Some Electoral Objectives
1) Openness and Transparency in the decision making process.
- Decrease in the number of decisions made in the Committee of the Whole (i.e. in confidential session of Council)
- Reconstitute Internal Audit Committee so as to have no link between members of that committee and organizations that benefit from Council decisions.
2) Move away from “user pays” in the provision of basic sporting facilities.
Council should not be imposing fees for the use of cold water pools and sporting fields. The provision of these facilities is one of the core responsibilities of Council. The imposition of fees on these facilities hits the lower socio-economic groups in our community the hardest. The budget for the 2011/12 financial year provides for a surplus of more than $150,000. Council could remove fees on cold water pools and sporting fields and not go into deficit. We believe this would be a better outcome for the community.
3) Shell Cove Project
- Project Finance
- The Shell Cove Management Agreement anticipates that Australand will provide any finance not derived from the project’s own resources. The Shell Cove Quarterly Report to Council states that it is Australand’s responsibility to finance the project. Council should adhere to this principle. The community should not be accepting commercial risk in relation to this project under the current terms of the Management Agreement. Council should not be seeking loans to progress what is clearly Australand’s responsibility.
- Business Park
- The Shell Cove Project provides for a Business Park to be developed in the Quarry Buffer Zone. Council anticipates this facility would provide 1000 direct jobs. Council should explore ways of bringing forward the construction of the Business Park.
- Golf Course
- The Links Shell Cove Golf Course lost approx $379,000 last financial year. It lost a similar amount the year before and will probably lose a similar amount this year. Council has recently resolved to lease out the hotel facility on this site and retain management of the golfing facilities. Given that Council has determined to lease out those parts of the operation that are profitable and retain those parts which are loss making, the community should be provided with a business plan which clearly lays out the way forward for this facility.
4) Planning for a sustainable future
- Council should explore ways to encourage all developments to be planned for sustainability. Subdivisions need to be planned with a street/lot layout which maximizes solar access for each dwelling.
- New subdivisions should provide cycleways and should be public transport friendly.
- Council should explore ways to encourage sustainability in each individual development. We should be using Councils position to promote the use of solar panels, water capture devices and passive solar/thermal design encouraging reduced reliance on power.
