The games that clowncil plays
Published 8 months, 3 weeks ago in Where I Live.Isn’t it wonderful – Glen Eira Clowncil has finally carried out a ‘major consultation’ on its community plan. We were told time and time again how ‘extensive’ this ‘consultation’ is; how concerned clowncil is and how dearly it wants to listen to the views of the community. Well the ‘consultations’ have come and gone. Yes, there were 6 and probably somewhere between 250 and 300 people showed up in total. Repeatedly the virtues of this ‘consultation’ were rammed down our throats – how important it was for councillors to hear what the community wanted; how much preparation had gone into this ‘consultation’ – after all hadn’t 500 people been phoned and ‘in-depth’ interviews conducted?
Sounds great doesn’t it? But when you consider that all the questions at the forums were set by clowncil, and the 500 ‘interviews’ generally focussed on issues that did not directly involve the workings of council (ie what do you like about living in glen eira?) then there is great cause for skepticism.
Even greater skepticism is warranted when we once again compare this clowncil with the consultation processes undertaken for the Port Phillip community plan. Port Phillip, according to their published account included the following: a Steering committee which included 5 local residents out of a committee of 10; a community survey of 2,200 people, businesses; interviews with 700 residents; a community summit of 750 people which included focus groups and; finally neighbourhood community meetings. Compare this with the paltry effort of Glen Eira.
This lack of ‘consultation’ is again evident in the release of clowncil’s Animal Management Policy. The only say that residents have is to put in a ‘written submission’. Given the fact that not too many residents bother to check council website, or even receive the leader newspaper on a regular basis, or the Glen Eira news, I wonder how many people even knew about this new ‘consultation’. But more to the point, people lead busy lives. They often don’t have the time, energy, or confidence to put things in writing. Since glen eira has a large ethnic component this factor also mitigates against individuals submitting their ideas in writing. Why couldn’t there be open public forums? Why couldn’t there be a questionnaire on clowncil’s website? Why couldn’t there be a panel of interested residents, professionals, organisations that sat down together and actually produced a worthwhile document? The answer I’m afraid is simple. Because this is not what clowncil wants!! They don’t want to know what we think! They fulfil the minimum requirements of legislation, but never its spirit. God forbid that we, the people, should be given the respect and opportunity to actually influence decisions that are made in the ceo’s office. That would signal the death of autocracy.
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The 64 million dollar question will be: do councillors accept officers’ policy drafts unchanged? do they merely tinker with the inconsequentials? or do they actually say ‘this is not good enough - go back to the drawing board and start again’? Each of the above says something about the way this council operates. it will be very interesting to observe and take note of. Councillors should of course be aware that countless residents who own pets are watching the outcomes of this and that their memories will extend well into November and election time.
When I look at Glen Eira Council’s method of reporting I understand fully that the only kid on the block that is important to them, is living in their own play box. They mouth the words of concern but the reality is that they just don’t care what residents think of them. They hold the media reins in terms of getting selective information out to the public, and we pay for it.