Listen to the people

NOW that the concept of the Voice has been decisively rejected and emphatically defeated by the people of Australia, can we ask the five Bass Coast councillors, namely those shown in Council minutes as Michael Whelan, Leticia Laing, Geoff Ellis, David Rooks and Clare Le Serve, to apologise to its ratepayers for failing in their council duties and wasting council time, in moving a motion, that clearly was a federal and not a local council issue “That Council support a constitutionally enshrined voice to parliament for First Nation people.” 

Obviously, the ratepayers of this shire were not consulted as shown by the resounding 60 per cent No to 40 per cent Yes vote in the whole Bass Coast Shire, and 65 per cent No to 35 per cent Yes in Westernport Ward. Effectively we have not been properly represented by these five councillors as required by Council regulations. As David Littleproud says “You do not represent the moral compass of this country. You should have stayed out of it and stuck to your knitting”.

I also so agree with the Sentinel Times comment 17/10/23: “Instead of wasting our time on grandstanding over The Voice the council needs to stay in its lane and get their own job done first. This disaster needs to signal a major change in the approach of this council to more collegiate government and effective, outcome-driven community consultation”.

Maybe Councillors should actually start listening to the people, rather than promote their own ideology which then appears to permeate council, and start looking after the real wants of the ratepayers. 

Now let’s see how many of you are big enough to admit that you were wrong … but I am not holding my breath.

Rob Parsons, The Gurdies

Editors Note: The ‘disaster’ does not refer to the Voice, but to the failure of the $35 million Special Charge Scheme.