This Council is corrupt. Let there be no question about that.
The only reason Council continues to flog the dead horse of a perimeter road is to provide a reason for it’s super expansion of East Margaret River. In order to convince local people that we need that expansion, it touts the perimeter road as an answer ro everything.
The perimeter road is an answer to nothing. To further its case for a perimeter road east of Melbourne it concocts grossly exaggerated population figures forecast thirty years into the future. This is corrupt. The state government and ABS have provided extrapolated figures of 3.3% growth for the foreseeable future for our Shire. Why then does Council press forward with figures of 5.5%? It can only be to provide for the greatest possible land division east of Margaret River. It wants to create an excuse to subdivide. To provide development opportunities for developers. How is this not corrupt?
Council has gone to the land developers to ask them what their contribution would be to a future road. These developers have said they will refuse to contribute to the closer alignment, but they will provide up to 16 million dollars for a future alignment further east. Of course such commitments are without substance. If there is no road there is no contribution. But it forces Council to accept the secondary alignment, which accommodates this further expansion into the rural amenity of our town. These developers have one object, and it is not the welfare of present residents. Once they get the green light, once the zoning changes from rural, they can do almost anything.
It is corrupt for Council to say that Mains Roads is only waiting for the finalisation of the concept plan before it makes a decision on the perimeter road. Mains Roads has said on numerous occasions that there will be no perimeter road for Margaret River. Certainly not any time soon. Anyone who thinks Mains Roads is going to contribute more than twenty million dollars to an unnecessary road for Margaret River has rocks in their head. read what they have said in the past. A road is not warranted. A road will not be built.
But Council must continue to flog this dead horse to convince the masses that we need this super expansion of Margaret River. This Council no longer reflects the aspirations of this community. This Council is corrupt.
This Shire needs the present Council to be sacked, for administrators to come in. These administrators should not leave until we have a workable Scheme up and running.
In 1994 it was recognised that we were already five years late in drafting a new scheme for this shire, a new planning document to reflect the current view of development in our shire that accommodates other state and federal planning documents. Almost fifteen years have passed since then. This shire is still waiting for its document.
The document has been rejected by the state planning tribunal because of discrepancies int eh document which Council refuses to correct.
In the same way the State Planning Department will reject this present push by Council. And so planning will continue to proceed in a haphazard and reckless manner.
Ever since we went from eleven councillors to seven we have had dysfunction at Council.
We need a return to eleven Councillors, with four coming from Margaret River. This would fairly represent the population base of Margaret River. It would also result in a more moderate and democratic council. This council is corrupt.
The time has come to make this change, to get back to basics, to throw out this present Council that has corrupted every aspect of the local government process in our shire.
This council is corrupt and it is time we made them know it.