Clarity missing
THERE are only four months to go until City of Greater Geelong residents are given the opportunity to once again elect their councillors — but not a mayor or deputy mayor.
Already four “old boys” have put their hands up. Well, really three “old boys” and one “new boy” because Peter Murrihy won a byelection in October 2015 and was sacked only six months later along with all his longer-serving counterparts.
Mr Murrihy deserves a second chance because he was elected well after allegations of bullying by councillors and officers surfaced.
One prospective “new” councillor has signified his intention to stand, George Ballas, who has a long history of community service in our region, through the Geelong Ethnic Communities Council, the Greek community and Pako Festa.
He has been awarded an OAM for his community service.
Additionally, a pre-amalgamation City of Geelong councillor and former deputy mayor, Dr Michael King, managing director of Kings Australia funeral services, announced on Friday he would also stand.
A former chair of Barwon Water, Dr King also has a long history of community service.
It is important we do get new blood on our council but, realistically, we also need some old heads with experience of how council bureaucrats operate.
In addition to Mr Murrihy, the three other “sacked” councillors to announce they
will stand again are Ron Nelson, Tony Ansett and John Irvine. Only two of the former council — flamboyant former mayor Darryn Lyons and Kylie Fisher — have stated they will not stand. I think it is important residents are told who the councillor bullies were who contributed to the dysfunction that caused the State Government to step in and sack our elected council. Do we really want them back? It is not right only one person’s reputation has been tarnished in relation to bullying accusations in the State Government-appointed Commission of Inquiry report: Darryn Lyons, who has denied the allegations. Why name only him? The report spoke of “a deepseated culture of bullying” within both the council and the administration. Shouldn’t all the bullies be named and shamed? Bullying and intimidation by councillors and officers was prevalent long before Mr Lyons was elected mayor. Perhaps the CoGG CEO, Kelvin Spiller, can also tell us which officers abused their positions of power, or if that is not possible whether any were sacked or what penalties were imposed? The fact that only Cr Lyons was referenced in the report gives weight to accusations the State Government is playing party politics with this issue. And, are the controversial new ward boundaries an attempt to saddle Geelong with a pro-Labor council?
It is also a shame that the Andrews Government has decided (and I know it claims it is heeding the findings of the Citizens’ Jury) to deny residents the right to elect their own mayor.
Yes, the system implemented by the previous Coalition State Government was flawed, but this could have been rectified by adopting what has been termed “the Melbourne model” with both a mayor and deputy standing for election.
Most other states now have, or are gradually implementing systems involving directly-elected mayors and, in general, both major political parties seem to support the concept.
In the parliamentary debate back in 2011, then Labor Opposition Local Government spokesman, Richard Wynne, said he did not oppose change, but expressed concerns that the model for Geelong had not been fully thought through or explained by the Coalition Government.
Mr Wynne said that, unlike the Melbourne system, there was no deputy and that the proposed Geelong mayor would find he/she was potentially pushing a lone barrow in debates and issues. He was proved correct. Surely the Victorian Labor Government should move down the path suggested by Mr Wynne and improve rather than abolish this expansion of local democracy in Geelong.
The Coalition obviously did not think the matter through when it introduced the directly-elected mayoral system, but Labor is now making an even bigger mistake.