Council candidate Tom Mullen is campaigning for more openness and transparency in the Mid-Western Regional Council.
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A long-time council observer , Mr Mullen has serious concerns that too much of council business and debate on important issues takes place in sessions closed to the public and media, creating confusion over the reasons for council decisions.
“I have seen people with business before council go into a meeting, see their matter passed with a batch of other stuff and come out saying ‘what happened?’,” he said.
Mr Mullen said council’s explanation for the behind-closed-doors discussion did not hold water.
Mr Mullen expressed concern about the failure of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) to release its report on investigations into Mid-Western Regional Council before the election.
He went on to call for an overhaul of the region’s Local Environment Plan (LEP), saying that the approval of some developments ahead of the dates scheduled in council’s Local Environment Plan (LEP) has resulted in an oversupply of residential land.
Council also needs to “straighten up” its LEP on secondary dwellings to allow owners of large blocks to develop low-cost housing, such as granny flats, which would allow them to earn income from their land, he said.
Mr Mullen said roads are another issue which needs to be looked at very carefully.
“Contrary to what council staff are saying, grading of school bus runs are not meeting the schedule of once a year and some are approaching two years,” he said.
He said the roadwork backlog should be addressed by more funding and better prioritising of work, as well as improved efficiency.
“Council’s job is to fund these things and to better prepare its case [for grants],” he said.
“I have seen some of their submissions and I think that as a shire, we could do better.”
Mr Mullen said councillors’ conduct needs to be more strictly enforced through meeting procedures to a avoid costly Code of Conduct actions.
“If a person is playing up in council, the mayor can adjourn the meeting for 15 minutes and if that person repeats this behaviour, they then can be thrown out. That’s a process we don’t see there now.”
