A $40,000 Lesson in Showing Up

Mitcham Council wanted to spend $40,000 on the referendum. Mitcham locals just wanted them to cut the grass

Mitcham Council has reversed its decision to splash $40,000 promoting the ‘Yes’ campaign after angry ratepayers stormed a council meeting yesterday.

Showing up actually makes a difference! Who knew?

Irate locals crammed into the council chambers and two overflow rooms to hear their local members revisit a decision - made without consultation in June - to fund the ‘Yes’ campaign.

Back in June, without anyone in the public gallery, the councillors of Mitcham voted to divert council funds away from regulation tasks like maintaining roads and parks to a more, well, niche project - promoting the Indigenous Voice.

When the decision became public, councillor Darren Kruse defended the decision and the lack of community consultation.

“We don’t consult on every decision we make,” he said.

The arrogance.

He added that spending $40,000 of ratepayers’ money to push a pet project was not “an unreasonable or excessive” amount. Not compared to total council budget of more than $77m, he said.

Sure. But it turns out taxpayers see things a little differently. Maybe because it’s their money.

So a bunch of local residents turned up at Tuesday night’s council meeting and, what do you know, there were more backflips than an Olympic diving event.

Mitcham Counsellors voted seven to three in favour of not spending local government money on the federal government’s referendum.

There’s a lesson here. Local government representatives get away with all manner of rubbish because they can. Typically few people take any interest in council meetings and so there is little, if any, scrutiny of council decisions.

But I am reliably informed that when even a few people turn up in the public gallery, local council members are immediately curious.

Who are you? Why are you here?

When a dozen or more angry ratepayers show up and demand accountability, it’s amazing how quickly these trumped up pot hole fillers and park curators fall back into line.

Local government is one part of the country that can be taken back with minimal effort if a handful of people are prepared to simply turn up and make known their displeasure.

Before you go, if you’ve not yet registered for this weekend’s CPAC conference …

click here for all the information.

Use code “Macpherson23” for 10% off your registration.

Be sure to come up and say hi if you’re there.