TWEED ROT CONTINUES
WINSTON Churchill said democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others that have been tried.
This is true. It is the best system we have, but there are troubling flaws in that system as it applies to local government in NSW. Take for example the Tweed Shire where just seven councillors – and not the voters – elected a mayor late yesterday from the same old tired line-up to sit at the helm of the council for the next two years.
No matter what the outcome of the vote was, the shire is on a hiding to nothing. As it turned out, the incumbent, Cr Katie Milne, was reinstalled as mayor and now enters her third consecutive term in that position.
But even if the Labor-Green bloc had not worked on the day and veteran Nationals councillor Warren Polglase had won the vote, little would have changed to overturn the dogged refusal of a slim majority on that council to remove the blinkers and smooth the way for some sensible decision-making.
The story so far with this council is a sorry one. With Cr Milne leading the charge, it has opposed construction of a $534 million, state-of-the-art hospital on the NSW Government’s preferred site. It is now even suggesting the Cudgen project will somehow spread disease because of the disgracefully low immunisation rates in the nearby community. Are they serious? Tiny councils like Yass have looked on aghast, saying they would give their right arm for such a government gift when they struggle to have even a single doctor on duty of a weekend.
Cr Milne has decided she wants to review a decision to raise the dam wall to droughtproof the Tweed. She and her mates have jeopardised shire projects by wanting to ban any contractors linked to the Adani mine project in Queensland.
They have opposed a much-needed instrument landing system at Gold Coast Airport. Their anti-development stance has contributed to a big shortfall in the delivery of thousands of new homes to meet Tweed demand, and this has hurt provision of public housing. They tried to stop filming at Hastings Point of a scene for the Aquaman movie. Then there was the I’m A Celebrity debacle – enough said.
Some observers will suggest that the people of the Tweed have voted the councillors in and the council makeup therefore reflects the views of the shire.
It is true the councillors were installed as part of the democratic process.
But consider this:
Tweed councillors are paid $19,790 and the mayor receives $62,960 a year not only to make decisions on roads, rates and rubbish, but also to run what is in effect a massive business. And therein lies a big problem. North of the border, Gold Coast councillors earn a basic $147,881 and the mayor receives $247,802 in full-time roles.
By paying a minimum in the Tweed, the shire’s best people are not putting themselves forward for office. If they did step forward, Tweed residents might be spared another two years of misery over gobsmacking decisions and stick-in-themud attitudes that have been the hallmark of a sorry administration. Tweed deserves better. It is time the NSW Government recognised the adage about paying peanuts.