Time to stand up and be counted

I would like to draw Bass Coast councillors and ratepayers’ attention to the following statement made by Mayor Michael Whelan and published in the Bass Coast Post under the by-line Knowledge Tap 2016.

BASS Coast Council’s draft natural environment sustainability strategy document has been around for a number of months marked “confidential”.  Why, you might ask, would such a draft be confidential?

Could you argue “commercial in confidence” or such other sensitive reason?

Having just read the strategy, I am even more puzzled. It pays lip service to a sustainable environment through a series of motherhood statements, but I am wondering what, if anything, it commits the council to doing. It certainly does not create a clear sense of council direction.

The council should also offer facilitators to visit groups to explain the potential implications of a strategy and to capture their views and aspirations for Bass Coast’s sustainable future.

This process should seek to establish a contact list of interested parties so issues can be communicated to them as they arise.

This sounds like a bureaucratic nightmare, and I can hear the groans of our local bureaucrats. But it begs the question as to where in Bass Coast does wisdom and experience lie?

I am sure council officers have their share but look at our community and you will see an array of exceptionally qualified and experienced people. Some are retired, some are still developing careers, and some are exceptional amateurs. We have a wealth of knowledge that is poorly tapped into, if at all.

By contrast, the natural environment sustainability strategy spent too much time as a confidential draft and would have benefited by stronger community and group input before this current round of consultation commenced.

It should be sent back to the drawing board. The process of considering the council’s objectives and measurable performance should be recommenced with a good deal more community consultation than has occurred to date.

The above comments were made by Mayor Michael Whelan prior to his election to council. I would like to see the mayor adhere to his views on transparency and community consultations which is not a strong point for Mayor Whelan having cancelled monthly Community Consultation meetings and refusing to read out questions at question time, plus not minuting these questions in the council monthly meetings.

The Bass Coast ratepayers deserve better from their elected representatives who need to stand up to our mayor. 

John Trigt, Surf Beach.