Welcome back to the Monaro Zone Podcast – your local source for straight talk and deep dives into the issues that matter most across the Snowy Monaro region - and today we’re kicking off the new year with a conversation that’s sure to get people thinking.
Joining me is Councillor Williamson, who’s been at the forefront of raising concerns about council governance, spending decisions, and the role of state oversight in local government. If you’ve been wondering why the Minister of Local Government has chosen this moment to step in – or what’s behind some of the council’s more controversial decisions – this is the episode for you.
We’ll cover everything from financial accountability to the block voting that’s been causing waves across the community. And, of course, we’ll touch on that ever-relevant question – should political parties have a place in local government?
So, grab a cuppa or settle in for your commute – let’s dive into the conversation.
MonaroZone:
Councillor Luke, thanks for jumping on the podcast today. We’ve been keeping an eye on your work for a while now – even before this election cycle – and I have to say, you’ve been one of the few voices that consistently cuts through the noise.
I’ll be upfront – when I had my own run-ins with the Cooma office, you were one of the first people who took the time to actually listen and offer some practical advice. That didn’t go unnoticed. Appreciate it.
How’s the break been treating you so far?
CLR WILLIAMSON:
Great thanks! And let me wish you and your family a happy new year. Thanks also for your work keeping the community informed about things.
MonaroZone:
Councillor Williamson, there’s been plenty of chatter about why the Minister of Local Government has finally stepped in. Some folks are saying, “About time,” while others are scratching their heads wondering why now, after all the letters and appeals that seemed to go unanswered for so long.
Why do you think this is happening now?
CLR WILLIAMSON:
That’s a good question. A few others have asked the same thing. The truth is I don’t really know.
I have thought about this a lot over Christmas. While the behaviour of one councillor is perhaps the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back, it’s clearly not the whole story. That much is obvious as the Minister raised our financial position and spending decisions without business cases, etc.
Two other triggers come to mind.
First up is the former council’s late term decision to build a cycle trail in Jindabyne with its maintenance funded by some future, yet to be confirmed, sale of biodiversity offsets over land that council will then need to maintain in its high value natural state forever. I was completely stunned by this proposal and the absence of any thorough assessment of the risks involved and no real detail to justify the millions of dollars it was claimed it would generate.
Investing in new artificial markets created by regulation, with their high policy risk and uncertain returns, are not things cash strapped councils should rush into. Better to let other organisations be the crash test dummies. We could engage later, once the risk is reduced.
I doubt this decision went unnoticed by the Minister’s watch dogs at the Office of Local Government.
Secondly, I think the response to my question at the last meeting regarding the YTD (Year-to-Date) revenues and costs of the Cooma Indoor Sports Facility has demonstrated that Council has got into a bad deal. I’m not sure OLG has ever seen these numbers before.
MonaroZone:
It sounds like the financial side of things has really hit a nerve. So, if you’re looking at it from the outside, would you say financial governance – or maybe the lack of it – is the driving factor behind this intervention?
CLR WILLIAMSON:
Not only as I said at the start. But it has got to be a major component. I think the block voting behaviours of some councillors is also a major issue too. It’s not how councils should work, and there are examples where this has led to increasing community dissatisfaction.
MonaroZone:
You’ve mentioned block voting before, and I think that resonates with a lot of people. There’s a growing feeling that decisions are being rubber-stamped without much real debate.
Take for instance the Jindabyne, Cobbon Crescent decision earlier in November – councillors were handed over 1000 pages of documents and given just a couple of days to make sense of it all. I don’t think anyone would call that best practice, but it still went through. It’s the kind of thing that leaves the community wondering if anyone’s actually reading this stuff or just following the lead of the majority bloc.
The Minister didn’t explicitly name the “Gang of Six” though, right? I imagine that’s still a touchy subject.
CLR WILLIAMSON:
No, but politics can be a subtle game at times.
MonaroZone:
Politics sure has a way of finding its way into every level of governance. But do you think there’s room for political parties at the local government level, or does that just muddy the waters?
CLR WILLIAMSON:
Definitely not. Local government is too important to political agendas and platform building for state and federal elections.
MonaroZone:
Thanks again, Councillor. I know our listeners are going to have plenty to say after this one, so let’s make this a regular thing. Always good to get a bit of transparency straight from the source.
Appreciate your time, and let’s catch up again soon.
CLR WILLIAMSON:
Thank you. I wanted to say great job on the Monaro Zone and building your audience so quickly. I'm a big fan of new media entrepreneurs and it's great to see a new media operator in our region. I’m especially loving the art work!
MonaroZone (Conclusion):
Well, that wraps up this conversation, but I get the feeling we’re just scratching the surface. It’s clear that the issues of governance, accountability and transparency aren’t going away anytime soon.
The Minister’s intervention might be the catalyst of some long-overdue changes, but as always, the real story is still unfolding – and we’ll be here to break it down as it happens.
In our future episodes, we hope to dive deeper into what transparency should look like at the council level, and we’ll hear from more voices in the community who’ve been directly affected by these decisions and hopefully maybe even the people behind those decisions.
Today’s podcast was compiled from correspondence between Councillor Williamson and Chris Chan at the Monaro Zone.
If you have any questions about the topics discussed or any council-related concerns, we encourage you to reach out. The Monaro Zone remains committed to uncovering the truth and keeping our community informed.
As it is written in an ancient book: "When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan."
Thank you for tuning in and supporting transparent, accountable local government.
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