Question over censorship

Anonymous government spooks intercepting and censoring private communications between citizens and elected representatives is the type of behaviour you’d expect from totalitarian governments like those in China, Russia, or North Korea.

But alarmingly, this anti-democratic and un-Australian behaviour is occurring right now and right here at Bass Coast Shire Council.

The anonymous spooks are senior officers in the CEO’s administration. And they refuse to identify themselves.

Whether this behaviour is approved and condoned by the CEO… is yet to be determined.

We hope to find the answer this week by putting the following simple question to the May Council meeting: “Refusing to identify themselves, anonymous members of the CEO’s administration are now targeting BCRRA and selected community members, and are intercepting, censoring, and preventing email communications from being passed onto councillors. Does the CEO approve and condone this unacceptable behaviour?”

Only time will tell if council will provide an honest and straightforward response to this simple question.

And, in an ironic twist to Bass Coast Shire Council’s ongoing efforts to restrict and silence public questioning, the May council meeting might be one of the last meetings at which public questions will be permitted to be asked. In June, councillors will vote on removing the requirement for a public question time at council meetings.

The current Mayor is certainly no fan of public question time.

In March, he took the unprecedented action of stopping public questions being presented to the council meeting.

And just last week he told ABC radio of his view that questions being put to council meetings are a fantasy.

Bass Coast community members should expect better from the supposed leaders at council. It is after all the ratepayers of Bass Coast who must stump up for the hefty salaries paid to those at the top of the elected councillors, the CEO, and the senior officers in the administration team.

Kevin Griffin, Wonthaggi.

Editor: For clarity, Mayor Cr Michael Whelan was quoted by the ABC as saying: “The notion that it [question time] has to go through a council meeting is a fantasy really.”