Reality vs. Rhetoric: The Battle for the Monaro’s Future
Entrenched Councillors in a ‘Gangster’s Paradise’ by Chris Chan
"Power and the money, money and the power
Minute after minute, hour after hour
Everybody's runnin', but half of them ain't lookin'
It's going on in the kitchen, but I don't know what's cookin'"
— 21st Century Philosopher, Coolio
As a concerned resident, I find myself captivated by the unfolding political drama in our community. This small-scale theatre, with an audience of mainly participants and their supporters, presents a stark clash of perspectives.
On one side, we have our Group F (FREEDOM), the Rose Group, who are committed to getting back to basics— i.e. prioritising the core functions of council inc, curbing rates, fixing the roads, and getting rid of rubbish.
On the other, the incumbent councillors are content with their current trajectory, eager to continue their costly projects and content with increasing rates. Worse, they think they have done a top job, while voting against council transparency and supporting poor performance.
Figure 1. Lead candidate for Group F, Reuben Rose, giving our basic message - “THOSE WHO CAUSED THE PROBLEMS (higher rates, bad roads, poor communication, lack of transparency) CAN”T FIX THEM - new councillors are needed!
The Rose Group sees fiscal irresponsibility in the council's frequent deficits between rate revenue and employee salaries. We advocate for transparency, accountability, and financial solvency, values that seem straightforward yet are at odds with the incumbents, who believe they’ve managed a financial miracle (taking ratepayers money and turning it into bureaucrats!) and seem self-satisfied with their terrible results, as demonstrated by surveys of ratepayers. The incumbents’ rejection of detailed audits and transparency only heightens the divide.
In another world, perhaps we could all agree on what reality looks like. But here, we witness the same facts leading to vastly different conclusions. For the Rose Group, deficits are a sign of financial mismanagement, and maintaining unrestricted cash reserves is essential. Conversely, the incumbents deem deficits acceptable and see no issue with minimal cash savings.
The Rose Group argues that the amalgamation of shires has led to waste, reduced services and an entrenched and unresponsive bureaucracy. The incumbents counter that the amalgamation was necessary, requiring only minor adjustments.
While these differences might seem trivial in other contexts, the policies being debated will determine the region's future. The Rose Group envisions a financially sound council that prioritizes community needs. The incumbents, however, appear content with the status quo, deficits and all.
A particularly revealing moment occurred when Petra, a local hero who volunteers to pick up rubbish, recounted (see video below) how she and her team raised a concern, only to be ignored by the council. Instead of acknowledging this failure, the incumbents praised themselves, showcasing a disturbing disconnect from the community’s realities
Figure 2. Local Jindabyne resident and rubbish collecting “guru” wondering why there is not a “can do” attitude by council?
This attitude reflects the findings of a survey where only 2-3% of respondents reported they were “very satisfied” with the council’s performance.
Figure 3. Graph from Council’s survey of ratepayers - 2021-23.
"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."
— John Adams
This election is arguably the most critical in Monaro’s history—at least until the next one. The community now faces a choice: vote for a responsible, responsive, and transparent group of councillors, or stick with the current incumbents until we reach the end of the road. REMEMBER OUR MANTRA - THOSE WHO HAVE CAUSED THE PROBLEMS CAN’T FIX THEM!
If the current incumbents can't handle the basics, what hope is there for the more important issues of our region – e.g. cost of living, economic development and future opportunities for the next generation?
“They say I gotta learn, but nobody's here to teach me
If they can't understand it, how can they reach me?
I guess they can't, I guess they won't
I guess they front, that's why I know my life is out of luck, fool” - Coolio
««UPDATE»»
At the time of this posting, this was just posted to Facebook. We are truly living in a time of participation awards and gaslighting. If we pretend that things are better, they will be - right? This is not about positivity - it’s about performance. Ratepayers should have an expectation of excellence in the performance of council staff and councillors. After all - it’s our money!
Please see our previous substack article:
