Date: Wed, 6 Nov 2013 12:52:45 +1100
From: caulfieldpark@gmail.com
To:
Subject: Concert November 10th at Caulfield Park
Dear Friend of Caulfield Park,,
We are emailing you to remind you of the upcoming performance of the Glen Eira Band at the bandstand in the west end of Caulfield Park on this Sunday 10th November at 2 pm.
We have been told by the Glen Eira’s Director of Community Services that we may not put up posters advertising this public concert around the park as it breaks Council by-laws, and that if we did, they would be taken down immediately, and we could incur a penalty.
So we are asking you to help.
Please advise anyone you know who could be interested about the concert and please come along too!
We look forward to seeing you at the band stand this Sunday. Remember there is also free art for the children.
Regards,
Spike Cramphorn
Secretary
COMMENT
This is bureaucracy gone totally mad. We remind readers that:
- Council claims to be committed to engendering community spirit
- Council has granted Friends of Caulfield Park money to hold these events via their Community Grants program. So what does this say about council’s concern with the money it forks out? Is it really trying to assist community groups in order for this to be a success? Or is it basically attempting to sabotage one group’s endeavours? Whatever the thinking behind this, it is, to put it bluntly, – moronic and anti-community!
Glen Eira Debates 
November 6, 2013 at 5:06 PM
I wonder whether Council’s Director Community Services made his/her threats verbally or in writing. Madness anyway, and very unhelpful. Advertising just requires a Permit, and theoretically Council takes a “performance-based approach” in which it considers adverse consequences and potential detriment. It could even be deemed that if Council grants money to an event it authorises limited promotion of the same event. Somebody is responsible for sticking up signs in the Jersey Parade asphalt “park” promoting Council’s own musical events—did they get a Permit? The signs have not been torn down.
I’d argue that crudely shoving large metal plates on the ground in the heart of Carnegie and spray-painting on them “watch your step” to be worthy of Enforcement action. Or all the developers who advertise their multiunit monoliths with signs on footpaths, or erect hoardings that fall over in a breeze, or partially close roads without permit. It’s time for DCS to reread Council’s “guiding values” about being community-focused, responsive and inclusive. Actually its time to change the executive team, starting with the CEO, as they’re all tired and stale and no longer care.
November 6, 2013 at 5:17 PM
It would appear that this could be a situation where the Director of Community Services does not even know his own planning scheme. Technically at the very least, the Friends of Caulfield Park are entitled to put up one sign as a minimum! We quote from the Local Law, which at section 315 states: “Placing advertising sign/s or displaying any goods on a Road (including a footpath) or Council Land unless permitted under the Glen Eira Planning Scheme.
Penalty: 10 Penalty Units”
If people bother to go to the Planning Scheme, they should look up Section 52.05. Here are a couple of extracts from that document –
“A sign with an advertisement area not exceeding 5 square metres publicising a local educational, cultural, political, religious, social or recreational event not held for commercial purposes. Only one sign may be displayed on the land, it must not be an animated or internally-illuminated sign and it must not be displayed longer than 14 days after the event is held or 3 months, whichever is sooner. A sign publicising a local political event may include information about a candidate for an election
A sign publicising a special event on the land or in the building on which it is displayed,provided no more than 8 signs are displayed in a calendar year and the total number of days the signs are displayed does not exceed 28 in that calendar year. The sign must be removed when the event is finished.”
Sheer bloody mindedness would appear to be the only feasible conclusion people may draw from this episode.
November 6, 2013 at 5:48 PM
So much for the claim of “reasonable laws, reasonably enforced”. This is nothing but heavy handed, standover, bullying (yes, bullying) tactics to prevent a small volunteer group promoting a series of free concerts of local artists from performing for their community.
Glen Eira’s Director of Community Services should be censured for this decision and sent out for remedial training. Part of that training should be reading the 2012 Community Plan which includes among it’s many claims of fostering a “sense of community”
. Council’s Mission Statement promises that they will “foster a strong sense of community and inclusiveness for people of all ages, abilities, cultures and backgrounds”.
. And that Council recognises that local community groups in Glen Eira provide “social, recreational and cultural opportunities for the local community” and that “these organisations play a vital role to help to build community spirit and social connectedness”.
Tonight’s Council meeting needs to overturn the decision.
November 6, 2013 at 6:39 PM
Very well said. Exceptions to the rules are only made for the sons of councillors when they decide to play frisbee. Otherwise the letter of the law is distorted to such an extent by crazy, overpaid non-entities that we might as well be living in China.
No logic on earth can justify this. First they give money to a group to encourage residents to come along and then stop them advertising it. The Glen Eira News should have been plastered with ads for these events if council was fair dinkum and the ads should have been for free. The whole grant system is bogus anyway since most of it goes to the hire of facilities. It looks good on the books but basically it’s fiddling the figures and doesn’t cost council a cent.
November 6, 2013 at 6:00 PM
Last year Council got a lot of negative publicity for charging a fee of $300 for a residents wishing to hold street Christmas Parties (http://www.news.com.au/national/glen-eira-council-dubbed-a-christmas-grinch-for-charging-residents-to-have-festive-street-parties/story-e6frfkp9-1226524459786).
Going to be interesting to see the negative publicity that will arise from this decision.
Shame Council Shame