It now must be clear to all Warrnambool City Council voters why councillors Jacinta Ermacora, Michael Neoh, Andrew Fawcett, John Harris and Rob Askew were so vehemently against the live streaming of council meetings.
We are now in election mode and all types of claims and promises are made.
Unfortunately for our citizens they have been unable to, through the use of live streaming, be fully aware and informed of the behaviour of our councillors and to hear and see for themselves precisely how issues have been debated and then voted on.
Citizens could have, in the comfort of their homes, followed any council decisions which may have been of interest to them.
Citizens would also now understand:
- Why we have no free green waste facility or a natural power generation or natural fertiliser from the green waste;
- Why their rates continue to escalate. Why businesses are charged for garbage collections without being provided with a service;
- Why council continues to appoint consultants;
- Why we have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars at McGennan’s and still have unsatisfactory views of the ocean;
- Why our disabled access to the beach is an unmitigated failure;
- Why they have not worked with the business community and fellow councillors to stop the decline in our CBD;
- Why the parking problem throughout our city and pedestrian safety has not been fixed;
- Why the harbour pavilion is such a disappointment; and
- Why the Allansford industrial land has still not been sold.
The list of failures and lost opportunities over the past four years is almost endless.
Cr Ermacora has been a councillor for eight years, Cr Neoh for seven years and Cr Harris and Cr Askew for four years.
If the citizens of our city were able to fully understand what has transpired over the past four years within our council I believe half the population would be standing for election just to remove councillors Ermacora, Neoh, Harris and Askew from office.
Self-regulated secrecy is the only thing saving these people from electoral annihilation.
If re-elected, one of the first items I will try and achieve is the live streaming and taping of council meetings so that the Warrnambool City Council will be an open and honest council with clear records and in four years councillors will be judged precisely on their performance, not spin.
Cr Peter Hulin, Ponting Drive, Warrnambool