adhoc, and very selective. This is nowhere more obvious than in the last council meeting. On important issues such as planning scheme review we, the public, don’t even get a summary of the 30 odd submissions. On the bicycle strategy, again, no publication. But hey! There they are, all the ones on the toilet strategy!

Even here however, the spin, deception, and deliberate obfuscation is evident. We cite the following example. Council ‘summarised’ the submission from the Box Cottage lessees as follows –

Submissions Comments Council Response
1 Lessee Why is there no toilet at Box cottage, Joyce Park? Is is possible to install one on site or closer to the property?

 

 

 The Joyce Park Masterplan provides for a single Exeloo toilet located within 150m of Box Cottage. • There are no sewerage facilities at the Box Cottage end of Joyce Park. 

• Given the proximity to the existing Exeloo another facility is not warranted.

 

 

What these good people actually wrote is cited below. Readers should note Council’s summary and response to these paragraphs. Unless you actually bother and go to the source, then a totally different picture emerges. This is spin designed to mislead and ignore the submission. It also makes us wonder at the intelligence of whoever decided to include the actual submissions so that cross checking might occur!!!!!

 ‘Until the latter half of 2008 there was a block of public toilets both Ladies and Gents located approximately 40 meters, making it an 80 metres return trip to the toilet from ‘Box Cottage’. Whilst these toilets were certainly a ‘walk’ away from ‘Box Cottage’ Museum they were still reasonably conveniently located for the Box Cottage Museum visitors, the volunteers staffing the museum, as well as the public using the seating or rotunda sited at the Jasper Road end of Joyce Park.

In 2008 the new public toilet was installed in totally different area, toward the northern end of the park, some 150 metres, making it a 300 metres return trip to the toilet, from the ‘Box Cottage Museum. This considerable distance has become an issue, especially in very hot, rainy, or cold weather.

It is a fact that organised community groups who might choose to visit the museum are generally comprised of retired older adults, and ‘to put it simply’ they expect a toilet to be located on-site, or close to ‘Box Cottage’ museum, rather than the substantial 300 metres trip there and back to a toilet. For example: recently the Probus Club of Noble Park (once again, older adults), enquired about bringing a busload of their members to visit the ‘Box Cottage’ Museum. This group cancelled when the organiser realised the museum did not have a toilet close by.”

 What all of this reveals is: 

  1. The absolute necessity for all submissions on all issues to be published so that the public may make up its own mind as to the validity of the argument/issue raised and the appropriateness of Council’s response and action(s).
  2. The need for Councillors, who have supposedly read all submissions, to ensure that the so called summaries are accurate and fully convey the intention of the author.  

Finally, the Box Cottage toilet fiasco is again indicative of a council which simply ignores the basics – ie. To have first and foremost consulted with the occupiers of the facility and its users, before ripping up a toilet, and probably plumbing (at god knows what cost!) and replacing it with another that does not serve its clientele well.