THERE’S NO BUSINESS LIKE LOCAL GOV. BUSINESS

Failure to declare gifts, blaming, then abusing communities for other failures and failing to declare conflicts of interest, these are but a few Local Government ‘Minor Breaches’ that would see employers and employees in other industries severely censured, demoted and dismissed.

We can thank the Clown Prince of Probity, Brad Jolly, the Director General of Disaster, Jennifer Matthews, and the Minister for Mayhem, Tony Simpson. for this debacle.

Now the State Government claims that a myriad of vexatious accusations against local government councillors are clogging up Brad Jolly’s Local Government Standards Panel, saying that only 40 per cent of the latest 507 complaints are consequential enough to affect integrity and good governance. Unfortunately- this means there are 202 valid complaints that do.

A large proportion of these complaints were directed against 12 councils and 74 councillors. So any problems in York are just the tip of the iceberg.

In the past 12 months, it may well be the only vexatious accusations made against the Shire of York Council were from its own councillors, Tony Boyle, Pat Hooper and Mark Duperouzel, resulting in Tony Simpson sending their fellow councillors to purgatory for 6 months. (I suggest that the instigator and author of the opus ‘The Minority Report’ should start breaking out in a cold sweat and enjoy the thought of being known throughout their community as a pariah.)

There appears to have been no known bullying of Shire of York councillors, other than by brother councillors and the only bullying of its administration staff has been by other staff.

But the ‘hilltop hoods’ at Parliament House are determined to minimise the damage to the DLGC’s battered reputation and limit ratepayers ability to complain about injustice, lack of integrity, non-compliance with good governance, lack of transparency and corruption,

But now there is a problem!

A parliamentary committee has told the DLGC to ‘lift its game’ because, in the 2013-14 Financial Year, 58 of 132, Local Government Financial Audit Reports were not worth the paper they were, belatedly, submitted on. The Auditor Generals Department has finally been granted a remit to check local government auditing procedures, finding the results to be poor, delayed and unaccountable. 
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-12-01/poorly-performing-wa-local-governments-not-be-held-to-account/6988336

The DLGC is fully aware of the poorly performing councils and members of the committee are astounded that no action has been taken against them (and the DLGC.)

At this very moment Minister Simpson is scurrying around searching for believable excuses, a couple of scapegoats- or both.

On another matter, last year the City of Fremantle hired James Best for a set of ‘Visioning 2029, séances at a cost of around $80,000. A 12-month study by the Committee for Perth think-tank has now declared Fremantle to ‘ be on a downward slide’ and must ‘reclaim its identity’. How much this downhill slide, or any uphill battle can be attributed to James Best’s ideation and visioning is unknown.

But what Tony Simpson did to York makes a good (average) Xmas jingle:-

YORK’S BEST EVER KRIS KRINGLE

(An ode to a bad odour)

Good Old James Best pranced out of the west
ready to dig into York’s treasure chest

Minister Simpson gave him the key
a real big mistake, for you and for me.

But James soon discovered York has a few pests
a semi-urban terrorist, rabid ‘rats-nest’

They say ‘Ideation’, what the hell does that mean?

and ‘Visioning’ actually needs to be seen

A radical rabble, is not part of James’ plan
for poor old James Best is his own greatest fan

Don’t worry folks, I’ll present you my dream
but for the privilege, York’s coffers I’ll cream

There’ll be nothing much left by the time that I’m done
pissing-off York is going to be fun.

The Shire of York deputy- is not liked I hear
So I’ll treat the locals to an extra five years

I’m no longer just me, I’m a really big wee
I’m the whole bloody council, you are all going to see.

Forty thousand dollars for my visioning plan
only that rats-nest will think its a sham

The visioning séance, I’ll project onto paper
those rats think my visions are nothing but vapour.

I’ll pay an absolute fortune for some hallowed hall
it has a roof and some windows, and crumbling walls

I won’t give a rats when it starts to fall down
for one simple reason. I won’t be around.

There is no doubt about it, I love confrontation

it led to some wall art about masturbation.

So York people don’t like me, I’m not the cream of the crop
at the next council meeting I’ll call in the cops

I’ll then tour the Wheatbelt with my gladbag of tricks
me and their money, is my favourite mix.

Some seek James here, some seek James there
in the precinct of York, the sightings are rare

He is now back in the city, counting his money
we think it stinks, he thinks its funny,

Tony Simpson MP still mentions with pride
of the short time it took taking York for a ride.

In just a few months, James cost York a $mill

now maybe its time to send both the bill

David Taylor

York ratepayer.