Democracy for sale?

For as long as the absent investors/second home owners can vote here residents in this shire will continue to have a struggle keeping the values they want.

The shire has continued to allow property development without commensurate employment opportunities thereby guaranteeing that a high proportion of new properties are investment or holiday homes.

Standing for Council?

We really need to get younger people involved in local government. Those attending the Leeuwin Ward Planning Day in 2011 were inspired by Cr Kim Peterson, a young mother, who was really making a difference in her community at Jarradale. That day launched Belinda Robinson’s journey towards the development of a Community Hub that is currently under design for Augusta. I’m certain that Kim’s passion, enthusiasm, and active participation in Jarrahdale added fuel to the spark we had already seen in Belinda.

The Wallcliffe Weasel

The shire have made much about their information leaflet and responses to the questions asked on social media. But have they really given any answers?

Here are my observations on a few.

Community Voice

www.facebook.com/pages/Augusta-Margaret-River-Community-Voice-AMRCV/167807403404677

This is the Facebook page for the Community Voice group

I am not a number

The CEO of AMRShire calls us the masses, and apparently his staff think of us this way too.

The Bussleton Blog!

What a contrast there is between our shire’s reaction to social media this past week and the proactive engagement with the community that residents of Bussleton apparently receive with the  The Bussleton blog. 

Majority Rule v Good Governance

Good governance requires democracy; but our shire are strong on rhetoric but poor on democratic performance. A majority vote is not enough for our democratic rights to be served. The topic is covered better in the The Report of the Inquiry into the City of Joondalup than I could do here.

Happy supporting tourism?

These are old news stories but they do still have relevance;

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-07-01/augusta-margaret-river-rates-to-rise/1338170
and
http://www.amrshire.wa.gov.au/library/Objectives%20and%20Reasons%20Notice%20-%20Website.pdf
(Page 2, 3rd bullet point up from the bottom of the page)
Basically tourism is an expensive luxury.

Those Pesky CSIRO Reports

I have had an opportunity to examine the link to the CSIRO documents that were placed on the shire website last week and I am appalled by what is there. The shire have tricked me again!

Comment on Colyer's Claim

Augusta-Margaret River Shire President, Cr Ray Colyer, was quoted in the Augusta-Margaret River Mail yesterday;
http://www.margaretrivermail.com.au/story/1734177/shire-scotches-rumours/?cs=1429

Value for Money?

The shire have probably been planning Karridale since around 2004, although it could have started long before then. They really hit their stride in 2007 when they launched the Karridale Concept Plan on the unsuspecting residents of that sleepy hollow down south.

Weasels at Work?

After 8 months of continued correspondence with the shire, via the CEO’s office, I eventually obtained the information that the report on the public submissions made in respect of the Karridale Concept Plan was finalised on 28^th May 2007.

Minister Hames

20^th August 2013

Honourable Dr Kim Hames MB BS JP MLA

Dear Minister Hames,

I am writing to you about a planning issue at Karridale, in the shire of Augusta-Margaret River. In the past your department has avoided dealing with my concerns by referring me to the Minister for Planning.

Cost of Information

The documents sent to support the planning for Karridale contained factual errors and misleading statements. For example a report that the Karridale Progress Association prepared to guide the refurbishment of the lavatories and kitchen at the the Karridale hall, written in 2007,was described as a report on Community
Needs in 2013.

Working for Us?

When the plans for the 250 lot housing estates at the Karridale crossroads were first advertised for public comment it will come as no surprise to most readers that I had a few queries.

Horses of Leeuwin

Horses have been an integral part of the Leeuwin landscape since the first European settlers arrived.

Acting for Ugly People

“Politics is acting for ugly people, writing is acting for shy people,” Lee Childs author of the Jack Reacher series.

The politics of this Shire certainly doesn’t favour the shy, the introvert, those who think deeply about issues affecting their community but have no public speaking ability, or the poor, or the employed, or anyone with responsibilities at home.

Rednecks on Council?

Redneck is a derogatory slang term used in reference to poor, uneducated white farmers. Usually the rustics who want to keep their guns and refuse to adjust their cultural values to those of the “liberal” left.

Why am I mentioning rednecks now?

Disappearing Plans?

Curiously it seems a number of planning items have disappeared this week?

Just a Mistake

I was getting a little frantic this morning as my emails remained unanswered and the 14th August was rapidly approaching. As a last attempt to get some info I rang the shire planning department. The delightful lady I spoke to calmed me down and asked me why I felt under such pressure

Call the Commission?

Over the past six years I have attempted to review many shire documents but the procedure is always hampered by reports being published without a date, or an author, or a version number. When Cr Colyer gained approval for his subdivision in 2009

Policy for Bush Fire Risk Areas

AMRSC currently has a number of new local planning policies out for comment. One of these is intended to reduce our risk by recognizing that we live in a bush fire prone area and must plan as much risk out as possible at the early planning stage.

Karridale Blogspot

Odd items have been posted over the past years that might be of interest here;

www.karridale.blogspot.com

Sense of Place

Oftentimes the community are told by the shire and the councillors that this shire is focused on developing and maintaining a "sense of place". The entire planning strategy for Karridale was founded on such a notion. The professional planning staff believed that the resident community had no "sense of place"