My Reply to ExServos Exec Assistant

This is the longer version of the letter printed this week in the times.


Dear Alison,

I understand that you are angry with me. Everyday you turn up to work, you do a good job, you've probably worked at the Club for some time and have a great sense of loyalty about your employer. When you see me talking about the negatives of the Club industry you feel like I am personally kicking you in the guts for you have a certain kind of ownership over your clubs activities.

In my life I have worked in the Club industry and know that it can be busy and thankless.

I don't blame the staff of the club or the ExServos itself for anything, just as I don't blame miners for working in mining or loggers for logging. Do I use the services of all these industries-sometimes-when I have to, but personally try to keep it to a minimum.

My problem is with the way 'systems' and 'process' have been set up to create a supposed win win situation.

Clubs NSW is a powerful lobby group. NSW State Governments have in the past received donations from Clubs NSW for their political campaigns. Combined, Clubs have a huge membership that they can and will mobilise to support them in their endeavours and I would draw your attention to the recent debate on limiting the amount of bets on electronic gaming machines- we saw weak attempts at legislative reforms, because a powerful lobby got its own way.

Clubs have offered poker machine gambling as a 'service' to their members since 1956 when clubs were generally more focused on their social and community benefit. This social and community benefit was recognised by government and given special tax dispensation as not for profit organisations. However in the modern age that focus for many clubs has changed as they aggressively pursue the profits from gaming machines. Clubs received benefits that for profit organisations do not i.e. tax concessions and a protected poker machine market.

Clubs are a contradictory entity ( bit like local government really) whose existence relies on the adoption of commercial management practices to succeed in profit driven market places. Yet the heart of the clubs charter is to give great service to its members without accruing financial gains. So its almost like a catch 22 situation. Clubs cannot accrue mountains of cash for they are deemed as not spending it on servicing their members ( and would lose their tax advantages) so clubs take big loans to fund additional capital expenditure and then forever are reliant on the revenue of poker machines of EGM's to repay the debts. For a more in depth analysis of the history and changing nature of pubs check out this paper by Dr Nerilee Hing.

Of course I understand that a fair amount of money put through pokies is put through voluntarily by people who are in control of their emotions and their finances "a bit of a flutter". But the Gambling Impact Society believe that this amounts to around 60% of the takings, with 30% of gamblers at risk of becoming problem gamblers who make up the final 10%.  It is this 40% that I consider to be the 'dirty cash' money that has come from people who are having trouble controlling  their gambling addiction or are problem gamblers. The effects on these peoples families is far reaching. Staff at clubs are trained in responsible conduct of gambling and some funding from clubs goes back into services for those battling addiction.

The Ulladulla Ex servos was seeking an increase in their poker machine numbers. That issue came to Council and I have blogged about it extensively. The remarks that are used by The Times come from another blog article that I published recently. The Mayor Joanna Gash wrote to the Liquor and Gaming Authority and supported the clubs application- particularly since they were financing two organisations she favoured- West Ulladulla Netball (Council) and the Dunn and Lewis Youth Foundation /Centre. I have a problem with the funding from Clubs going to the Dunn and Lewis. D and L is primarily a youth foundation that provides service and training opportunities to youth some of whom would be considered 'at risk' I think they offer a great service and some of the programs have been very innovative.

The article referred to Clubs keeps kids cooking is a classic of example of what I believe to be exploitation of children. Its just like  McDonalds donating to children's charities it makes their 'brand' more appealing and more 'family friendly'.

BUT LET ME MAKE IT CLEAR- I am not casting a judgement on D and L, they like many other service and program providers such as Nowra Women's Health centre are desperate for funding to offer excellent programs that really do help people Its not their fault that the government doesn't fund their programs and seeking funding from any source is a legitimate part of their everyday operation. Some groups self -exclude certain types of funding as it doesn't fit with their ethics. I believe that Clubs funding should be exclusively for local adult orientated programs as it is adults who are most at risk of becoming problem gamblers. That is my opinion, you don't have to agree, I would however like to see Government take a look at the current not for profit taxing system for clubs for ultimately a better taxing regime that allows Government to take from clubs and fund local programs is more desirable.

Alison I am being judgemental, but not to you or the people who put money through the pokies, but to Governments that are to weak and beholden to Clubs NSW to make changes to benefit community. The Cubs industry has changed over the years and its about time there was some legislative reforms to match those changes.

I took my daughter to the Diggers breakfast after her first Dawn Service. It most certainly did cross my mind that some people might think I was being a hypocrite - I even mentioned that to my daughter on the way in.We enjoyed our time talking with Diggers young and old and hanging out with our local Scout group, contemplating the spirit of ANZAC.I certainly thought about problem gamblers whose losses may have contributed towards my breakfast. I even noted that even on our day of reverence, ANZAC day, that the poker machines were up and running during the breakfast.

The staff at the club on ANZAC day did an excellent job, service with a smile, even at the height of busy-ness. I made my appreciation known to some board members and also to the CEO. I may not have been a welcome guest but I was certainly an appreciative one.

Regards
Amanda




EDITOR,

I was enjoying the article in last week's Times "Club keeps kids cooking" about the ExServos donating money to the Dunn Lewis Centre, which suddenly turned from a "feel good" article into a sensational and political attack on the ExServos Club (and clubs in general) by Cr Amanda Findley.

I am an employee of the ExSe...rvos Club who enjoys and values their job at the club.

I consider myself lucky, and am proud to work for such an important local community facility which donates considerable money each year to many local community groups and sporting teams; it was for these reasons that I chose to work at the club in the first place.

To read Cr Findley's reference to club money as "dirty gambling cash" is frankly insulting and extremely judgmental; not to mention that insinuating that all club money comes from gambling shows a total ignorance of the club industry.

Sure, a certain proportion of club revenue comes from poker machines; nobody denies that. But we are also about so much more! Entertainment, dining, function facilities, events and promotions, to name just a few.

Aside from providing poker machines, the ExServos Club (like all the town's clubs) is first and foremost a meeting place for its 11,000 members, their guests, visitors to the area and many community groups.

To some of our members we are like family.

The ExServos Club is also one of the largest employers in town, providing employment to almost 100 local people and providing business to countless local tradespeople and businesses.

We cater to all age groups and hold numerous local functions/events (many free of charge to community groups) and give back to the community by way of substantial sponsorship funds and donations.

We are "not for profit" and all "profit" the club earns either goes back towards improving facilities and offerings for our members (or paying off such improvements) or is donated.

It's not all about profit for profit sake like many other businesses; just as it's not all about gambling.

Even if the sole income stream was via poker machines (which by no means is it), I find it interesting that Cr Findley, who purports to be about "values" can be so judgmental.

Who are you to judge how consenting adults choose to spend their money and belittle them by referring to their hard earned money (that they may choose to enjoy by gambling, as is their right) as "dirty". Really?

I myself don't gamble but I certainly don't believe it's my place to judge those who choose to enjoy gambling; clearly in this instance Cr Findley doesn't subscribe to the "value" of tolerance.

Oh, by the way Cr Findley, it was great to see you at the ExServos enjoying the breakfast we provided after the dawn service on Anzac Day.

I hope you enjoyed the breakfast, which was provided free of charge not only to Diggers and service personnel, but to every person who attended the dawn service. Just thought I'd mention that this breakfast was part funded by supposed "dirty gambling cash" too.

See your ad here

Alison McKay

Executive Assistant

Yerriyong and Parma residents left in the dark- Council refuses to hold breifing on Motorcycle NSW plans for raceway

I put a motion to Council requesting " A comprehensive briefing on the Yerriyong Motor Sports facility for affected residents including those at Parma and Yerriyong".

Residents around Parma  and Yerriyong are understandably concerned about Motorcycling NSW's plans to bring a racing track to Nowra.

Motorcycling NSW has been in conversation with representative of Shoalhaven City Council on numerous occasions to discuss land near Albatross that is owned by The Crown and could possibly be used for a new racing track.

However these discussions have been under confidentiality agreement and the content is not to be discussed outside of the agreement.

So here lies the problem- at this point in time the residents have heard rumours and innuendo but nothing from Council or Motorcycling NSW.

Council did issue a media release in June 2012 "Welcoming the proposal"

Then there was this piece in the South Coast Register  "Yerriyong Race track edges to pole position"

And this one "Revved up for track plan"

or check out the conversation page at the local club

"Track would get hoons of the road"

"Good process is very important"

this little gem 'Mayor accuses NSW Gov for holding up raceway plan"

and what about the info available via Shoalhaven motor sports website.

"Shoalhaven Multipurpose Motor sport Facility"

and here is the mud map

Shoalhaven Motor sports

Yet when debating the motion in Council- Clr John Wells declared that if he was asked by the public what was  going on he would say 'nothing' - he bases this 'nothing' on the fact that a Development Application has not been received by Council on the proposal.

Councillors clearly know a little more than nothing and the community deserve to know at the very least what Council is ABLE to tell them. Not to hide behind the confidentiality barriers. At least then community members would feel like there is open dialogue with Council. I think Motorcycles NSW should also come down and talk to the community and not be a faceless organisation.

Openness, transparency, accountability is what team gash promised the community and I offered them an opportunity to support my motion and prove themselves in this area of governance. However Team Gash choose not to support the motion 'for there is nothing to talk about' and this leaves the community to listen to the rumour and innuendo and receive no support from their Council when it comes to information. Sorry Yerriyong and Parma residents there will be no briefing.

No controls for Mega Mansions

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/monster-mansion-troy-skebo.html
 

Things sometimes feel like they go around in circles and for the third time, last night Council debated Development Control Plan 91 amendment 2.

On the surface it seems that this development control plan is a low priority planning instrument, but when you look at the reason why it was proposed you start to realise why it is so important.

In an earlier blog I wrote a piece on the development of a mega mansion in Berry and how such a large house of 1500sqms would be out of place and out of character in this quiet cul de sac.

The development control plan was amended and put out on exhibition in an attempt to act as a break on humongous house developments in rural settings. Many people don't want the Shoalhaven to become a characterless home to the  McMegaMansion. Even though the control sought to limit the size of development- it meant that anyone who wanted to exceed the limit had to have a good plan to do so and the development would be referred to Council for a policy decision.

Shoalhaven City Council has a long history of approving things outside of its development guidelines and if a development was so meritorious to deserve a tick of approval then I am confident Council would do so.

In a touch of debating brilliance Clr McCruddin pointed out that in the Shoalhaven we have one set of rules for the poor and none for the rich which was a great way to summarise the situation.

Consistent as ever Team Gash support the laissez faire approach and declared that if so many rules were in place we would not be enriched with fabulous homes like those of yesteryear-rubbish if something was that sensational Council would approve it.

Check out this link to South Coast Register link to see previous discussion on this issue.

Council accepts dirty cash from gambling gains.

Thanks to http://imgur.com/HDjRu for this cartoon that says it in pictures.

In the final episode of the Poker Machines Saga, Council last night chose to support receiving dirty gambling cash in a  'payment for support' decision.

I've reported extensively on this issue in prior blogs, but if you want to recap on what has been put through Shoalhaven's poker machines look at these previous posts.

Pokies 1

Pokies 2

Pokies 3

The current Council overturned the previous Councils position of neutrality when Mayor Gash put forward a Mayoral min in October advising Councillors that she had sent a letter of support to the Office of Liquor and Gaming in support of the Milton Ulladulla Ex Servos application for a 20% increase in machines. Mayor Gash didn't consult with the Councillors about this and of course it was part of the great bundling debacle that made it impossible for Councillors to vote against this particular issue.

Last night I argued that Councillors should take a stand and not accept the funding, but enact the Councils charter and act to support the vulnerable in our community.

Charities and Councils should not be placed in the position were they feel they must accept money from clubs gambling gains. It may be a so called accepted practice but really, Government should collect tax from clubs instead of giving them tax breaks for donating to community and that tax should be redistributed to the area from which it was collected.

Council is now complicit to a system that is littered with the tattered lives of addicted gamblers who spend their life savings feeding their addiction.

There was one huge surprise to me during the debate when Clr Anstiss declared that it was a 'wonderful thing that the clubs donated to the community' and that 'no one was making an individual gambler push the button' 'without donations from Clubs SOLA wouldn't exist" 'council will be happy to have the funds as someone has to have them".

I was surprised with Clr Anstiss naive comments as she is a well know community person who seems to understand social disadvantage through her organisation SOLA ( Slice of Life Australia). I expected that Clr Anstiss would have been more aware of gambling addiction and on this issue be an ally to the cause and understand that government needs to continue to take responsibility to help create more equality for the disadvantage and fund programmes rather than continue support for the paradigm that government has created with the clubs industry.

I understand that there are many good people working within clubs, but this a structural issue that has been supported and perpetuated by Government and needs people to stand together to make it stop.

Interestingly this week Don Rowe president of RSL NSW has come out openly condemning Clubs and his allegation that they abuse the ANZAC legend.

Traditional Owners not Acknowledged.

"It is customary to acknowledge country and I do so by paying our respects to elders past and present and acknowledge all people who have made Australia this great country we live in"

These are the words written and spoken at the beginning of Councils main meeting "the Ordinary meeting of Council".

This Council has been sitting now for six months and I have become increasingly bothered by this so called acknowledgement- I find it offensive.

I've worked with Council's Aboriginal Advisory Group over the last four years and believed that Council was really working in a spirit of reconciliation and with a view of improving its relationship with our Aboriginal people.

Council in the last four years introduced the Acknowledgement, Raised the Aboriginal flag in the chamber and on Councils flagpoles and importantly signed a memorandum of understanding in respect to employment and relationship obligations that the city has.

I understand that there are varying views on things like Acknowledging Aboriginal people and when I had this conversation with a local Elder, her wise words were to 'speak from the heart- Aboriginal people don't want you to say hollow words but ones with meaning'. I have always done that and perhaps that's why I find the current acknowledgement a bit off.

For the current acknowledgement doesn't even have the words Aboriginal People in it. It premises the statement with "it is customary' well no its not- some places still refuse to acknowledge Aboriginal People. There is no welcome to Aboriginal people who may be attending the meeting. I think the acknowledgement is trite and shows no personality, and no real acknowledgement of the suffering that Australia's first people have endured

In my question on notice to the General manager in the business paper for 23 April- you can see that the Mayor has made no effort to consult with Shoalhaven's Aboriginal community ( via the Aboriginal Advisory Committee or any other source) to formulate what has essentially now become Councils Acknowledgement- poor form indeed.

Council sticks with its rates rise

At last nights Council meeting I put forward a notice of motion on the rates requesting Council to

"Suspend its application for a rate rise until the completion of Councils restructure and that any associated deficit be advertised in the upcoming budget sessions"

Just as predicted the motion was not supported but this time there was good debate around the issue and during the course of the meeting an amendment was made to the motion, to try and accommodate the opinions of Councillors

There is no doubt that Shoalhaven City Council needs to raise the rates and I have made no secret of that over the years. What Council has failed to do is a comprehensive community consultation on the issue and taken the level of complaints about road infrastructure as a gauge of community opinion.

I also think that any rate rise could have been mapped out over a couple of years with smaller percentage increase across a number of years.For example 2% each year over 4 years on top of the rate pegging amount. This years rate pegging amount is 3.6% so that would have been a 5.6% increase instead of 8%.

What was made obvious last night that Councillors didn't seem to understand that an 8% increase this year doesn't come back out of the rates next year. Once Council increase the bottom line of the rates  it stays. Councils can 'backout' a rate increase and make it valid for just one year but the amendment that was made to put this idea on public exhibition was also voted down.

And so we have it- a Council that believes to be 'strong' and show 'leadership' you have to dig in with a rates rise and not consider the opinion of the community.

If Council had done proper consultation I believe that people would have been much more supportive of an incremental increase especially once Council had its 'house in order' after the costs and disruptions of the 'restructure'.

Mayor hijaks Ulladulla Forum meeting

Image taken from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOoK_4eC7eveq1F9hgfkUrK44Gnq0tmEp6KFvQST97s1Fp_Cg4nGM1gPZsJPXWg1rCY3jaflCXlb6bSST2AIAHPo6dsUhYJXTjkAZXioDqW4phs0IqfY91dTmR1YjuExWZ0LKGsXHMj3FA/s1600/poor_me_soup-180w.jpg
 

Ulladulla Community Forum meets once a month to discuss issues that affect the local community.

The issues are  diverse but are often related to issue to do with Shoalhaven City Council. The forum are a recognised Community Consultative Body (CCB) and have a direct line of contact to Council. The members of the forum are volunteers with a great interest in community life.

The forum have done excellent work on community consultation and Monday's meeting (8/4/2013) was meant to be partly in celebration of Youth Week by inviting the local youngsters to come and have their say.

The meeting had around 40 youngsters turn up skaters and scouts all interested in getting across their message on improved skate facilities. the young people were very articulate and asked some great questions and put forward some fab suggestions on how to improve skating.

The youth were promised a fun supper at the conclusion of the meeting- unfortunately those who stayed witnessed the Mayor chuck a tantrum.

Clrs Patricia White and Clr Jo Gash have both been subject to Code of Conduct complaints ( see Council business papers for details Page 23 item 67). Both addressed the forum on this issue explaining the outcome.

Gash decided to take it one step further and told the meeting how hurt she was, how stressful the experience was and how it cost Council $6000 to review her conduct. She went on to say that she had always done her best by the Ulladulla community and was gutted that they could do such a thing to her.

Gash blamed the forum for putting in the code of conduct complaint and also blamed them for not picking up the phone and telling her what 'their problem was'.

Gash's delivery was intimidatory and at times hysterical - some of the skaters mums left the meeting as they felt so uncomfortable- it was the first time they had been to a forum meeting and they wont be back as they might think its the norm for the Mayor to turn up and abuse volunteer citizens who actually have a right to question process the Mayor instigates.

I might add that the forum did not make the complaint- for such a process to happen there would have to be mention in the forums meeting minutes which go to council and agreement from the collected community- who are so a-political I doubt they would have agreed to such an action.

The Mayors poor me /victim show was damaging to the forum in so many ways. It was embarrassing that a public leader turned up and berated a community group for something they just didn't do. The manner in which she attributed the blame was intimidatory and very defensive. Any good work that was done by the forum in the hour before will be forever overshadowed by the Mayors performance- I hope some remember the positive interactions with the youth of our community. And any prospects of recruiting new members were blown apart by the Mayors abuse. I took my children and they were embarrassed by the anger and vitriol displayed. The Mayor requested that the Forum call her about problems yet she was accusing them in public just as she had been publicly accused via the code of conduct review- tit for tat it seems.

No wonder politics in Australia is viewed as totally dysfunctional when civic leaders think its OK to publicly accuse and berate volunteers for exercising their rights to query the conduct of civic leaders.

Poor form Mrs Gash- but it seems your poor me / victim routine is making a regular appearance.

AMENDMENT: I have been asked to note that when the Mayor chucked her tantrum the number of young people in the room was not the full 40 from earlier a handful- around 6.

Code of Conduct costs

The Cost of code of conduct complaints are in-
Councillor Whites complaint $3349.60
Mayor Gash 1st complaint -not yet billed,
Mayor Gash 2nd Complaint $2541.00

The budget for dealing with complaints was $10,079 plus $5000 from the previous year as at 31 March the amount that was spent from this budget was $1993.00