A long, but critical post.
An article in today’s Age features two paragraphs which could also apply to Glen Eira City Council where ‘political expediency’ or bureaucratic expediency, usurps the ‘public interest’ time and time again. The paragraphs read:
Redlich last month delivered the John Barry Memorial Lecture at Melbourne University. Titled simply: “Governing with Integrity”, the lecture provides a disturbing summary of what Redlich has observed from his vantage point atop Victoria’s peak anti-corruption agency. He laments the way power is concentrated in the premier’s office in Victoria and other jurisdictions and how the unregulated influence of political advisers is circumventing important safeguards.
These are not arcane concerns about bureaucratic conventions. They go to the heart of whether the Andrews government – or indeed any government – is there to serve us or themselves. As the eminent jurist told The Age earlier this year, once governments start bypassing processes that are intended to protect the public interest, once political expediency becomes the driver of government decisions, “we’re on a slippery slope” to the latter.
As we’ve said countless times, residents and councillors are basically superfluous to the running of local government in Glen Eira. At best, compliant councillors become the rubber stamp for bureaucrats, or at worst they are viewed as impediments to achieving the bureaucratic vision. Residents simply don’t count unless there is massive negative publicity. All of this can be illustrated with one single example – the refusal to publish the complete set of responses to the Housing Strategy and the subsequent reliance on the most tenuous and laughable excuses for this decision.
We ask that you listen carefully to the following exchange which occurred at Wednesday night’s council meeting between a resident, the CEO and the Mayor and contemplate what this signifies in the context of the above Age paragraphs.
COMMENT
- What kind of honesty do we have when the CEO can state –it isn’t our practice to release public submissions when this HAS BEEN a consistent practice until recently. A previous post listed examples (apart form Local Law, council plan submissions) where the complete set of responses were published and even included some Facebook comments. See: https://gleneira.blog/2022/10/18/will-the-bullshit-ever-stop-2/
- She also says our response….was certainly consistent with council’s policy in terms of community engagement. Council’s Community Engagement Strategy (page 25) lists as one of its objectives to improve the way we report the outcomes of community engagement back to the community. There has certainly been no ‘improvement’ over the past few years as outlined above. Also as part of the ‘priority actions’ we have this promise – Increase transparency about what the community feedback was, how it was considered and how it has influenced the decision. There is a mighty chasm in the feedback report on how feedback was considered, and the precise outcomes that were influenced by this feedback. Basically, if we accept the feedback report, residents have absolutely no idea why things were changed as a result of feedback, and why things remained the same. This does not equate with increased ‘transparency’and certainly does not come close to the following ‘outcome’ listed in the strategy – The community will be able to see how their feedback has or has not influenced Council’s decisions.
- McKenzie’s concern about identifying respondents is another lame excuse. The Have Your Say survey responses have ALWAYS BEEN and remain anonymous and published as responses with no names attached. Even published emails have had the writer’s name and email address redacted. This has not been a problem in the past. To suddenly turn it into a major concern is nothing more than a desperate scramble to hide the truth in our view.
- No previous Have Your say surveys included the notation that responses would be made public. To suddenly claim that anonymous responses would ‘breach confidentiality’ is simply unbelievable. Furthermore, in order to cover up, council is now committed to spend more ratepayers’ money on sending out letters to all respondents asking for their permission to publish. This argument belongs in the world of Monty Python and illustrates the extent this administration is willing to go to in order to protect themselves, and hide the truth.
- McKenzie also claims that council’s approach was ‘compliant with our policy’. No it wasn’t! Please refer to council’s ‘Transparency Policy’ for starters. (See:https://www.gleneira.vic.gov.au/media/7298/public-transparency-policy.pdf
MAGEE
- Magee’s pathetic intervention shows how little he knows of council’s own policies, or how unwilling he is to adhere to the policy if the situation gets a little uncomfortable for the powers that be. There is NO REQUIREMENT that the public participation component be restricted to simply the asking of a question. Council’s own ‘guidelines’ (https://www.gleneira.vic.gov.au/media/5986/public-participation-covid-guidelines.pdf) make it clear that residents are free to either ask a question or make a statement –
Public participation at Ordinary Council Meetings is subject to the discretion of the Chairperson, available if you wish to ask a question or make a statement relating to Council’s role, functions or business.
So what does all this mean? It is clear that council has much to hide. Otherwise why wouldn’t the complete set of responses be made available? What is in the responses that could possibly cast doubt on council’s decision making? What does this say about integrity, transparency, and basic down to earth honesty of this administration and its lackeys? And surely when something as important as the adoption of a housing strategy that will set the scene for the next 2 decades is up for decision, this MUST BE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST! And please remember, even councillors were denied access to the complete feedback for quite some time.
It is abundantly clear to us that the warnings given by Redlich in the Age article apply in spades to Glen Eira City council!
Glen Eira Debates 
November 5, 2022 at 12:46 PM
As the speaker, thanks GE Debates for posting. Yet another example that something is very very seriously wrong with ‘planning’ in Glen Eira.
November 5, 2022 at 3:28 PM
Warren, I want to thank you for every single word you said because you have summarised perfectly everything that is wrong in this council. I’ve done surveys and never see anything I or other friends have suggested come to fruition. Decisions on important planning issues are done and dusted well before residents get a look in. Transparency and accountability are non existent in Glen Eira. I strongly resent all the money that has and is being wasted on consultations that are anything but.
November 5, 2022 at 6:14 PM
Classic closing down of debate there, somehow a resident doesn’t have the ability to follow up the non-answer to their question?
2 things:
1) I think every time we send a submission to one of these sham consultations we should publish it elsewhere, if they won’t make the feedback public, we can.
2) I am still bewildered as to why our council is so intent on allowing high rise anywhere a developer wants to build it. Why are they so pro-high rise development? Most councils try and limit inappropriate development, our council encourages it, why?
November 6, 2022 at 2:03 PM
Good points. Would the owners here be willing to keep and compile any submissions they get?
November 6, 2022 at 4:22 PM
Yes, we would be willing to compile all sent responses. You can forward your views to this email = gedebates@gmail.com
November 6, 2022 at 9:10 AM
Personally, I had hoped that the departure of Newton would bring about complete cultural change in this council. Events have shown how nothing has changed. There have been some minor improvements – finally a watered down tree register – and that’s about it.
Cultural change comes from the top, from a ceo fully committed to those basic tenets of transparency and accountability. The reliance on weasel words, spin, and deflection, do not in any shape or form equate to these tenets.
November 6, 2022 at 11:16 AM
Magee oughta keep his trap shut. Then at least he couldn’t be accused of ignorance or lying.
November 6, 2022 at 8:28 PM
“low-level malfeasance” – “gray areas” – ha, Glen Eira planning have (MODERATORS: rest of sentence deleted)
November 6, 2022 at 10:59 PM
I listened to Mr. Greens words. Only a small part of the answers given were tolerable. Mixing crumbs of truth with loads of lies is a deceptive and low act. The rest was totally self-serving claptrap. Council has had years and years to get their act together on these matters and have expressly chosen not to so.
The ongoing abuse of almost all council run processes is an indictment on the old-lag councillors such as Magee. These long serving councillors have for what ever their reasoning is. Have failed in their core duty of keeping the bureaucrats honest to their own commitments.
Magee’s bully-like shutting down of Mr. Green at the end, shows what a outright stooge he is. Other Councils encourage debate in their chamber. Magee shuts down residents voices.