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.
This information came directly from the planning officer who wrote the report. We knew that 81 people took the time to make submissions about the Concept Plan. That is probably an indication that the Karridale community were not apathetic about their locality.

The author of the report further stated that at some time between 28^th May 2007 and December 2008 the CEO decided the report would be buried and the whole planning process for Karridale would start again. He said that because the report has never been before Council it is not a public document and I would need to make a Freedom of Information request in order to obtain a copy.

I discussed this requirement with the Freedom of Information officer and followed up with a formal request in writing as agreed.

Email sent 7^th August 2013

As discussed earlier I would like to see the following;

1 the schedule of public submissions relating to the Karridale Concept Plan and

2 the officer’s report relating to the Karridale Concept Plan, the plan was undated, and author not specified, but we know the report was presented to the community February 2007, and we were advised by Andre Schonfeldt that the officer's report was dated 28^th May 2007, and then taken off the agenda by "the CEO" and has never been taken back to Council and this is why it is not a public document.

3 Any correspondence between officers of the shire and Greg Rowe and Associates responding to a four page letter that was sent by Greg Rowe to the Chief Executive Officer, AMRShire, on 12^th June 2009, relating to planning for Karridale. (We do have a copy of the letter Greg Rowe sent)

Please note what I asked for, and especially note what I didn’t ask for.

I did not ask for a copy of the Karridale Concept Plan, which was widely distributed to the community in 2007.

Email received from the FOI Officer 7^th August 2013

Hi Heather

Just letting you know I had a quick look in the system and I’m a bit confused as to what happened to the Concept Plan.

I’m going to wait for the Manager of Planning to come back from annual leave on Monday so he can help me investigate further and I’ll let you know what I come up with.

Kind regards

 Email received from a Planning Officer 12^th August 2013

Dear Heather

I have now gone through all the files covering development of the Karridale Hamlet Settlement Strategy.

I have started putting together the information you have requested but will need to check with our Freedom of Information Officer before I can send this out. I should be able to meet with her tomorrow.

Kind regards

Email received from the FOI Officer 14^th August 2013

Hi Heather

Just letting you know I haven’t had a chance to catch up with the Planning Officer, we are hoping to meet by the end of the week.

I’ll keep you posted.

Kind regards

Make a note of that – I’ll keep you posted

Email received from a Planning Officer 15^th August 2013

Hi Heather

This is to provide you with an update on the information you have requested.

Both the FOI officer and I have been extremely busy this week. We had to shift our last appointment to deal with an urgent appeal matter.

We are meeting tomorrow afternoon and will get back to you as soon as we can.

Kind regards

Emails received from the Planning Officer 16^th August 2013 (two emails have been combined for brevity)

Dear Heather

Further to my earlier email please find attached:

In regard to your request for a copy of the officer’s report prepared after advertising the first version of the KHSS in 2007, I advise that no report was ever prepared. (from the first email)

·           Report about the Karridale Concept Plan presented to the community in early 2007;

·           Attachments 1, 2 & 3 to report presented to Council on 9 February 2011; and

·           Sustainable Future Final Report’ by CSIRO and the Shire dated September 2005.

In a cute turn of phrase she comments on “the first version of the KHSS in 2007” Nobody outside the Planning Department would recognise the Concept Plan as this. Then she states that she sent me a “Report about the Karridale Concept Plan” which was exactly what I had asked, for but in her previous email she explained that no such document exists. She actually sent me a copy of the original Karridale Concept Plan, plus attachments from 2011 and a CSIRO report that I had not asked for. Curious. For a person still operating with the restrictions of a dial-up connection this is a painful waste of time and money. In a week when the shire’s costs are under scrutiny it’s a waste of everybody’s money.

And then I waited for a response from the FOI Officer to make contact, but there was no response at all. No comment at all from the FOI Officer. She did say she would keep me posted. I wonder is everything now being handled by the Planning Officers?

 I thought I’d better check.

Email sent by me to FOI Officer 20^th August 2013

Am I expected to pay you money now for the FOI requests made on 5th and 12th August 2013?

If so how much?

Email received from the FOI Officers automated reply system 20^th August 2013

Welcome to the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River and thank you for your email. I am out of the office, returning 4 February 2013. In my absence you can redirect your enquiry to Raye Golding by emailing rayegolding@amrsc.wa.gov.au. Alternatively you can phone our Customer Service Team direct on 08 9780 5255 for assistance. Office hours are: Margaret River Administration Centre Monday to Friday 9am-4pm Augusta Administration Centre Monday to Friday 9am-Noon, 1-4pm Margaret River Works Depot Monday to Friday 7am-3.30pm

So it’s back to the future time and it looks like I’ll need to start a whole new round of FOI dialogues if I want any information.

Could they possibly be stalling for time, hoping that this Karridale planning will pass through Council before any information is released?

They did it in 2011. Kept me waiting 8 months and sent the strategy document to the WAPC without notifying the community at all.

When Gary Evershed wrote to me on 26^th July he was very polite; “I would encourage you, if you have issues with that information or comments that may inform the process, to make a formal submission through that process.” Further, he also said that he appreciates my observations and was practically asking me to be his penfriend and continue to send in comments.

I could comment that as a ratepayer I am concerned that all the shire staff appear to communicate in “weasel,” the language of the obfuscator and avoider, they appear unable to communicate in any plain language. Weasel is the language Gary uses when he suggests that he welcomes my comments on the information when I have just complained to him that I cannot access the information I need. 

This has been an expensive waste of time. For senior staff at the shire to be sending so many emails apologising for not answering questions, or just incorrectly answering them, must surely warrant some kind of in-depth operational review or value-for-money audit.