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  Huon Ratepayers Association Inc
 
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Disclaimer, Without Prejudice

The Huon Ratepayers Association won’t use stifling rules, jargon or by-laws to hide or complicate the truth, neither will we bully or threaten to sue when we’re challenged, however, we don’t want to be sued ourselves and disclaim any liability for any comments or actions taken by members in the name of the Association. Our mission is to promote public awareness of Local Government policies and empower members to learn more about, and responsibly challenge, Council and Councilors over Ratepayer issues. All figures quoted are public knowledge; comments & articles published are the opinions of the writers only.

HRA is not aligned with any creed or political party, we are not for profit and aim to be impartial.

       Who are we?    

This website, and association membership, is for those who know that there has to be a better way of doing things in governments which are, increasingly, taking more than they give. The Huon Ratepayers Association, or HRA, started in response to Huon Valley council arrogance which escalated when two threatened to sue a Ratepayer over a claim that one had been evasive and the other misleading. Apologies were offered to the evasive one on the assumption that he had good intentions but it was quickly learned that he too was part of the problem. A decision was made not to ruffle more council feathers and focus on community education instead because, as one experienced member put it;

‘Democracy is about numbers, not wisdom’ and ‘We get the Government we vote for' 

Not everything about government, or the Huon Valley council, is bad news, in fact, the Pareto principle suggests that only 20% is responsible for 80% of the results or, in simpler terms, the effects of the vital few over the trivial many. It is a matter of debate which actions of the 20% are good or bad for the remaining 80% but we suggest that 20% of Huon Valley council needs to change their increasingly dogmatic opinions about what is or isn’t ‘good’ for the community in the long run. Council price tag approaches 16 million pa, 5 million in wages alone, highly concentrated in administration and problems caused by years of complacency are becoming all too obvious. A mere 20% reduction in administration, for instance, would go a long way towards better health and dental care in the Huon Valley and address the sourcing and reticulation of safe water.

We need funds to be effective and invite your valued membership. Currently, our new member establishment fee is $25 which buys a copy of our popular booklet LARF (40 page collections of funny, wise and useful bits), $10 pa thereafter. Membership entitles support through our data base of contacts, information and publications and access to our large range of member support services including $25 computer fixes, $100 internet ready Pentium2 computer systems, office machines, member training courses and specials offered by members. We also offer a free ‘interest only’ membership that keeps you informed, by email, of activities the Association holds and provides limited services. Email us for the details huonratepayers@yahoo.com.au 

             Like what we’re doing?              

We’re not funded by Government so please give us some of your time, goods or dollars and help us make a difference.  Phone or fax for i’net banking; +61 03 6266 3090, email dhtmled2:mailthuonratepayers@yahoo.com.au or use the secure engine of http://www.donations.com.au/ > http://www.donations.com.au/lcharity.asp?chID=4566 < or Google for serendipity http://www.google.com.au/   THANKS!

           LARF            

HRA publishes a large collection of interesting ‘Laugh, Anecdotes, Riddle and Facts’ (LARF) booklets which hold 40 pages of wisdom and hilarious bits. Several have been distributed around public places for people to read over coffee, pizza or dentist and doctor. $25 each including postage, $20 ea for 10 or more. Contact for free samples; christasman@hotmail.com

          Council meeting Sep 8th 2004     

'An impressive set of king pins were present but the Public was not allowed to bowl'.

Forestry' presentation on Wood Fired Power Stations was really interesting, albeit biased. Unfortunately, questions were not allowed from the public and when some did regardless they were threatened with removal. If wood fired power stations are so wonderful then why has no-one build one here, why can't the public ask questions, where are the benefits for the hundreds of thousands spent on the establishment of Southwood (now called Newood), where are the hundreds of sustainable jobs promised by Future Team Councilors? This issue will hit hardest when old-growth resources have been depleted, sustainable job opportunities have dwindled to a few, lands are covered with a narrow range of thirsty plantation timbers and dangerous chemical concentrations are found in scarce water supplies. How will Geeveston, Tasmania's Forest Town, fare after the boom that blinds so many to the dangers coming out of their taps? Forestry Tasmania now promises that a veneer mill will employ 100 permanent local jobs and use plantation timbers only (March 2006). Reality is that the mill will use large amounts of subsidized electricity and water in return for a minimum of local jobs. ~20 year old plantation timber makes reasonable ply-wood but poor veneer, unless old-growth logs are used. Liberal Prime Minister Howard gave $250 Million to the Tasmanian forestry industry in 2005 to revamp itself, get out of old-growth logging and become value-adding. Simple arithmetic quickly shows that tax-payers are now funding the jobs that may be created if this industry does what it is now paid to do. This is NOT a Green issue any longer -you do the sums.

HRA questioned Mayor Armstrong; Mr Chairman, would you be so kind to respond in writing to the question we posed on the 14th of July; "Should Councilors be required to respond to letters sent by concerned ratepayers?" Mayor Armstrong (and chairman) flippantly retorted 'I Will Consider It'. We question Mayor Armstrong's attitude to some in his electorate and remind him of his obligation to respond respectfully to all Ratepayers. His attitude to date has been trying and, at times, disgracefully biased against Cr Smith who is female and a member of the Greens Party. We are particularly concerned that 'Council' is happy to condone such poor behavior with the excuse that it is part of 'strong leadership' and evidence of  solidarity to a Future Team majority. To make a long story short, we consider that strong leadership in a democracy is not about intimidating minorities. This amounts to bullying and is unacceptable.

A request by Cr Smith for $350 to attend the highly acclaimed 'Cooperation out of Conflict' Conference, facilitated by the Anti Discrimination Commission, was not recommended by Council General Manager Mr Cockerill on his suggestion that it would cost $800 (truth is $350) and 'not bring value to the community'. Cr Wilson, seconded by Cr Dillon, moved to reject the application based on an opinion that 'There is no conflict in the Community'. HRA Questions why this Council is not willing to recognize reality and why Cr Smith is hindered in her attempts to cure the wrongs. All Councilors were invited to attend HRA inaugural meeting (July 2004) but only Cr Coed (independent) showed and spoke of similar concerns. Especially telling is that Cr Wilson had made a booking but failed to show even though he was only 5 minutes away talking with Mayor Armstrong! The obvious question remains; how can Crs Wilson and Dillon claim there is conflict when they are not prepared to find out?

           Letters     

'Letting the cat out of the bag is a whole lot easier than putting it back in'

Main Road Huonville. The recent roadwork improvements, whilst including Tactile Indicators for pedestrians with little or no sight, make no provision for a blind person without a guide dog or carer to SAFELY cross the road. The crossings are not shown as Zebra, thereby giving a pedestrian priority, and without an Audible warning how does the sightless or poor sighted pedestrian know that traffic has been stopped and it is safe to cross the road? Has Council considered this omission? This may be an offence against the Disabled Discrimination Act (DDA) in that a poor sighted or blind person is denied the same facility to cross Main Road as a full sighted able pedestrian.                   Chris Mountford, B.Sc(Hons) Dip Arch AFAIM, Lucaston

Parochialism. Can the homeowner’s right of free, unencumbered public road access to and from their dwelling at all times of the day and night be taken away? The Tasmanian Minister, the Huon Valley Council, and the School Board seems to think so. Buses parked illegally in my street effectively block it off during pupil pick-up time. This arrangement has been arrived at without any prior consultation with me as a nearby landowner/ratepayer. The construction of bus lay-byes, to allow buses to park away from passing traffic, I now learn, have not been included in plans passed by the Huon Valley Council. Clearly, current road access restrictions are going to continue indefinitely. What happens if members of my household need an ambulance or other urgent service? Must we wait until after school hours to summon assistance? Nobody should have their rights of dwelling house access trampled on in this arbitrary and unreasonable fashion. Apparently the “free press” in Tasmania do not want to print something like this. Bob Cope, CYGNET, TASMANIA.

Port Huon Sports Centre. Persistent rumors 'In The Interest of the Public' abounds that the Port Huon Sports Centre is a litigation nightmare and will be closed in the near future. This will be embarrassing for Council considering that they bought the facility in '97 under questionable circumstances and against the wishes and warnings of many Ratepayers. The Centre is losing Ratepayers Money at an alarming rate and needs maintenance -again. What are the facts -will decisions again be made without real public consultation?

Eggs and Bacon Bay for Breakfast. Shacks were the first settlement of Eggs and Bacon Bay and are part of its history. Tests show they are not causing pollution problems. A sewerage treatment plant for the ten shacks was proposed by DPIWE and Huon Valley Council, to be located on the "village green", the public open space behind the beach. In reality there was no consultation with the community and caused resentment among residents. Shack owners pointed out that there are many modern alternatives in effluent treatment and that waste could be safely handled on each shack site. Council's response was that their scheme was the only game in town and if it was opposed all the shacks were to be pulled down. One of the most alarming moments was council's assertion that once the sites were freehold, the shack owners could replace them with new buildings of up to 8m in height. The scheme divided the community whether Eggs and Bacon Bay will continue to be a charming and historic seaside village or become a brick-veneer "suburb" that happens to have a beach. The shack tradition is a significant element of Tasmania's built environment. Eggs and Bacon Bay shacks are in good condition, contribute to the magic and amenity of the Eggs and Bacon Bay experience for residents and visitors alike. The RPDC has ordered Council and DPIWE to come up with a "Special Area Plan" for the village. So far there is no sign that Council are any more inclined to consult the community about this than they were before, but we live in hope. Mac Hoban, Eggs and Bacon Bay / Kettering   Email machoban@hotmail.com

Liveability CD for Councilors, planners, decision makers and the interested public. The intention of our personal contribution to the 2004 “Year of the Built Environment” is to lift the level of planning debate around the State to a standard generally applied on the Australian mainland and internationally. We are politically un-aligned. Planning blunders recurring regularly in most Tasmanian Council districts point to a lack of procedural and other professional knowledge that must be addressed if we do not want to slide ever further away from accepted and proven best practice in urban and spatial planning. While Tasmania does indeed feature some unique landscapes, its townscapes are generally below modern standards and expectations regarding liveability, and the population suffers because of it. The term 'liveability' is today used to describe a planning approach that caters for the needs of all users of public space. Traffic calming, 'pedestrianisation', water sensitive urban design, noise, dust and UV reduction, summer shading for people and energy conservation are terms used to describe the areas covered by best practice planners. Street trees and urban greening are essential tools to achieve the above. They are as inevitable as a roof is to a house. The CD can be obtained free (a donation is welcome to help cover costs) from Lesley and Peter Brenner dhtmled2:mailtbrenner@netspace.net.au

         Council advertising     

Commonwealth Electoral Allowances allows politicians a budget to communicate with their electorate, which many use to advertise and 'buy' votes with (I’ll do this if you vote for me). Local government politicians in Tasmania may not use public monies for that purpose but council has access to funds for advertising, submit articles and press releases, hand community grants to sporting clubs (suspiciously close to election times), publish mayor's message (not necessarily written by him) and publish unrealistically glowing Annual Reports singing praise for some councilors but not others. HRA Questions the reasonableness of it all and why the public is not allowed to scrutinize expenditure or question GM about any bias he may have to spend public monies as he sees fit. What will vested interests expect in return for support of a candidate, team or councilor?

         Community Concerns           

·          Real consultation by Council with the Community is lacking -leading to justifiable discontent.

·          A worrying complacency amongst 'Future Team' Councilors and a few bureaucrats. Concerns of condescension, intimidation and instances of bullying have been mentioned.

·          There are signs of excessive bureaucracy in Council.

·          State Government brought the Annual Assessed Value of properties, to which Rates are tied, up to Market Value. Will Rates go up by the same proportions -double for a few highly desirable properties? Will services increase by the same rates?

·          What are the job specifications for the 128+ Full Time Equivalent Council employees -costs over $4.8 Million per year in wages alone. GM contract nears $124K pa. Data is from 'Measuring Council Performance in Tasmania’ and annual reports.

·          Poor parking on Cygnet's main street, especially for supply trucks, and that a car park behind the Town Hall (and the Green Inn) would solve many problems -and the cost to Ratepayers for shifting a sewer there.

·          Why is there no quality caravan park in the district? We're missing out on a sustainable industry here.

·          The need to Record Council Meetings and verify what was really said (Councillors are Public Officers)

·          The need for informal Public Question times -before Council Meetings.

·          Should (too many) items discussed during Closed Council Meetings be in ‘Open’ Council?

·          Lack of Council support for after hours Health Services & Emergency Dental care -especially for the Aged and disadvantaged (watch Council move on our Community Health Centre in Huonville)

·          Wheelie Bins and the obligation to pay no matter if you use or not.

         Press Release    

Monday, 11 October 2004

The Huon Ratepayers Association Meeting of Friday 8th was one for the record books. Dr Jocelynne Scutt of the Anti Discrimination Commission spoke clearly about Might not being Right and about the illegalities of bullying and intimidation tactics some in power use to silence their critics. Others spoke about the Dollars wasted on Huon Valley Council pet projects and the lack of genuine community consultation, excessive bureaucracy and high Rates that lie at the heart of such failings. Sadly, no-one of the Huon Valley Council was available to answer questions -and that speaks volumes- but other Councils were represented and they spoke about the progress they made in delivering Good Value for Rates by listening to their community.

Mr Henry Finnis (Liberal) again failed to show, despite booking, but Mr McKim, MHA (Greens), proved reliable and congratulated the HRA for offering reality to the Huon community. He reminded us that we need to scrutinize Government on a daily basis to ensure that they understood, and can be held accountable, for what the community wants. A speaker from the Derwent Valley suggested that we should call our favoured Councillor and ask why he wasn't at the meeting, what he has done for the Huon community in the past two years, and to record his comments.

The Huon Ratepayers Association can be contacted on 6266 3090

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