Same sickness
ON Monday The Advertiser editorial posed some interesting questions about the upcoming council elections.
It highlighted the fact that the same old hats are still being thrown into the same old ring.
In short, out of all the people who have announced their intention to stand for election, so far only one name is new to the ballot paper. None are female and none are young. Understandably, the Addy is encouraging new blood.
“We are concerned . . . by the lack of new names nominating for council. And we are doubly concerned that not one woman has nominated yet . . . Where are the faces representing the city’s diverse cultural backgrounds? Where are the young faces?” Good questions. They force us to unpack the impact of the sackings and remind us that that there will be no prosecutions. They reinforce that none of the reports or investigations named the bullies, and they lead us to ask the broader question: what has to happen for Geelong to trust Geelong again?
Our community was witness to the real time decline. It was a car crash of toxicity.
We read about it, heard about it, many had personal experiences of it. Case studies were reported in these pages on a daily basis, but nobody was held to account.
A few months go by and the same people who were sacked are now applying for the job they were sacked from.
Some say they have unfinished business. But what does this say about action and consequence? Transparency? How does this promote trust in our system?
The problems in Geelong have always been rooted in personality, not policy. This is why sacked councillors should have been benched for this election.
The community needs a rest. We know some are guilty. Others are guilty of inaction. None were identified as the wrongdoers.
There were investigations, reports and sworn testimony. But no consequences beyond what now appears to be a temporary suspension of duty — and this is why there are no new faces. Who wants to jump into this swamp?
The system looks rigged.
Previous councils did very little to encourage healthy community debate. Council meetings began with councillors magically appearing from the back rooms. No public education, no inclusion in decision making, no youth council, no assistance at question time and no adherence to their own Code of Conduct. Not one councillor called for an investigation into the sudden and emotional resignation of our first directly-elected mayor, Keith Fagg. The culture of secrecy was identified in the reports. So what will be different this time around? What are the old faces going to do to ensure that there is no more of the same? Will they go on the record and express what they learned? Will they identify the culprits and suggest new ways of improving collaboration? Will they lead a community debrief? It is not a distraction to ask these questions.
The reasons for their removal were public and historic. It is important to acknowledge that real lives were damaged, careers imploded and (at the very least) some of the councillors watched this happen in silence.
To get new faces into local government our community has to trust the system is going to protect the new people.
Geelong is quick to judge. As a community we are hyper-sensitive to change and innovation. We want to be national leaders, but we don’t want anybody to think they’re better than anybody else. Despite all our best intentions, we still don’t quite celebrate difference or change.
New candidates must feel supported. New candidates must know that the local paper will give them a chance.
New candidates have the right to speak without the fear of personal attack. This is local government, it’s the not the White House. As a community we must demonstrate on social media that we are prepared to engage without getting personal.
When we can welcome new ideas, this is when new and diverse candidates will begin to appear.
After all this time and money there doesn’t appear to be a ripple of change. The State Government missed the chance to draw a line in the sand between the past and our future. Until it is clear that it is safe to jump into the deep end, who in their right mind is prepared to volunteer to go swimming with the old sharks? Ross Mueller is a freelance, writer and director.