So what does it really mean?

I sometimes get involved with the odd Council Community engagement session as I am interested in what’s planned for our local community. I believe that it is mandatory for councils to engage with their electorate before they roll out any programs. Which is a good thing as the community should have a say in what goes on in their neighbourhood and how their rates moneys are spent. Whether people are renters or owners they all directly or indirectly pay rates, not withstanding the City of Port Phillip charge some of the highest rates in the country. 

When it comes to Council or any level of government bureaucracy I am a self confessed cynic … and for good reasons. As far as Community engagement is concerned my feeling is that Councils are just going through the motions in a game of smoke and mirrors to get their pre-conceived initiatives through the system.

My background is marketing and there is an old adage:- 

“HE WHO CONTROLS THE RESEARCH, CONTROLS THE OUTCOME” 

One glaring example is our Pop up Bike lane fiasco. If the community was honestly consulted in the first place, the program would never have gotten off the ground. The Department of Transport and Planning and Port Phillip Council I believe colluded in pushing this initiative through as a fait accompli.

Rubber stamped within not just our municipality but so many other surrounding councils as though the only form of transport was via bicycles. Bullied through without any consideration given to the impacts to local communities, Motor vehicle drivers and individuals other than bike riders.

Bureaucratic bullying is the only way I can describe what the rate paying public are being subjected to by our Local Council. Time and time again. Council decided to build a public toilet close to St Kilda Park Primary School with no consultation with the school and parents. Fortunately, that decision was reversed this week after a massive outcry from the school community.  

The dramatic community outcry and level of resistance against the dangerous Pop Up bike lanes eventually saw them removed from our local streets. But it was a fight that needn’t have happened if we had an honest council bureaucracy that didn’t constantly go rogue in pursuing their internal cuckoo crazy agendas. Whatever happened to our Public Service? Those that served the community for the greater good, not ignore and work against them.    

These social engineering bureaucrats seem to live in an out of touch parallel universe. A union employment agency for the over paid, underworked, overly woke and overly political. Our own Council employs over almost 900 people. Yes 900… For our small community of just 100,000 people. Too many people making up jobs to employ themselves through crazy initiatives, at your expense. 

So don't be fooled when council seeks your opinion via their Community Engagement programs. They in most cases will most likely ignore them and follow their own agendas. 

PS I Love watching Utopia on TV. If you haven’t done so it will give you a humorous insight into the machinations of how our bureaucracy dysfunctions. And Local Government would be another level or two below… Enjoy the cynicism.