Another year passes and our community is once again expected to be bitten by rate rises. Council is proposing to increase rates by 2.8% instead of the maximum amount of 3.5%. The final decision will be made on 20 June subject to community consultation. In a time of ongoing hardships the community is once again likely to be forced by the politically aligned councillors to cough up more money for their pet projects. Feeding a regular snaking conga line begging for more and more money looking for $12 Million of our community rates money to go towards social housing, welfare and climate change.

Note that ALL OF THESES ARE STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITIES and should be funded by them. 

Yet our Local Council continues to support these efforts each year with our Rate moneys thanks to the overbearing numbers of the politically aligned councillors looking to make a name for themselves to their political masters.

One has to question why these local councillors aren’t looking after the interests of the broader community who they are meant to represent, rather than minority factions that are also being funded elsewhere. In any case it’s a lucrative business for this annual conga line and we are to blame for allowing this to happen in our community. 

We are to blame as the majority of us voted for a political party to represent them rather than an independent local that will work for and look after the needs of the community - not spend our money year in and year out on political passion projects. Our independent councillor voting numbers are outnumbered by the political factions of our LOCAL Council

• Does the community want to pay a double tax on things that they are already paying for via State and Federal Taxes? 
• Why does our Council continue to increase our Rates year in and year out when there is no need to do so?
• Are we getting value from our council for the rates we all pay? (remember renters also pay Rates through their rent). When rates ago up … rents go up
• Why do our politically aligned Councillors keep working against the greater good of the community.
• Are the Political councillors toeing the party line and treating COPP as training camp to further their political careers?

The City of Port Phillip are a soft bellied target with these political councillors dictating and doling our moneys out to their snaking conga line of beggars.

Personally I want a fairer deal from Council.  It’s time for our community to became involved in redressing this political imbalance and stop voting for political parties in the next local Council Elections. 

The best way to get rid of this snaking conga line that is choking funding for our local community is to cut of its head by - 

Keeping Politics out of Port Phillip 

Editor's note: 

ROPP believes Port Phillip Council has a role in influencing state and federal governments and advocating for social and affordable housing, welfare for the vulnerable and net zero CO2 emissions. But ROPP does not support the endless spending of scarce council funds when other key council responsibilities are inadequately funded. If CoPP could spend every cent of its budget on these areas and it would barely make a difference and importantly these matters are state and federal responsibilities. Wouldn’t it be nice to halve the time it takes to get a planning permit? Wouldn’t it be nice to plant more trees and address stormwater issues in low lying suburbs? If money were not diverted to state and federal responsibilities, Council would be able to properly fund these integral responsibilities.