Bullying in the Kangaroo Court of Shoalhaven City Council

Bullying is not a thing of the past- its alive and well in many forms and available at an outlet near you-today!

At Shoalhaven City Council things seem to be going from bad to worse with Councillors becoming more brazen in their attacks on citizens who have actually taken the time and care enough about issues  to turn up and participate. We should be cultivating an inspired and inclusive community not trying to turn everyone who turns up to speak to Council into nervous jelly, chewed up and spat out.

This weeks development committee meeting was a case- a real basket case- when a community member dared to challenge the Council to answer questions on how a development control plan and the height limits contained in it happened to be up for renegotiation.  The staff presented a report that favoured increased heights and density for large developments even AFTER the Council had voted THREE times to limit the height to 10m and a floor space ratio of 1:1 as recent as 5 days prior to Tuesday's meeting.

So of course community felt suspicious that a particular developer had access to Councillors and had been given the privilege of influence.

 Its happened before-there is documented evidence of what is known as 'cash for influence and positive political outcomes'.

 I don't believe that has happened in this term of Council but the behaviour makes people wonder.
Also annoying is the continued mantra that those who turn up don't represent all of the community- well of course they don't but they are certainly representative of those who care and I'm sure we would find many more people sympathetic to the views represented if we collectively had the time and resources to poll everyone of the citizens in Shoalhaven.

I went away wondering how the aggressors would feel if the shoe was on the other foot- mind you politics does create a harder shell and for some this is almost impervious.

As a woman and a Green, I feel that I have been consistently treated with aggression often by a group of people and have had to 'put up'

so to the press release I sent the South Coast Register............

Bullying in the Kangaroo Court

Shoalhaven Greens Councillor Amanda Findley has this week accused fellow Councillors' Bohdan Brumerskyj and Andrew Guile of bad behaviour towards members of the public.

'Rate payers and residents are entitled to address Council meetings and should expect to be made welcome and not grilled like they are on trial in a Kangaroo Court' said Clr Findley. Tuesdays development committee meeting was like a schoolyard episode where the chief bully is encouraged by his gang to keep taunting the target.

The comments come after Huskisson resident Mrs. Leslie Lockwood was grilled after making a submission to Council about the process for making development policy decisions.

'Mrs Lockwood merely asked Council for an explanation of the decision making process on a particular planning issue so that the community could feel they had not been deceived. Especially as the Huskisson community had already been through a long and fruitful public consultation’.

"The arrogance displayed from amongst the Committee was astonishing and the line of questioning unreasonable and insulting, it seems that perhaps Mrs Lockwood had hit on raw nerve. I had to intervene and point out to the chair the behaviour in my view was unacceptable'.

Mrs Lockwood was supported by a group of people from the Huskisson area but I couldn't let what I perceived as bullying behaviour persist said Clr Findley.

For some people it's terrifying enough to have to address the Council in such formal circumstances, and I believe that the bullying of those who come and speak to Council is escalating in the dying days of this term.

Councillors' have a position of privilege given to them by the people and should be humbled by that and respect and include the public where possible. Councillors' are also privileged with additional information when it comes to decision making that often the public are not aware of.

It's little wonder that the population is so disenfranchised with politics and it's little wonder that more women don't put their hand up to be elected when bullying behaviour is so rife especially towards women.


Heres how the paper reported ..........

15 Jun Resident Complains of Council Hostility

make sure to look at the comment threads too

13 Jun No way to treat a representative

20 June Deception a heavy call