Who is being misleading here?
 

The results are in from the Community Consultation re: Civic
Centre Design proposal and published in the Campbelltown Council Supplementary
Item: Item 8 to the Agenda of Council meeting 4 July 2006. Many people do not
like Campbelltown Councils top down approach. The consultation says that 70% of
Campbelltown residents have disapproved of the proposal.  In the 
June 28^th edition of the Messenger newspaper, p.  5 the Mayor of Campbelltown, Steve Woodcock,
states the some councilors are “circulating misleading and inaccurate
information about the civic center project”. The Mayor suggests that a handful
of residents have concerns about the civic centre project  and that the vast majority approve of the
civic centre expense, design and concept.
 

The Campbelltown Council conducted a Community Consultation
into the matter. Council  sent out a
questionnaire that told the residents and ratepayers of their intentions. More
than a handful of people did not like the closed question format. The questions
did not ask the community of whether they actually wanted a new civic centre.
The Messenger reports (July 5^th 2006) that the Civic Centre has “the
look”. It says, on page 3, that 61 % of the 550 respondents to a consultation
on the design of the Civic Centre say that it is to be applauded.

The plot thickens! There seems to be some difference between
the East Torrens Messenger article and the published Campbelltown City Council
Agenda Supplementary Item: Item 8 – Consultation of the Proposed Civic Centre
Concept Design which indicates that 70% of the respondents are against the
Civic Centre Concept proposal.

Some examples of what Residents and Ratepayers have written
are:

“I am against this whole proposal which is a huge expense
for very little gain. I am not prepared to pay additional rates. …It’s already
too expensive to hire, so how much will it cost in future? The council doesn’t
listen.”  And  “Budget would be better spent reducing run-off into our creeks
and river,  and providing  proper footpaths for our rapidly ageing
population”. And “Many things are tight with fuel prices increasing etc.  With uncertainty in employment, high
mortgage debts, food and petrol, not to mention commodities going up daily, I
do not want to pay any more council rates, levies or taxes” (P. 10 & 11, of
Agenda Supplementary Items, Campbelltown Council)

I don’t think that Campbelltown Residents and Ratepayers
feel empowered to have their say by the current council.

An attempt to keep the public informed. 

Jane Muras