( Note that sections which were edited out during publication have been highlighted in bold.)

The recent decision of Council to sell the heritage stables and land adjoining Osborne House highlights the lack of community consultation which takes place over such decisions.

Some responsibility for this situation lies firmly at the feet of senior council bureaucrats. Within State government guidelines they are the ones who frame council policy. They recommend what is slated as confidential and what can be public knowledge. They set the time-frame for the release of information usually well after it is possible for anyone to influence the decision making process. They write the agendas for council meetings with barely a nod in the direction of our elected councillors.

Despite this the council has a responsibility to work pro-actively to increase community input into decision-making. For example, a debate which has not been fully aired within the public domain regards whether we as a community agree in principle to the sale of publicly owned assets.

The declared proceeds of asset sales since amalgamation is $30 million dollars. These proceeds have disappeared into recurrent funding expenditure partly covering $35 million dollars of staff redundancies and unfunded superannuation liabilities. Simultaneously State government funding to council has dropped by $1.9 million dollars over the last3years.

The Geelong Community Forum would like to work in partnership with Council and other community groups and individuals to ensure that we are all fully informed about such critical issues and better placed to influence council policy directions.

Serena O’Meley, Paul Osmond, Stuart McCallum
Steering Committee Members
Geelong Community Forum