AS a ratepayer, I appreciate the City of Stirling sending me a document titled ‘Stay in Stirling’, which partially itemises how Mr Barnett’s local government boundary changes will negatively impact the City and far more importantly its ratepayers.
That the City has to use ratepayer funds to promulgate its opposition to what Mr Barnett has imposed is bad enough; worse is that Mr Barnett stubbornly barrels on with his arrogant and autocratic dictate of his local government boundary changes as a fait accompli, for which a mandate was neither sought, nor given, at the last State election.
Mr Barnett has not given anywhere near enough reason for the boundary changes and he most certainly cannot cite extensive community-based consultation as his basis to proceed.
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READ NOWAs for the local Member for Morley, Ian Britza, he has been conspicuous by his silence on this issue.
When any in public office disregard the people whom they purport to represent, then the frailty of democracy is exposed, no matter how robust it may appear.
Democracy has to be cultivated, nurtured and guarded.
Therefore, when I see the heavy hand of authority, especially in the guise of the Premier, abusing the people’s trust by imposing his will and using both his majority and ‘supposed’ mandate as authority to do what he wants, when he wants and how he wants, then I believe that not only is our democracy being wilfully abused but it is also being placed under unwarranted duress.
J.R. Babbage, Nollamara