When we cannot ask questions, we can be told lies

WELL actually, when there are secrets we can’t tell whether there are lies.

Recently, the ODT highlighted the frequent Dunedin City Council use of behindcloseddoors meetings.

Gavin Ellis, from Auckland University, told the ODT the effect of workshops was to reduce the level of public debate of issues which were of public interest, whether it was intended or not.

He went on to say that the increase (in such workshops by the DCC) should worry anybody who cared about accountability and open government.

Apparently, several of those on council are not worried. In fact one councillor wanted even more such meetings.

It is important that we know what council members are being told. When the meetings are secret, so is the information which participants are given.

It is quite possible, although clearly it would be inadvertent, that council staff or experts coming in to help discussions could provide information which is not correct.

Such information cannot be challenged since it cannot be shared with others and checked to see if the opinions or facts are correct.

If it is as Mayor Dave Cull says that councillors do not want to seem stupid for asking questions, then we should be worried that noone is likely to challenge information given so as not to seem stupid.

We are told that the point of these secret meetings is often to reach some sort of consensus before a formal vote is taken at an open meeting.

This can amount to close to a decision being made at a workshop, based on who knows what information, and with nothing in writing that we can look at even after the meeting.

And it may be that only a handful of councillors were at the workshop, and that the rest of them go along with the vote since they weren’t at the workshop so don’t feel able to challenge the proposal in the open meeting.

A particular area of concern in Dunedin comes around information about financial whoopsies in the case of our companies (Think Delta in Christchurch and the losses involved to our ratepayers).

We are never given background for financial choices and issues publicly. All we receive is the happy, happy, joy, joy annual reports showing our finances are fabulous and looked after perfectly.

We need to be able to ask questions about what is going on, in a venue where the answers can be properly discussed and challenged.

For example, if the DCC borrowing arm DCTL really thinks it can’t find a way to borrow cheaper money through the council collective on behalf of our companies, and the council collective believes we can, where is it that this debate can happen? And if DCTL are not in a position to assess risk, as they say, how do we let them look after our debt?

We hear there has been a possible theft of significance from the Chinese Garden. And that the DCC has known about it since before last Christmas. And that the audit and risk committee of the DCC and the Chinese Gardens Trust has been kept informed behind closed doors.

We would not expect to be given details about issues that are before the police and our court system. But why has it taken so long to hand the matter to the police? Where is it that we can ask why the police did not pick it up earlier, since it is for the DCC to report the loss and for any possible person involved to explain themselves to the police?

On occasion there are clear reasons why information cannot be shared early on, for example when staff investigations are happening.

However, in general, if there is more information to be shared than can be provided in a standard council meeting, an extra workshop which is open to members of the public is a proper answer.

Imagine if our Parliament tried to do away with select committees and the reports it receives, and ceased to have question time, so that the government of the day could just have caucus meetings and then come and vote. We would arguably no longer have a parliamentary democracy.

Let us in on the secrets, and the discussions being held, and we can ask questions if councillors don’t want to. Then we are less likely to think we are being fed rubbish and kept in the dark like good little mushrooms.

A