LOCAL GOVT, CORRUPTION & MISCONDUCT

The context of corruption and misconduct

Misconduct and corrupt behaviours in local government can be perpetrated by the councillors, the leadership team of the council, the staff against the interests of the council, external parties outside of the council, and/or a combination of the four groups.2 The question of why does this happen and in what circumstances can

it happen, can be an imponderable and potentially unanswerable question. There can be multiple answers, with each of them specific to the organisational culture of the councils in which the behaviours have occurred, rather than having some type of forecasting tool which can predict incidences of corruption.

Gobert and Punch3 stated that there is no “single variable theory of [corruption and misconduct]”, but argued instead for a multi-causal explanation with contingent, situational factors playing an important role in individual cases.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC 1998) reviewed the literature pertaining to corruption and misconduct, and stated that there are inherent risk factors which can: (1) enable or optimise corruption and misconduct and (2) aid in the perpetration of the corruption and misconduct.

Punch4 succinctly summarised the context of corruption and misconduct in the following way:

“The only responsibility of business is to make profit – illegally if necessary, and the business of business is crime.” ... CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

TOWN HALL VANDALISM IN LAUNCESTON

The scene being played out in Launceston's Civic Square right next to Town Hall could well be a comedy if it were not for the seriousness of the unfolding truths currently being revealed.

When put on the spot, Alderman Finlay revealed that there were indeed costs to be born by ratepayers consequent to the serial  bureaucratic bungling that resulted in the components of Stephen Walker's 1992 'TASMANIAN TABLEAU' being scattered about as if this civic sculpture was a bunch of toys. It was a gift to the city to commemorate THE EXAMINER's Sesquicentennial.

It is no trivial matter to toy with the moral rights of artists and authors under Australia  Copyright law. All too often when an artist/author has died bureaucrats get to think that nobody will be looking and that perhaps nobody cares. When they do care, and the ineptitude of the  bureaucratic insensitivity is on display, and is called out, the backroom whispering and denials eventual gets to be loud enough to hear, 

Alderman Finlay finally fessed up to there being a cost to sorting out the bungle albeit she did not challenge the advice provided to Council when council was asked if an  estimate of the costs involved in, and related to, addressing the issue of the artist’s/author’s moral rights being violated. The response on the record is that "there are no additional costs to the Civic Square project associated with these sculptures." This could never have been anything like the truth but without a whimper of any kind the alderpeople one and all let the flawed advice go without comment.  That's accountability in action for you.

Presumably, given that SECTION 65 requires the General Manager guarantee advice offered in Council's agendas that was good enough for all the alderpeople despite such advice defying every kind of logic. Alderman Finlay finally let the cat out of the bag when she advised that "that as the Civic Square redevelopment project is under budget any costs associated with the sculpture being reinstated as intended can be absorbed within the current budget". Alderman Finlay, or indeed any other alderperson or officer has provided any evidence for the project being "under budget" and in any event it is of no consequence as clearly there are "additional costs" albeit unspecified and confidential.

Clearly, Alderman Finlay's advice demonstrates that there are indeed additional unbudgeted costs associated with honouring the artist’s/author’s moral rights. These are the very rights that have been bureaucratically dismissed apparently and sidestepped as a consequence of Council’s seemingly dysfunctional planning processes. Moreover, this bureaucratic advice is contrary to the advice provided on the record in the  COUNCIL AGENDA Monday 4 June 2018  

After that, it appears to be the case that collectively Launceston's alderpeople's financial competence is open to be questioned given their implied apparent uncritical acceptance of operational budgets in the first instance and subsequently given their apparent predisposition to accept, and uncritically, self-serving managerial advice. 

When advice turns out to be flawed and less than “expert” in accord with SECTION 65 of the Local Govt. Act 1993 the city's alderpeople, ratepayers' representatives in a fiscal context, accountability falls to the alderpeople and there can be no ducking of the issue.

It is of some concern that it appears that in this and possibly other cases too, that the alderpeople do not recognise that there are indeed significant costs flowing to ratepayers as a consequence of ta bureaucratic blunder. Moreover,  a blunder that must result in the curtailment of expenditure elsewhere unless one subscribes to 'cargo cult delusions'. It appears as if the alderpeople collectively do not acknowledge that Council’s primary income source is the city’s ratepayers and in this instance at least, they are careless of that fact. In fact a regular meeting attender has reported that the term "ratepayer" is rarely if ever heard uttered around the 'Council table'.

Indeed, it seems that ratepayers can expect the alderpeople, by default, to represent Council's officers rather than them, the city's ratepayers. This discounts somewhat all those assertions to do with caring about and understanding your constituency’s aspirations and needs talked about at election time. The speculations, to do with what the actual cost of anything might be in fact and in a circumstance where ‘commercial-in-confidence’ just does not cut it and it leaves ratepayers hung out to dry paying more and more without any expectation of aldermanic accountability.

It is all the more worrying when ratepayers get to thinking about just how they are being represented on subcommittees etc., committees like the Audit Panel, in an atmosphere of diminishing trust in Council’s accountability. Interestingly, if one does not pay one's rates you are likely to be 'sold up'.

When the bleedingly obvious and writ large for all to see it may be worth taking note. Even if it is a bit late it might be as good a time as any to own up to the serial stuff-ups. By doing so Council would be demonstrating that it is up front about its caring for cultural producers’ moral rights and community values. It might also be a time when cultural producers are valued via a public apology to Stephen Walker’s family and the ‘arts community’. 

Hopefully Launceston's alderpeople might want to consider correcting the record in regard to the financial shenanigans going relative the serial stuff ups currently in evidence. all this would have a particular resonance in the light of THE EXAMINER’s smoothed over history published May 19  – https://www.examiner.com.au/story/5476664/tasmanian-artist-stephen-walkers-lasting-mark-in-civic-square/?cs=95#slide=3

CLICK HERE TO GO TO SOURCE

In a world of digital nomads, we will all be made homeless

The office-space empire WeWork was founded eight years ago in New York. It currently leases 240,000 sq metres of real estate in London alone, which reportedly makes it the city’s largest user of offices after the British government. The basic deal is simple enough: you can either pay to put your laptop wherever there is space, or stump up a little more for a more dependable desk or entire office – and, in either case, take advantage of the fact that, with operations in 20 countries, WeWork offers the chance to traverse the planet and temporarily set up shop in no end of locations.

Part of the WeWork idea, moreover, is that a place to toil is only part of what is on offer. As well as your workspace, there will be free beer on tap, regular yoga and pilates sessions, and more. ... CLICK HERE TO GO TO SOURCE

Council’s food van policy

EAT Street food vans are required to pay $2000 a year, be there four nights each week and renew licences every six months.

The conditions imposed by the council are so food-van-negative that only three vans have applied for the four available positions. Darren Alexander must be pleased.

At the same time a food van just outside the Town Hall, to service aldermen and council staff, less than 30 metres from the permanent coffee and food outlet in the library, seems to operate unimpeded with its biennial licence. Why is this so?  

Eat Street vans meet the needs of families in a healthy open air environment and were highly successful before the council intruded. Does the council generosity towards its staff obviate its service to the wider community?

It is to be hoped ratepayers note the stance of individual aldermen in this sorry debacle, and remember when they vote in the October elections.

Dick James, Launceston. in The Examiner https://www.examiner.com.au/story/5472034/june-18-your-say-on-bowel-cancer-employment-and-eat-street/?cs=100

YES MR JAMES! Ratepayers really should take this kind of thing into account at the elections but it is rumoured that Ald. Alexander will not be in the race.

UTAS LAND GIVE AWAY

Speak Up Launceston has alerted ratepayers and residents to the latest Inveresk development application up for public comment in relation to the City Council UTAS free land gifts. 

It is the proposed subdivision for land at Inveresk to be handed over to UTAS. While it is mainly about boundaries and titles, it also includes matters to do with storm water and sewerage - aspects that ratepayers end up paying for. 

UTAS does not pay rates, and the Council, ie ratepayers and residents, already covers the cost for stormwater etc for the Student accommodation on Utas's behalf. The time for public submissions or comments closed at 5 pm, Thursday 14 June. Not much time, but a few words is all that is needed to have your say. Click on the link to go straight to the maps, plans details etc.

CLICK HERE for the subdivision details and other documentation

A protest letter at any time would be appropriate while this council continues to do over constituents whenever they can and never for the constituency's benefit. Always keep it in mind that 2018 is a Local Government election year and vote according to thr level of consideration the aldermen  have provided collectively.

GO TO COUNCIL NEWS

KENYA AND PLASTIC

There are lessons here to be learnt and not backed away from. Launceston/Tasmania will no doubt do something tokenistic just like the city would by default look to someone, somewhere else, to solve or even deal with it almost any issue. "WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS" are demonstrably put in place to oversee the management of waste – and the wasting – rather than manage the ‘recovery of resources’. 

A tick to Kenya and not just on the plastics front. AND there are alderpeople in Launceston that need reminding just how they are are ducking the issues while collecting their rewards/stipends. 

One gets the feeling that in Kenya they might well be 'introduced to the lions' in order to get them to modify their expectations and behaviours. However there are two Sumatran tigers coming to a zoo nearby, Perhaps they could be introduced to the alderpeople?

This is a salutary read if you start to think and then hope for an expedient solution CLICK HERE TO GO TO THIS STORY.

GARLAND MAGAZINE

tunapri is a palawa (Tasmanian Aboriginal) word meaning “knowledge”. It has various uses today. Ningina tunapri is the title of an exhibition about palawa culture at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. The University of Tasmania offers tunapri rrala scholarships for palawa students.

CLICK HERE: TAMARweekly Arts & Culture Link

CLICK HERE TO GO TO GARLAND EDITION # !!

Launceston Is A Shithole With Tom Gleeson!

Tom Gleeson came to Launceston with a camera crew and interviewed the Mayor. Basically Tom was in Launceston to show the world what a 'shithole' the place is but sadly be missed a lot of opportunities. If he had come on a Meeting Monday he could have saved a whole lot of filming time. All the aldermen needed to do is what they normally do and bingo he'd have in the can right off. Anyway. Tom did quite a good job in helping the council out since they Are trying to scare tourists away with just about everything they do. ... CLICK HERE TO WATCH AND MAKE YOUR OWN MIND UP

Open letter to the Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, and the Council of the University of Tasmania.

Dear Chancellor, Vice Chancellor and Members of Council,

As you watch and re-watch the video footage of the catastrophic floods and the aftermath in and around Hobart, and as you are forced to address the problems and the very real risk to life arising from the flood events at the Sandy Bay campus of the University of Tasmania, including the dramatic rescue of the security officer trapped in a room with the rising waters, consider the implications should, and when, such events occur at Inveresk, Launceston.... After you review the footage of water flowing down a long hallway where people are still present, of ruined Law Library books washed out onto the grass, of the height reached by flood water and the resulting damage to computers in the Engineering department and the emotional responses of staff and students, and after you clean up and prepare to assess the damage and costs, it is incumbent upon you to thoroughly examine the following serious matters in relation to the University’s Northern campus. ... CLICK HERE TO GO TO SOURCE

An independent inquiry into UTAS

Dr Michael Powell 08.06.18 

There is a powerfully urgent need for an independent inquiry into UTAS. The core business of UTAS is the provision of education and learning yet its management culture has twisted into a self-serving monstrous real estate concern. And it is an axiom of industry that when you deflect seriously from your core business you tread a path of danger.... The vast property portfolio in Sandy Bay once dedicated to student housing has been traded in circumstances that raise serious questions but dealings in Hobart city and in Launceston raise similar concerns. ... CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE ARTICLE

#13 worldSILLYweek in LAUNCESTON

Founded in Launceston Tasmania in 2004 worldSILLYweek is the quintessential DIY festival and a festive time totally dedicated to the sanctioning of social transgression – benign social transgression where nobody is hurt – the relief of social tensions, unorganised foolishness, communal clowning about and, most importantly, a little bit of serious urine collection – all in the aid of charity.

In 2018 it will be worldSILLYweek on TAMAR and key events will be published here as we are notified about them. The 11 days of worldSILLYweek are totally dedicated to the sanctioning of benign social transgression, unorganised foolishness, communal clowning about and, most importantly, a little bit of serious 'mickey-taking' all in the aid of charity.... CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE ARTICLE

• CLICK HERE: worldSILLYweek FACEbook
• CLICK HERE worldSILLYweek BLOG