June 22, 2018
Hon David Templeman
Minister for Local Government
Your Ref:- 66-05943.
TO DEAR DAVID FROM DAVID (Another condescending explanatory epistle from ‘The House on the Hill’)
Hon David Templeman
Minister for Local Government
Your Ref:- 66-05943.
TO DEAR DAVID FROM DAVID (Another condescending explanatory epistle from ‘The House on the Hill’)
It is always exciting to get a
personally autographed response from the Minister for Local Government, David Templeman,
regarding questions about the rapacious, ravaging, ravenous, much ridiculed
role of the Western Australian Local Government Association- better known
as WALGA.
These fictional, politicized literary gems have more than a touch of Deja-vu. They could have been written for and behalf of one of the previous Liberal incumbents, Tony Simpson, except for the signature. In the end, it is all about a Minister who really does not care and certainly does not want to bear any responsibility.
Along comes the Ground Hog Day rhetoric, copied straight from Google.
Firstly the classic- WALGA was formed on 6 December 2001 to represent the local government sector. Anyone who can read knows this and does not really give a shit about when it was formed, just what damage it has been allowed to do over the past 17-years.
And it’s not too hard to work out who gave birth to this self-serving abomination. A Labor Government was in labour for nine months creating this aberration as a peak industry body to be tenderly nurtured by the then Minister for Local Government, Tom Stephens.
The use of the word peak in WALGA’S case is a joke. Synonyms of peak are summit, pinnacle, even a crowning achievement when the list of systemic failures in WA local government is longer than a gorilla’s arm and worse than the smell of a gorilla’s armpit.
Peak Body means a conglomerate of allied interest groups with a focus on common interests. In WALGA’s case it can easily be perceived as self-interest.
Mr. Templeman claims WALGA allegedly advocates on behalf of 137 WA Local Governments, possibly to keep its clients out of the civil court system and out of jail.
WALGA negotiates service agreements to enhance the capacity for local government’s to serve their communities. Unfortunately at a massively increased, exorbitant cost to the ratepayer with no positive result.
It trains Local Governments to do stuff, often using trainers who have allegedly stuffed up themselves in the past. Some have been Chief-Executive-Officers who were told long ago that their services are no longer required who have been reincarnated as allegedly highly skilled, advisory gurus to the plebs and counselors to councillors- happily ensconced on the WALGA bandwagon.
Its corporate partner is a corpulent insurer, LGIS, getting fiscally fat providing financial risk and other risk management solutions to Local Governments for a fistful of fees.
Mr. Templeman further enhances his rapidly deteriorating reputation by reminding everyone that WALGA is nothing to do with the State Government. It stands alone providing dodgy training and sub-standard advice to local governments on a fee for services and membership fee basis- meaning emptying the pockets of unprotected ratepayers.
He says Local Governments’ do not have to use WALGA. That is nice- so can they use all those departments within the Department of Local Government?
Of course not because Local Government’s are Autonomous. They cannot me made to listen and- they just pay WALGA to listen and learn some tricks of the trade and keep ratepayers in poverty.
Unfortunately Mr. Templeman is telling ‘porky-pies’ The Labor Party gave birth to WALGA and still breast feeds it with STATE GOVERNMENT GRANTS. (Grants that could be easily removed and probably be put to better use elsewhere.)
Now- if not sure of what a Grant actually is, it is a gift, a donation, a present of your money, by the Government to WALGA so the Department of Local Government can relax and do nothing.
Of course in late 2017, one of York’s favourite bureaucrats, Ms. Jennifer Mathews, the then Director of Local Government Regulation and Support, was the Deputy Chair of the WA Local Government Grants Commission, doling out hand-outs to the likes of WALGA because she and her department did not have the ability, capacity and claims it does not have the authority to Regulate and Support Local Governments.
So if Labour created it and Labour still feeds it- it is this Sate Governments’ baby, spoon-fed, by proxy, by taxpayers. Any other definition of the State/WALGA relationship is semantical bullshit!
Now who runs the magnificent advisory body? One is Ms. Ricky Burges who became Chief-Executive-Officer of WALGA in 2000.
Obviously, there is a problem with timelines and dates. The State Government claims, via WALGA Web, that WALGA was formed on 6 December 2001, yet Ms. Burges, according to WALGA, was the WALGA CEO in 2000 in a back-to-the -future type scenario with at least a 12 month time-warp.
As an employee, Ms. Burges could be considered as the ultimate, non-government/ government, professional, executive seat warmer and continuous formidable salary recipient.
She has been the Chief Executive Officer of Perth Zoo, Director of Human Resources at the WA Tourism Commission and Director General of he Ministry for Culture and the Arts. But for the past 17, possibly 18 years she has had the best gig of all.
I am sure Mr. Templeman and the State Government will claim that Ms. Burges was the ideal candidate and now the ideal CEO running a sheltered workshop of Local Government support with her obvious previous massive in-depth knowledge of the Local Government Sector.
The all powerful Ms. Burges claims she ‘hires the best people I can find’. Just one of these is Mr. Dominic Carbone, former CEO of the City of Canning and other unfortunate councils as well as being the former President of SEAVROC, the South Avon Region of Councils which went down the local government gurgler, bigtime!.
Of course her trainers include a ‘Brain Scientist’ who stimulates independent thought processes and a Reporter who tries to tell Local Government aficionados when to keep their mouths shut (except in President David Wallace’s case.)
And every WALGA needs a Procurer to handle high-risk procurement, a Trauma, Grief and Loss trainer and a Child Car Restraint Specialist.
Maybe even a relative to round off the eclectic crew. Burges is not a particularly common name!
Ms. Burges is happy to tell everybody and anybody that ‘some Chief Executives in private enterprise are paid well in excess of what is conscionable. Maybe she should check out the salary package of Shire of York’s CEO, Paul Martin before sticking her Gucci loafers in her mouth.
Mr. Martin does not have to answer to a real board of directors, the ASX and shareholders and, apparently, not even to ratepayers.
The President of WALGA is Ms. Lynne Craigie who has been a Shire Councillor for 17 years. Supposedly there is some positive in this resume, but it is hard to ignite much enthusiasm especially when she has probably been in the game of drones way too long.
As the senior representatives of this peak body, these two could claim they represent the wants, needs, aspirations and the entire socio-economic interest of the local government sector in WA, the home of 2.6 million and around 1 million ratepayers
Not only is there the 137 Councils, the 1,250 councillors and 22,000 employees, there is also that pot of gold, in access of $300 million in government grants- as well as all those domestic and commercial rates.
For WALGA to act in the best direct interest of Local Government Councils, the councillors who are, supposedly, employers on behalf of ratepayers, and the employees is oxy-moronic, a virtual impossibility and/or the biggest Conflict-of- Interest rort of all time.
Always save the best for last regarding what a crock WALGA represents.
It is all there on WALGA - Online Local Government Directory / WALGA-enlightening everyone about York Shire Council Statistics for 2015-2016.
Population- WALGA’S GUESS- 4K – actual 3,500 approx.
Electors- WALGA’S GUESS- 2K - actual 2,500 approx.
Dwellings- WALGA’S GUESS- 2k - actual 1,800 approx.
Twelve hundred in statistical mistakes is not even close to acceptable. If you were using these demographic evaluations for any significant socio-economic advocacy, and service agreement purposes then your calculations should end up in the nearest rubbish bin.
NOW COMES THE BEST BIT:-
Rates levied: WALGA’S GUESS- $500k- actual $3.6 to $4.8 million depending when the rates are finally collected.
These fictional, politicized literary gems have more than a touch of Deja-vu. They could have been written for and behalf of one of the previous Liberal incumbents, Tony Simpson, except for the signature. In the end, it is all about a Minister who really does not care and certainly does not want to bear any responsibility.
Along comes the Ground Hog Day rhetoric, copied straight from Google.
Firstly the classic- WALGA was formed on 6 December 2001 to represent the local government sector. Anyone who can read knows this and does not really give a shit about when it was formed, just what damage it has been allowed to do over the past 17-years.
And it’s not too hard to work out who gave birth to this self-serving abomination. A Labor Government was in labour for nine months creating this aberration as a peak industry body to be tenderly nurtured by the then Minister for Local Government, Tom Stephens.
The use of the word peak in WALGA’S case is a joke. Synonyms of peak are summit, pinnacle, even a crowning achievement when the list of systemic failures in WA local government is longer than a gorilla’s arm and worse than the smell of a gorilla’s armpit.
Peak Body means a conglomerate of allied interest groups with a focus on common interests. In WALGA’s case it can easily be perceived as self-interest.
Mr. Templeman claims WALGA allegedly advocates on behalf of 137 WA Local Governments, possibly to keep its clients out of the civil court system and out of jail.
WALGA negotiates service agreements to enhance the capacity for local government’s to serve their communities. Unfortunately at a massively increased, exorbitant cost to the ratepayer with no positive result.
It trains Local Governments to do stuff, often using trainers who have allegedly stuffed up themselves in the past. Some have been Chief-Executive-Officers who were told long ago that their services are no longer required who have been reincarnated as allegedly highly skilled, advisory gurus to the plebs and counselors to councillors- happily ensconced on the WALGA bandwagon.
Its corporate partner is a corpulent insurer, LGIS, getting fiscally fat providing financial risk and other risk management solutions to Local Governments for a fistful of fees.
Mr. Templeman further enhances his rapidly deteriorating reputation by reminding everyone that WALGA is nothing to do with the State Government. It stands alone providing dodgy training and sub-standard advice to local governments on a fee for services and membership fee basis- meaning emptying the pockets of unprotected ratepayers.
He says Local Governments’ do not have to use WALGA. That is nice- so can they use all those departments within the Department of Local Government?
Of course not because Local Government’s are Autonomous. They cannot me made to listen and- they just pay WALGA to listen and learn some tricks of the trade and keep ratepayers in poverty.
Unfortunately Mr. Templeman is telling ‘porky-pies’ The Labor Party gave birth to WALGA and still breast feeds it with STATE GOVERNMENT GRANTS. (Grants that could be easily removed and probably be put to better use elsewhere.)
Now- if not sure of what a Grant actually is, it is a gift, a donation, a present of your money, by the Government to WALGA so the Department of Local Government can relax and do nothing.
Of course in late 2017, one of York’s favourite bureaucrats, Ms. Jennifer Mathews, the then Director of Local Government Regulation and Support, was the Deputy Chair of the WA Local Government Grants Commission, doling out hand-outs to the likes of WALGA because she and her department did not have the ability, capacity and claims it does not have the authority to Regulate and Support Local Governments.
So if Labour created it and Labour still feeds it- it is this Sate Governments’ baby, spoon-fed, by proxy, by taxpayers. Any other definition of the State/WALGA relationship is semantical bullshit!
Now who runs the magnificent advisory body? One is Ms. Ricky Burges who became Chief-Executive-Officer of WALGA in 2000.
Obviously, there is a problem with timelines and dates. The State Government claims, via WALGA Web, that WALGA was formed on 6 December 2001, yet Ms. Burges, according to WALGA, was the WALGA CEO in 2000 in a back-to-the -future type scenario with at least a 12 month time-warp.
As an employee, Ms. Burges could be considered as the ultimate, non-government/ government, professional, executive seat warmer and continuous formidable salary recipient.
She has been the Chief Executive Officer of Perth Zoo, Director of Human Resources at the WA Tourism Commission and Director General of he Ministry for Culture and the Arts. But for the past 17, possibly 18 years she has had the best gig of all.
I am sure Mr. Templeman and the State Government will claim that Ms. Burges was the ideal candidate and now the ideal CEO running a sheltered workshop of Local Government support with her obvious previous massive in-depth knowledge of the Local Government Sector.
The all powerful Ms. Burges claims she ‘hires the best people I can find’. Just one of these is Mr. Dominic Carbone, former CEO of the City of Canning and other unfortunate councils as well as being the former President of SEAVROC, the South Avon Region of Councils which went down the local government gurgler, bigtime!.
Of course her trainers include a ‘Brain Scientist’ who stimulates independent thought processes and a Reporter who tries to tell Local Government aficionados when to keep their mouths shut (except in President David Wallace’s case.)
And every WALGA needs a Procurer to handle high-risk procurement, a Trauma, Grief and Loss trainer and a Child Car Restraint Specialist.
Maybe even a relative to round off the eclectic crew. Burges is not a particularly common name!
Ms. Burges is happy to tell everybody and anybody that ‘some Chief Executives in private enterprise are paid well in excess of what is conscionable. Maybe she should check out the salary package of Shire of York’s CEO, Paul Martin before sticking her Gucci loafers in her mouth.
Mr. Martin does not have to answer to a real board of directors, the ASX and shareholders and, apparently, not even to ratepayers.
The President of WALGA is Ms. Lynne Craigie who has been a Shire Councillor for 17 years. Supposedly there is some positive in this resume, but it is hard to ignite much enthusiasm especially when she has probably been in the game of drones way too long.
As the senior representatives of this peak body, these two could claim they represent the wants, needs, aspirations and the entire socio-economic interest of the local government sector in WA, the home of 2.6 million and around 1 million ratepayers
Not only is there the 137 Councils, the 1,250 councillors and 22,000 employees, there is also that pot of gold, in access of $300 million in government grants- as well as all those domestic and commercial rates.
For WALGA to act in the best direct interest of Local Government Councils, the councillors who are, supposedly, employers on behalf of ratepayers, and the employees is oxy-moronic, a virtual impossibility and/or the biggest Conflict-of- Interest rort of all time.
Always save the best for last regarding what a crock WALGA represents.
It is all there on WALGA - Online Local Government Directory / WALGA-enlightening everyone about York Shire Council Statistics for 2015-2016.
Population- WALGA’S GUESS- 4K – actual 3,500 approx.
Electors- WALGA’S GUESS- 2K - actual 2,500 approx.
Dwellings- WALGA’S GUESS- 2k - actual 1,800 approx.
Twelve hundred in statistical mistakes is not even close to acceptable. If you were using these demographic evaluations for any significant socio-economic advocacy, and service agreement purposes then your calculations should end up in the nearest rubbish bin.
NOW COMES THE BEST BIT:-
Rates levied: WALGA’S GUESS- $500k- actual $3.6 to $4.8 million depending when the rates are finally collected.
Revenue:
WALGA’S GUESS- $1 m- actual $9 million
plus.
Employees: WALGA’S GUESS - 68- - actual is currently unknown due to numerous appearances and disappearances. (But lucky York, given WALGA’s staff figure every 37 ratepayers have their own Shire employee to support to the tune of around $1,000, per annum.)
This gives another 12 million reasons not to trust WALGA.
It appears that WALGA has a different method of gathering extremely important data- like any figure will do.
WALGA is an extremely contentious issue as we move forward to the eventual release of the Local Government Act 2018. It is unlikely to be a panacea for all ills but people in power now know-maybe what they do not want to.
WALGA is a farce and could be responsible for the collapse of the current system of Local Government and governance in this state. As the peak industry body it is the pits.
The equation is one-tenth of Australia’s population pays for one-third of Australia’s Local Government Councils and WALGA does not know how to count that far.
James Plumridge has just published his synopsis on WALGA which is totally and utterly accurate, link: KNOW YOUR ENEMY: WALGA It is good to see him back on the local government analysis hustings.
David Taylor.
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