GEELONG SHOULD REJECT PRESENCE OF MONITORS

I VISITED Geelong recently and was appalled to learn that after the return of the democratically elected City of Greater Geelong council, the State Government has installed so-called monitors to keep under surveillance the newly elected councillors.

This is intolerable and a sign of a Kremlin-style government intent on instilling fear and gagging the City of Greater Geelong.

The previous Geelong council was sacked for political expediency. Not one former councillor was found to have committed wrongdoing and the Office of Local Government publicly cleared the re-elected councillors, so exactly what, costing allegedly $300,000 a year, the monitors are monitoring is unclear.

In my opinion, the real political reason for appointing the monitors is to control the Geelong council and to covertly report back to the State Gov- ernment the discussions and workings of council and to keep the councillors in a state of fear for their positions lest they speak out against the State Government, particularly in an election year.

The mayor and the democratically elected councillors must, on behalf of the citizens of Greater Geelong, stand up to the State Government and call for the removal of the monitors.

Further, the council should send a message to dictatorial State Government, in the strongest possible terms, to the effect that the CoGG won’t be intimidated or lectured to and most certainly won’t be gagged.

Dr Srechko Kontelj, OAM