Bega Valley Shire Residents and Ratepayers Association Inc | Community organisation

Bega Valley Shire Residents and Ratepayers Association Inc

Phone: 02 64945669

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24.01.2022 on phony regulation The association believes that Australia is one of the most regulated countries in the world, with many of the established regulatory regimes at all levels of government intended to protect consumers & public safety. But not so when it comes to Telecommunications.... Last week, the Physicians’ Health Initiative for Radiation & Environment (PHiRE) & the British Society for Ecological Medicine issued a Press Release to make clear the concerns of medical experts & practitioners from around the world about the negative health effects of escalating Non-Ionising Radiation (NIR) exposure. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/on-phony-regula

24.01.2022 howling at the moon In the view of the association, the reason that the Roundtable will make little difference to our future was best summed-up by the Executive Chairman of Bega Cheese, Barry Irvin, who reminded all those in attendance that the challenges confronting the Bega Valley existed long before the recent bushfires & Covid2019 pandemic came-along. While the ideas ventured by members of the association may not appeal to everyone, the fact is that our community will o...nly succeed in building a successful future if those anointed as its leaders are serious about consulting the community about that future & listening to their suggestions & ideas as to how best to make it happen. Otherwise we will all just continue to howl at the Moon. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/howling-at-the-

23.01.2022 fractured fairy tales The association is a resolute supporter of equal opportunity. At the same time, the association believes that to achieve the best possible outcomes for residents & ratepayers through local government, our communities should encourage the most capable candidates to seek election as councillors.... In what the association believes to be one of the worst decisions taken by the current NSW Government, the Minister for Local Government, Shelley Hancock, & the Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth & Women, Bronnie Taylor, last week issued a joint Media Release announcing a $100,000 publicly funded campaign to encourage more women to stand for election as councillors at the next Local Government Elections in September, 2021. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/fractured-fairy

22.01.2022 just more dysfunction At the commencement of last week’s ordinary meeting, Cr Bain unsuccessfully attempted to raise an item of Urgent Business relating to council’s Long Term Financial Plan (LTFP), Operational Plan & Budget 2021, in particular her stated concern that councillors had been made aware of errors in the LTFP by a member of the community, Mr Lucas Scarpin, at the Public Forum held two hours earlier. While the association shares Cr Bain’s concerns about the impor...tance of timely communications, it is also concerned about the accuracy of what is communicated, particularly after being publicly attacked by councillors for sharing information from council’s approved & published Annual Report which, as it turned-out, was wrong. The facts of the matter are that Mr Scarpin did not advise councillors that there were errors contained in the LTFP during his address to the Public Forum earlier that day. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/just-more-dysfu

21.01.2022 jewel in the crown So, a little more than four years after council resolved to sell prized Main Street, Merimbula land to facilitate the development of a supermarket, Aldi has confirmed that construction is about to commence, with the $7.6M facility scheduled to be opened by the end of 2021. It has been said that the Aldi supermarket will be the final jewel in the crown for Supermarket City which, along with the adjacent Woolworths, dominates the rest of Merimbula from th...eir high point vantage. Council would doubtless argue that it has done lots to help Merimbula, using ratepayers’ funds to facilitate the development of the major supermarkets in Main Street, while only succeeding in splitting the town, further damaging local businesses in the process & leaving what’s left in Market Street to cling-on in the faint hope they will somehow survive. Read more www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au//Bega-Valley-Shire-Re

21.01.2022 on White Elephants The association believes that constructing White Elephants takes a particular talent: a capacity to ignore facts, a blind philosophical commitment to the belief that if you build it, they’ll come, a willingness to deceive the public & to pursue projects without public consultation, unfettered access to the pockets & wallets of the unsuspecting public & a total lack of accountability for the outcome. The association also believes that the expansion of Me...rimbula Airport is a classic example of such a project that has been in the making for more than a decade. The airport expansion project cost, originally approved by council as $7.62M, with ratepayers expected to fund $1.2M of that, has now blown out by $4.83M to $12.45M with ratepayers being expected to meet $6.0M of that, plus any further overruns, such as the cost of the baggage handling & terminal security screening equipment still to be installed at the terminal. Given the major disruptive impact of the Covid 2019 pandemic & the recent concern voiced over the state of council’s finances, there are those in our community who are wondering why the balance of the airport expansion project has not been put on hold. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/on-white-elepha

20.01.2022 down the rabbit hole With the advent of the Covid2019 pandemic, the state government authorised the introduction of virtual council meetings in an effort to minimise the spread of the virus amongst councillors, officials & members of the public attending council meetings. In announcing an extension of the arrangements to March, 2021, Ms Hancock also stated that one of its aims was to help increase the diversity of people who run for local council & to attract more women. ... The association believes that the justification offered by Ms Hancock for the changes are superficial & simply do not stand up to scrutiny. To suggest that community members, in particular women, would find it easier to abandon their family & carer responsibilities if they could attend meetings electronically is fanciful & indeed offensive. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/down-the-rabbit

18.01.2022 on misinformation On October 30th, 2019, in response to a Motion moved by the current Mayor, Cr Russell Fitzpatrick, council resolved to allow council’s general manager to exercise her discretion as to if & when council would respond to inquiries from the association. While the association believes that council’s action was actually prompted by its embarrassment at having approved the publication of incorrect information in its 2017-2018 Annual Report, it also believes that... council’s management has subsequently made every effort to delay responding to its legitimate inquiries, which is clearly at odds with council’s stated policy of supporting openness & transparency in respect of council activities. So, what’s changed? Read more www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au//Bega-Valley-Shire-Re

18.01.2022 on productivity LSI Consultants, productivity specialists who have analysed the performance of 128 NSW Councils based on their own adopted & published Financial Statements, last week issued a damning assessment of council, stating that its performance has declined significantly over the past four years to 2019. According to LSI, council’s performance is a mark of its failure to contain its expenditure relative to its income & is deteriorating. ... The association believes that unless strong action is taken to hold council management & the elected council accountable for their performance, rates will keep rising at more than double the inflation rate, just as they have over the past decade, with residential council rates currently averaging about $1050 in NSW, significantly less than the Bega Valley. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/on-productivity

17.01.2022 road to recovery In its devastating assessment of the impact of bushfires & the Covid19 pandemic on the Bega Valley Shire economy, this week’s ID Report reportedly forecast a fall in Gross Regional Product (GRP) of $52M or 13.9% for the June Quarter, 2020, compared to the previous year, rendering it the 6th worst impacted of the 95 regional Local Government Areas (LGAs) in NSW. According to ID, the shire’s capacity to pursue economic recovery is hindered by the fact that th...ere has been zero growth in the local economy, including jobs, in the three years to December, 2019. Coupled with a low rate of building approvals in the same period & a high reliance on impacted industries, such as tourism, & a high level of part-time work, the risk to the shire’s economic recovery is even greater. Given our shire’s comparative economic standing with the rest of NSW, the association believes that the state & federal governments should be making a major practical investment in the shire by committing to the relocation of government agencies to the area. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/road-to-recover

17.01.2022 on openness & transparency Commenting in response to his election as Mayor of the Bega valley Shire, Cr Russell Fitzpatrick made it clear that the number one priority of council during his term would be to address the council’s financial situation, including resolving questions around the historic management of council’s cash reserves. The association welcomes Cr Fitzpatrick’s commitment, in particular as it has long campaigned for action by the elected council to rectify t...he ongoing failure by council management to properly manage the shire’s finances. While the association believes that Cr Fitzpatrick is genuinely committed to improving council’s performance, it also believes that he & his colleagues will need to do a whole lot more than simply mouth such claims, given the longstanding refusal of council management to accept accountability for its consistent under-performance. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/on-openness---t

16.01.2022 follow the money The association believes that the residents of Kiah & Wandella must be delighted by the reported announcement by the Member for Bega, Andrew Constance, that the State Government will allocate $3M from the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund for the rebuilding of three Community Halls destroyed in NSW in the recent bushfires, including the Community Halls at Kiah & Wandella. While some in our community might be comfortable with the notion that taxpayers mo...re broadly should be comfortable with the idea that they should directly fund the full replacement cost of the community halls, regardless of any indirect financial benefit that might be pocketed by council, others might be offended that taxpayers are being asked to fund what appears to be no more than a cash gift to help-out an incompetent council. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/follow-the-mone

16.01.2022 on cover-ups Word has it that the Member for Bega, Andrew Constance, the Minister for Local Government, Shelley Hancock, & the Office of Local Government (OLG) are reluctant to support a review of council’s finances for the period 2018-2019, made by the council itself at its Extraordinary General Meeting on July 13th, 2020. The association believes that in the absence of any information to the contrary, the OLG has no alternative but to intervene & conduct a full & transpar...ent review of council’s financial activities from 2017 to-date. The association also believes that if the OLG does not initiate that review, it will have failed the residents & ratepayers of the Bega Valley & will not be deserving of their ongoing confidence. The association also believes that unless confidence in council’s financial management is restored, there may be a reluctance on the part of some quality candidates to contest next year’s council elections. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/on-cover-ups.ht

16.01.2022 a matter of capability According to Facebook, Cr Russell - Rusty - Fitzpatrick enjoyed a Birthday last Saturday. Whether one of life’s little anniversaries will tempt the Deputy Mayor to chance his luck & pursue the top job at council at this week’s Mayoral Election remains to be seen. The association believes that if the former bank clerk, publican & member of everything is willing to pursue the role of Mayor, the performance of council is bound to improve in the short t...erm under his leadership. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/a-matter-of-cap See more

15.01.2022 on open minds Former Deputy Mayor, Labor Party apparatchik & intellectual giant, Cr Liz Seckold was a vocal supporter of a motion moved by fellow councillor, Cathy Griff, at an ordinary meeting of council last month, calling-on the federal government to formulate & fund a policy to support regional media & restore $783M in funding allegedly cut from the ABC since 1996. Speaking in favour of the motion, the campion of open minds & independent thinking boasted: ... I’m speaking as a very biased, very biased listener. I listened to the BBC for many years & now I listen to the ABC. I have never, ever, listened to anything commercial. I don’t like being told what will make me happy in life by advertising at me all the time. That is a very important point to me as an individual listener, but also I realised just how very important they are to a local, particularly regional area. That’s all. Says it all really. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/on-open-minds.h

14.01.2022 2021 Council Election In keeping with its Purpose, the association is determined to play an active part in the next Council election, by publicly endorsing & supporting candidates that it believes will strengthen & enhance the standards & quality of local government in the Bega Valley Shire. To be very clear to everyone, the association does not aspire to be a political party, so the candidates that we might choose to support will not be representing the association, but ra...ther the residents/ratepayers who elect them. Having said that, the association is committed to improving the performance of Local Government, in particular with a view to ensuring that the best interests of residents & ratepayers are at the forefront of all council decisions; that best practice standards are pursued in the delivery of all council services & that such services are delivered in the most efficient & cost-effective manner possible. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/2021-council-el

14.01.2022 on public trust In response to representations by the association, council has issued a Public Statement correcting an earlier news report broadcast by ABC South East radio regarding council’s alleged surplus in 2019/2020. The Statement makes it clear that the reference to an $85M surplus was incorrect & that the $85M was in fact the total of council’s Reserve Funds held as at June 30th, 2020.... The association believes that public trust & confidence in council is a function of its openness & transparency, in particular through the publication of timely & accurate information, & appreciates Cr Fitzpatrick taking prompt action to publicly correct the earlier misreporting. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/on-public-trust

13.01.2022 from Fantasy Land The last minute funding hiccup with the universally popular $1M Merimbula Basketball Courts Upgrade Project took centre stage at this week’s council meeting with councillors agreeing to put the hard word on the Member for Bega, Andrew Constance, to find the $200K shortfall in funding. While council officers appear content to suggest the possibility of cutting back or deferring other community projects to find the required $200K in funding, it apparently ...didn’t occur to them, or the councillors, to ask the general manager to find $200K in savings from the council’s almost $50M in operating expenses, including more than $37M in remuneration costs. It seems that the majority of councillors remain in denial as far as acknowledging & accepting that council cannot continue to operate with a cargo-cult mentality, expecting to be able to endlessly spend more than it earns on the one hand, while only ever expecting the consequences to be borne by residents & ratepayers, but never by council bureaucrats. Read more www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au//Bega-Valley-Shire-Re

13.01.2022 just another moment in time According to the Merimbula News Weekly (MNW), Cr Sharon Tapscott believes that the failure of the federal government to afford direct representation of local government in the National Cabinet is an absolute travesty. Cr Tapscott is reported to have claimed that there should be at least one of the local government national executives on the cabinet, or at least there as an advisor. The association believes that in expressing those views, Cr T...apscott demonstrates that she simply doesn’t appear to understand the role of the National Cabinet, any better than she & most of her colleagues appear to understand council’s finances. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/just-another-mo See more

13.01.2022 chaos reigns One of the great challenges faced by the association is obtaining relevant factual information from council. Council-watching residents & ratepayers would have noticed that council’s Director of Assets & Operations tabled a report on April 29th this year, recommending that council enter into a five year lease for 700 square metres of additional office accommodation in Bega, with cost of the proposed space running to $125K annually, as well as one-off fit-out co...sts of $100K. The association’s response to the above was to wonder how efficiently council was managing the use of its existing accommodation, in particular as the Director’s report acknowledged that council is in the process of developing a long-term Staff Accommodation Strategy. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/chaos-reigns.ht

12.01.2022 too little, too late Toward the end of this week’s council meeting, Cr Dodds reminded her colleagues that it was the 2nd anniversary of the Yankees Gap bushfire that ravaged property & destroyed three homes between Bemboka & Numbugga over a two month period in August/September, 2018. The association believes that the victims of the Yankees Gap bushfire have every reason to be angry & disgusted by the failure of council to respond to their plight in a meaningful way.... The association also believes that council has once again demonstrated that its alleged concern for the wellbeing of the community usually only extends to keeping-up appearances, while manufacturing opportunities to congratulate itself for doing little or nothing of substance when the need arises. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/too-little,-too

10.01.2022 rubbish The recommendation to close the Waste Transfer Stations at Wallagoot, Bemboka & Merimbula to be considered by council is at its ordinary meeting today, is a lazy & careless proposal that lacks sound justification & is a poke in the eye to the communities who will lose their current waste disposal services. The association believes that council should reject the inferior report being tabled in support of management’s recommendation, treating it with the contempt it d...eserves. The association also believes that no change to existing services should even be considered by council until such time as the proposed expansion of the CWF has been approved, in particular as there can be no guarantee that such approval will be forthcoming. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/rubbish.html

08.01.2022 RETRACTION AND APOLOGY On August 5th, 2020, the Bega Valley Shire Residents & Ratepayers Association incorporated (BVSRRA) published a post on its Facebook page and an article on its website concerning the About Regional news platform and its association with the Bega Valley Shire Council. The BVSRRA accepts that a number of allegations made in that post were inaccurate and were made without basis.... The BVSRRA accepts that the commercial arrangement between About Regional and Bega Valley Shire Council does not exist for the benefit of individual councillors. The BVSRRA accepts that About Regional has not allowed councillors to use the commercial arrangement to spin their own views. The BVSRRA accepts that Mr Ian Campbell no longer has any connection to About Regional. The BVSRRA apologises to About Regional. John Richardson Secretary/Treasurer Bega Valley Shire Residents & Ratepayers Association Tel: 0264945669 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au

08.01.2022 on incompetence The association believes that one of the biggest financial disasters visited on unsuspecting ratepayers by council in recent years stemmed from its decision to purchase Eden’s Hotel Australasia in February, 2016. Having burnt $700K on this financial debacle with nothing to show for it, ratepayers still have to repay the $1M borrowed to fund the misadventure.... No wonder the council’s competence is constantly under question. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/on-incompetence

07.01.2022 on obfuscation Obfuscation: to make something obscure, unclear, unintelligible; to be evasive, to avoid offering meaningful responses. It is a common technique used by bureaucrats & politicians the world over to avoid responding to difficult questions or to delay, derail or frustrate inquiries they don’t want to deal with. ... It is deceptive & ignorant behaviour; dishonest, arrogant & offensive & routinely used by members of council management to avoid responsibility & accountability. It is more offensive than simply not responding to inquiries, although the two strategies are often used in tandem, in particular when the inquirer proves to be persistent. Read more www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au//Bega-Valley-Shire-Re

05.01.2022 taking care of business Word has it that as Bega prepared for the arrival of the movers & shakers for council’s grand Roundtable Event to sort-out the Shire’s economic future, preparations were also underway to close Merimbula Airport to allow for necessary survey work to be carried-out ahead of the planned runway extension works. As it turns out, the inconvenience visited on business operators at the airport was entirely unnecessary as the surveyors weren’t able to make ...it & the airport wasn’t closed. Apparently, the reason the surveyors had to cancel their visit is the fact that they are from Queensland & by travelling to Merimbula they would have apparently fallen foul of the Covid2019 restrictions. Now some residents might wonder why council had gone to the trouble of trying to import surveyors from Queensland to work on the Merimbula Airport runway extension project, given that the south coast of NSW proudly boasts a strong cohort of very well qualified professionals in that regard. Just another of many inexplicable mysteries that seem to accompany just about everything that council does. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/taking-care-of-

03.01.2022 on transparency The NSW Information & Privacy Commission (IPC) has announced that it intends to carry out an Audit to identify which NSW councils are not complying with their legal responsibility to maintain a public record of the pecuniary interests of elected councillors & senior council management. The IPC’s action appears to have been prompted by moves by some councils to do-away with their Registers of Interests or restrict public access to same, contrary to the provis...ions of the GIPA Act & Model Code of Conduct. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/on-transparency

02.01.2022 on building trust The association was delighted with the decision taken by council to initiate a four year baseline audit review of its 20162020 financial accounts. Speaking to her motion, Cr Bain said that completion of the audit review would provide certainty as to the status of council’s financial position, while providing a sound base for council’s future financial planning, help create trust & confidence in council in the minds of residents & ratepayers & lend confide...nce as to the financial standing of council for the incoming council in 2021. The association believes that the decision taken by Crs Bain, Nadin, Allen & Fitzpatrick will have an immediate positive effect on the level of trust felt by residents & ratepayers towards council & open the way to council adopting a more open & transparent approach to the management of the shire’s affairs. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/on-building-tru

02.01.2022 freedom of speech The association was recently approached by a member expressing concern at comments being made on Social Media (Facebook) by the President of the association, Fraser Buchanan that the member felt reflected poorly on the association. While the association is mindful of its obligation to protect its reputation, it accepts that its individual members, including its authorised spokespersons, might hold & express views & opinions on issues that are not necessari...ly of direct concern to the association or are even at odds with the association’s stated position on an issue. While the association would be disappointed to lose public support for its work, as a matter of principle it will not attempt to gag or otherwise interfere with their members’ right to express their own viewpoints, provided that they make it clear that that is what they are doing. Read more www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au//Bega-Valley-Shire-Re

01.01.2022 on real estate It was almost eight years ago, in June, 2013, that the then elected council resolved unanimously (with the exception of Cr Allen) to splurge $1.2M of ratepayers’ funds to purchase the defunct Tura Beach Tavern property located in Tura Beach & since transformed into the Tura Marang Library. While council has never provided full disclosure of the cost to ratepayers of its Tura Beach Tavern folly, more than five years later Cr Dodds apparently saw no reason not ...to describe the acquisition as risky but one that had paid off. Paid off indeed. Read more www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au//Bega-Valley-Shire-Re

01.01.2022 double trouble The association was somewhat surprised to be contacted by ABC Radio South East last week, seeking its opinion as to whether Cr Kristy McBain, the new Member for Eden-Monaro, should resign from her position as a councillor. While wishing Cr McBain well in her new role representing the people of Eden-Monaro, the President of the association, Fraser Buchanan, suggested that she should resign from council given its view that she cannot satisfy the demands of both... positions. Needless to say, Cr McBain has also acknowledged the difficulty of trying to serve masters, confirming that she would miss last week’s council meeting due to her having to attend Parliament in Canberra, while also acknowledging the possibility that she may not be able to remain on council. Read more http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au/double-trouble.