Where I can, and when it matters, I will speak up for children

In this most unusual job application I have been doing lately, in this running for Council, I am lucky enough to have an amazing support network. My friends have been a source of inspiration, chewing over ideas, suggesting what I should do next. My friends have been giving me ideas about the best way to write to the community of Geraldton, whom lets face it I only know 300 people. Anyhow, a couple of my friends suggested.....'when you explain who you are you don't really need to say your a mum'. I thought...' yeah I suppose I probably don't'. But there was something about that made me feel really uncomfortable. Why was I so attached to including 'being a mum' in the explanation about who I was. 

And then it came to me; it means, I want to speak for the children in our community, who don't have their own voices. The children whose only hope of ensuring their needs are met is through the care and attention of their guardians. Having been blessed with this role of being a mum it means, I not only have the knowledge, but the responsibility, to ensure the little ones are not forgotten. I will support family friendly events, library's, beautiful recreation spaces, knowing thatchildren need to socialise, learn and play with their family and community. I will say I want clear footpaths, so kids feel safer walking to their friends house. I will, say I want dangerous dogs to be controlled so that children don't become the victims of dog attacks. I will say community safety needs to be increased so children don't have to worry about getting yelled at, abused or scared by random adults. I will say parks need to be maintained so children don't cut their feet open, or find needles in the sand.  And I am promising that where I can, and when it matters, I will speak up for children.

So I guess then, when I was left to consider what I really meant when I say 'I am a mum'; it is that, I advocate for children's and their family's needs, and speak up for children because they need someone to speak for them. Yes, I could say that, or I could simply say 'I am a mum' and trust that there would be plenty of other folks out there , who are also saying 'I am a mum' and 'I am a dad'  and we share the same idea about just what that means. 

Renee Ellis
Council Nominee for Willcock Geraldton

Mental Health Letter

Dear everything Geraldton,

As I'm sure a lot of people have been doing since your post on mental health, I would like to share my story with you.

Recently, my life got so bad that I decided that I want to take my own life. I got to a point where I talked myself out of taking my own life and I pushed myself to go to the Geraldton Regional hospital Emergency Department.

The struggle lone to get to the hospital was hard, actually talking myself to walk through the doors and tell someone that I had a problem. The sick feeling and butterflies of walking in, the feeling of your whole body being over whelmed by the anxiety of admitting you suffer with depression was horrible. Trying not to vomit as you speak, that was hard. But the hardest part of it all was, being judged, being made feel like I should go home and deal with my problems as there are more important things to be done.

I understand that ANY hospital or health workers job would be more stressful than your average one! BUT in saying that, I'm important too and what I feel and think that's real and I needed help. I was taken into hospital arid admitted .. For 2 whole days I had nurses come in and monitor me and make sure I wasn't going to do anything stupid( Thank you to the nurses who did that) But not once did a doctor or a counsellor or a psychiatrist come and see me, not once did anyone in that hospital ask me why I felt like I felt, My antidepressants where upped to the next higher dose and I was sent on my way and asked to see my GP in the next few days and ofcourse I was told if I felt like that again don't hesitate to come back.

I'm Sorry but, NO WAY! Haven for bid I feel like that again because that's the last place I want to be, alone in a room with nothing but my thoughts. Horribly enough I wouldn't want to tell anyone again.

Please don't get me wrong, I know funding is pore for mental health and the workers do what they can, but what I experienced was not enough. Depression is becoming more and more apart of peoples lives more then we know and its happening fast. More needs to be done, this isn't enough.

So I take my anti-depressants each day, dealing with my thoughts and how I feel. But I'm scared that when I hit that point again, I'm not sure where I will turn.

I hope that you can get the word to make a difference and save more lives.

Thank you,
Anonymous

Student research project

We are a group of students from the University of Western Australia conducting research on the effect of heat on community wellbeing in Geraldton. Our aim is to identify ways to increase livability by improving the urban climate.

We have set up a 5 minute survey to get an idea of the community's perception of urban heat as well as the methods to reduce it.

If you are a resident of Geraldton it would be greatly appreciated if you could complete the following survey: https://app.lamapoll.de/urban_heat-edited/

Kind regards,
Asja

Geraldton council election

I would like to extend my best wishes to Ron Ashplant in the coming council election. Ron was instrumental in bringing to light the wretched plight myself and other residents of Utakarra were subjected to , that being the faulty sewage system and pumping station in Clematis Crescent. Ron not only was the first person to investigate this issue , but over the next 2 years continued to keep in touch and give valuable advice on which avenues to follow next. During this time we were visited by numerous politicians and water corporation management, Including Darren West, Dave Kelly , Mia Davies, and even, MarkMcGowan leader of the ALP , but sadly not once did I have any contact with our councillors from the ward of willcock, even though one lives in the immediate area . SoRon thank you for your efforts and I hope you are successful in the coming election , for the sake of your ward. Hopefully we can find a candidate half as good to represent the people of willcock

Paul Mcconnon

Local Government Elections - Geraldton

I am really excited to see the strong field of candidates running for both Mayor and Councillor positions on our local Council in the October election. This is a very positive sign that there are people who are interested in our community, and prepared to step up and represent our ratepayers and residents.

However, as good as it is to have a competitive field that provides choice, what's just as important is for everyone in our community to step up and vote! 

At the last election, we saw voters rally and make a clean sweep of Council positions by installing a stable of new people to represent them. Since then we've seen two annual rate increases fall below what had previously been predicted. The City CEO and staff have responded well to this new direction of the Council with a good start to the process of reigning in costs. This is a process that needs to continue, and in my opinion, it may take up to another two years to get us to a position where we can say we have successfully streamlined City operations and we're running at peak performance for minimum cost to the community.

However, the community has a role to play in this by using its voting power to ensure the best possible candidates are elected to Council in October. We need to remember that decisions at Council are made by majority vote. So if the majority of councillors don't share the community's vision, the community loses out.

This October you will once again have the opportunity to influence the future direction of our City and District. So please take that opportunity, make your vote, and make it count.

I urge you study the candidates, consider what they have to offer and if they're contesting their own seat, think about what they've delivered in the past. Discuss your thoughts with others if it will help, and make informed choices that will give even more momentum to those councillors who've worked to constrain costs over the past coupe of years.

I wish all candidates good luck in the upcoming election, and I hope to see more councillors come on board to continue the work of bringing costs down while maintaining the range and quality of the essential services the community needs.

Thank you, and I look forward to seeing your votes roll in. I have great faith in the community's judgement.

David Caudwell (JP)
Councillor
City of Greater Geraldton
Chapman Ward
0459 216 000

Don't Click Anything!

If you receive an email purportedly from Australia Post (with their logo) which states that an attempt to deliver a parcel yesterday was unsuccessful and that you need to either click the link in the email or copy the hyperlink into your browser in order to obtain the advice label to collect it from the post office... DON'T CLICK ANYTHING!

The email looks very authentic but the link downloads a zip file which if extracted can encrypt random files in your computer (in my case 30,000) This virus is called ransomware and the only way to restore your files is to pay a $500 or so ransom and the perpetrators will send you a code to un-encrypt your files.

If you are tempted to pay the ransom, bear in mind that they will then also have your payment details (credit card etc).

Files affected are mostly word documents and various files which render installed programs useless, images, audio files etc. The windows folder may become corrupted and your network settings will also be affected.

There will be an ENCRYPTED FILE against all files affected and instructions on how to restore the files. 

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES OPEN THESE EMAILS OR CLICK ON ANY LINKS> DELETE THE EMAIL OF MARK IT SPAM OR ADD TO YOUR JUNK MAIL SENDER LIST>

anonymous

A Big Thank you

I would like to Thank Joseph Lim from Tarcoola Pharmacy for coming to our local Support Group - Yarraly - Midwest Lung and Respiratory Support Group giving us a very informative and excellent talk and advice on pharmacy items, on why it is important to have one Pharmacy dispense your medical scripts and dangers of mixing some medicines with across the counter vitamins and other very important roles that he plays in working closely with doctors prescribing medications. If you ever need any advice or support it is worth travelling to Tarcoola to meet Joseph and his team.

Once again a very big thank you Joseph and our goodies pack was most appreciated. :-)

Should you wish to join our group and to hear other people giving informative talks, we meet on the 2nd Monday of each month at the Community Health Room, Geraldton Regional Hospital at 1.30pm.

Yarraly - Midwest Lung and Respiratory Support Group

Letter to the editor; Running for CV Councillor

I am 51 years of age, married with three adult children who live in Perth.  My wife Lisa and I are currently building a new home in White Peak and we have both been active members of the Park Falls Residents Association since purchasing our block in 2014. I am the current Vice President of the association.

I have been a Local Government employee for the past 22 years and have a very good understanding of the processes that are required. I have also been involved in junior and senior community/sporting groups and have been a volunteer bush fire fighter for the past 16 years.

I believe I can offer the Shire of Chapman Valley and its residents a wealth of knowledge and experience. If elected I would look forward to representing not only the South West Ward residents but the whole of the Shire of Chapman Valley.
 
https://www.facebook.com/Darren-Cole-for-Councillor-South-West-Ward-Shire-of-Chapman-Valley-1111553915539578/timeline/

Darren Cole

September is international Childhood Cancer awareness month

September is international Childhood Cancer awareness month. As childhood cancer doesn't have much awareness it has a lack of research, 4% to be exact. So we as parents of children with cancer we are trying to get the word out to help save many lives.

The GOLD ribbon represents Childhood Cancer, please GO GOLD this September to show your support for all children around the world.

Childhood Cancer is the number one killer in childhood disease, 1 in the 5 children diagnosed will loose their battle. Every 3 minutes a child is diagnosed. It is NOT rare.

I have added a link where you can buy a gold ribbon for just $2 what goes back into research. If you cannot buy a ribbon simply just share on Facebook or wear gold.

Thank you for your support

http://www.thekidscancerproject.org.au/Bears/Merchandise-for-Purchase/Gold-Ribbons-%283-pack%29.aspx

Ashlee

Letter to editor; Thank you Chris at MWDR

A MASSIVE shoutout to Chris at Midwest Disaster Relief for his amazing help in organising furniture for a family that was in desperate need he was just fantastic! A great asset to our community! My friend will be so grateful. 

Ron Ashplant- candidate for Council, City of Greater Geraldton

As the designers and creators of the HMAS Sydney II Memorial, in association with the Rotary Club of Geraldton, we would like to express our support for Mr. Ron Ashplant in his forthcoming quest seeking election to the Council of Greater Geraldton. 

Mr. Ashplant played a significant part in the successful development of the Sydney Memorial on Mt. Scott, when he was a member of Council previously, and his devotion to community development generally is, by all accounts, of the highest standard. 

The HMAS Sydney II Memorial, now recently voted as the No.1 Tourist attraction in WA by the International Trip Adviser Travel Site, needs careful and ongoing support for its care and upkeep generally, but especially by someone with such a track record in understanding the requirements of such a sensitive element and central feature, in this community.  

It is our strong opinion that having Mr. Ashplant in Council would be a major help to fulfill the role required and ensure that the Memorial was maintained at the highest level. 

The people of Geraldton would be very fortunate indeed to have someone of Mr. Ashplant’s calibre as a Council member again. 

We wish him every success.

Joan Walsh-Smith & Charles Smith

Pot Plants Stolen from local Childcare Centre

On arriving at the Childcare Centre on Wednesday morning, I thought it must've been April Fools Day. Overnight someone came and took four large pot plants. These were not small, it took two men to lift them to put them there. The children had planted and carefully nurtured these plants, learning how to be respectful and caring towards their environment and community.

Although someone sees this as a cheap way of stocking their garden, it is at the expense of others and in this situation, 89 children and 82 families.

I am hoping that I will wake up one morning and they will be returned.....no questions asked.

Daneale Buckley
Kidz Retreat

Response to Mr Correy’s Letter to the Editor

In the interest of public transparency and in response to Mr Correy’s Letter to the Editor, previous Letters to the Editor, he has submitted on Everything Geraldton and questions he also asked of Council at the 28 July Ordinary Meeting the following information was provided To Mr Correy at both the Council meeting and in writing in a letter dated 3 August 2015:

Question
Abraham Street/Verita Road Bridge contract

(A)       Why did the CEO award the bridge contract to Georgiou at 8.171M plus GST with no reference back to Council when he was instructed in October 2014 to negotiate the contract at $8.2M inclusive of GST- in excess of $800,000 extra?

Before responding to the questions from Mr Correy I think it is important to clarify a few matters.

Since the Council made the decision to award this contract, Mr Correy has been on a fishing expedition to try and find some evidence to support a conspiracy theory that he has invented.

The repeated questioning on this matter has cost the City thousands of dollars in lost time and productivity. In addition to this, the line of questioning is considered to be a personal attack on the integrity of Officers from Brookfield Rail, Public Transit Authority, Department of Main Roads, GHD, the City and myself.

The panel of very qualified and experienced representatives from these organisations have more than 150 years of collective engineering experience, have built thousands of kilometres of roads, scores of bridges and have assessed thousands of complex tenders. This panel, whose integrity you have continually questioned, have unanimously agreed that Georgiou’s tender provided the best value for our Community.

I respect your right to ask questions and seek clarification but doubt that you can form an objective view because of your vendetta against this City and your lack of knowledge or experience in considering complex tenders and in building bridges and roads.

Response - A
The CEO was not instructed to negotiate the contract at $8.2M inclusive of GST this is a misrepresentation of the facts that a plain reading of the resolution reveals.

The CEO was in fact instructed to award and execute the contract if he was satisfied that:

1. The preferred contractor was able to obtain a construction license from Brookfield Rail and enter into agreement with Brookfield Rail to enter and carry out works within the Rail Corridor.
2. A tripartite agreement between Brookfield Rail, Public Transport Authority was able to be entered into.
3. All other outstanding matters including without limitation the City’s exposure to Risk had been resolved.
4. The negotiated contract was within the budget allocation and consistent with the intentions of the Tender.

The CEO was only required to refer the tender back to the Council if the above conditions were not met.

The negotiated contract was below the budget allocation of $10,000,000 and the above conditions were met, the CEO accordingly exercised the authority delegated to him by the Council.

Question
Abraham Street/Verita Road Bridge contract

(B)       If the tender price was varied or withdrawn doesn’t that then deem the tender non-compliant and therefore invalid?  And if so, why was the tender not re-advertised or alternatively negotiations commenced with the next lowest conforming tenderer?

Response – B
The tender price was not withdrawn.  Tenderers typically submit a price which includes a number of conditions and assumptions based upon their understanding of the scope of works. During the tender process these conditions and assumptions are clarified with prospective tenderers and tender prices are commonly adjusted. If you have had any experience in the evaluation of complex tenders you would understand this.

If a tendered price is varied during the assessment process as a result of nominated inclusions and exclusions, or in response to scope clarifications, it is not considered to be invalid. This practice is common with tenders of this nature and is supported by law.

The variations following the Council decision were anticipated by the Council and that is why they delegated authority to the Chief Executive Officer. The variations related to the third party requirements (Brookfield Rail, Public Transport Authority and MRWA) not known at the time and would have applied to any tender that was accepted.

Question
The Verita Road bridge contract was awarded at $8,172,298.07 exc GST.

I have correspondence that states that an alternative tender from Highway Construction was on the table at $6,528,153.81 exc GST + $1,108,808 exc GST for 4 extras.

In simple terms the 2 tenders read like this:

-   Georgiou Tender                                 $8,172,298.07 exc GST

-   Highway Construction (all in)  $7,636,962.18 exc GST

Less a further $300,000 reduction resulting in a net tender price of

                                     $7,336,962.18

Difference                   $ 835,335.95

How does the City’s engineer justify the statement he made to the Council Meeting in May that the accepted tender was 1.5% below the next cheapest tender?

Also why did the CEO agree to pay $835,335.95 of ratepayers money more than was tendered?

Response
The figures you have provided for comparative purposes are wrong because they do not incorporate the variations to the tendered prices of both parties during the assessment process. I note that you have also misleadingly added a discount of $300,000 that was offered by AlbemOperations & Highway Construction after the award, which you know would have been illegal for the Council to accept.

The following table shows a true comparison.

A proper comparison shows that Albem& Highway Constructions tender was $110,884.47 or 1.56% higher than the tender from the Georgiou Group.

Question
If the contract award price to Georgiou was $8.17M + GST, can council please advise what was the lowest conforming submitted price of any of the remaining tenderers excluding all non-priced criteria assessment influence?

Response
The submitted tender prices varied between $7,180,969.22 Incl. GST to $8,424,131.45 Incl. GST.  These prices excluded any adjustments following receipt of responses by tenderers to clarifications from the Tender Assessment Panel and further third party requirements not available at the time of tendering. 

Georgiou Group Pty. Ltd. was the highest ranked Tenderer based on the qualitative and quantitative assessment Criteria and Albem Operations Pty. Ltd. & Highway Constructions Pty. Ltd. was ranked third out of seven Tenders.

Ken Diehm
CGG CEO

Mayoral election

We have four worthy candidates in the coming election for Mayor but I believe by far the best man for the job already has it - Ian Carpenter.

Before I state my reasons, for those who don't know, I am a Councillor, elected in 2013.

Being Mayor is a demanding full-time role and we are fortunate to have a full time Mayor who has the experience to deal with the vast number of complexities that go hand in hand with Federal, State and local legislation and regulations. 

We have a population headed for 50,000 and for all our problems, and we all know there are problems, the City of Geraldton-Greenough is a dynamic regional centre and with continued good management, will remain so.

Ian is devoted to Geraldton and works very hard for this city. He is not running for personal glory or any ambition beyond what is good for our community. The many people who know Ian understand this aspect of his character regardless of what else they think of him.

He has a great knowledge, which for myself and other new Councillors is a resource we are grateful for, and over the years has built and nourished important contacts in Perth and Canberra - in other words with people and agencies that control funding. The value of that is considerable.

He is also, in my view, an excellent leader. He listens but is strong willed and once a decision is made, even if he does not agree with it, like a true leader he supports the majority.

In addition, he and CEO Ken Diehm form a very efficient team. This is crucial. The roles of staff and Council are very different and both must perform their duties without undue interference from the other.

Of course there are checks and balances, but a well run Council is one where Councillors, acting in part on advice from senior staff, make decisions, and senior staff, with guidance from the CEO, implement them.

Ian has been Mayor since 2007, a long time, but change for change's sake is never good policy. For all our problems - underperforming Federal and State economies and related funding cutbacks, social issues, a flatlining real estate market and difficult business environment, we're actually not doing as badly as some think.

The CEO has initiated a realistic and achievable Long Term Financial Plan, the Foreshore redevelopment is reaping benefits and Geraldton-Greenough has not been forgotten by big business which is of course cautious in the current economic climate but still interested in investing in Geraldton.

One final point. I have heard comments that Ian is too old. 

He is too old to play on a half-back flank in the GNFL but Mayors aren't expected to do that - they are expected to lead and work for a Community as Ian does. His brain is ticking along just fine and he's no fuddy duddy. In truth he embraces the future - our future.

On election day, I get one vote like everyone else over 18. As noted above, all the candidates are worthy but I strongly contend Ian Carpenter is the best of them.

Thank you.
V Tanti

Council Non Transparency with Tender Results

I wonder why Council have a non-disclosure policy with respect to the release of tender information. 

Try this 

Council award Georgiou Pty Ltd the Abraham Street Bridge tender at $8,172,298.06 plus GST = $8,989,527.87. 

I wrote the CEO requesting a list of tenderers and the tendered amount to be informed that I couldn’t have the information – Confidential.  State Government and other organisations including other regional councils make tender information available as a matter of openness and transparency (some Councils actually record the information in their minutes of the subsequent meeting). 

So I went through the Freedom of Information (F.O.I.) process.  Took a month but I was finally supplied with the following information.

So the tender that was awarded by the CEO was $1.5M dearer than the lowest tendered amount – any wonder it’s a Council policy to not be open and transparent. 

2 issues stand out 

1. The Council tendering and contract awarding process is a shambles and needs overhauling. 
2. All tender results should be open and transparent so that ratepayers (who pay the bills) can see how their dollars are being spent. 

Ratepayers – your opportunity to have your say is coming up.

Council nominations close 10 September 2015 and the elections are on 17 October 2015.

I suggest you scrutinise Councillor and Mayoral candidates thoroughly.

Max Correy

Reducing the size of Council /Asset management

I note Councillor Van Styn’s comments in relation to the proposed reduction in the number of Councillors.

As the current Mayor of the City I have no problem with reducing our numbers and the consequential cost savings. This was discussed at a recent Concept Forum at which Councillor Van Styn was not in attendance.

When the City amalgamated with the Shire of Mullewa in 2011 we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement that we would not reduce the number of Councillor representatives (2) for the Mullewa Ward for a period of eight years. Whilst an MOU is not a legal document, my position is, as a signatory to the agreement, I would not consider breaking this agreement.

Asset Management.

Unfortunately there is more to this issue than stated in Councillor Van Styn’s letter.

• Whilst Council did have a lager than usual increase in 2011 it should be remembered that in 2007 (also a re-valuation year) that Council chose to not implement the full increase in that year because of the drought conditions which existed at that time. This caused a downward compound over the next four years.
• With the introduction by the State of the Integrated Planning Framework back in 2011 it became necessary for all Councils to correctly address and fund asset renewal. Few have done so and might be a good example for the State to adopt the same regime! Whilst prior to this date it was not compulsory, our Council was aware it was coming and had begun to address the issue. This had my full support as it is routinely done in private enterprise, an area where I have much experience.
• I believe this showed good forward thinking by our Council not the reverse as suggested by Councillor Van Styn.
• I have also fought hard to ensure rates are as low as possible given our financial constraints and will continue to do so by making sure we examine our costs and staffing levels regularly.
• We need to be a financially sustainable city and one that does not leave debt for our children. My intention is to encourage our Council to achieve this.

Ian Carpenter.
Mayor,
City of Greater Geraldton

Coastal Erosion

I’m very pleased this issue has been raised by one of the candidates because, as someone who has lived in Geraldton for pretty much all of my life, it is something near and dear to my heart too.

Coastal erosion is a problem for local government’s right up and down the West Australian coast from Busselton to Kalbarri and has been an issue for many years. With the known increase in sea levels, this will continue as time advances so we need to be “on top” of the issue.

There are a number of areas within the City of Greater Geraldton where erosion has been taking place over an extended period of time, for example, in the Grey’s Bay area, which is on the south side of the Geraldton peninsular. Some of the longer term residents of the area would be aware Willcock Drive has actually been moved back from the ocean three times in the past 50 years. Previous Councils have chosen to adopt the strategy of moving the road back because of the enormous cost of using hard infrastructure to protect the beach. 

Archived photographs of the Back Beach area show the beach has actually grown in width as has the area between the Fisherman’s Wharf and Pages Beach.

Specialist coastal engineers tell us most of the beaches north of the Batavia Coast Marina are eroding because the Port Breakwater and the Marina are blocking the natural movement of sand which normally travels from south to north. Unfortunately Geraldton is an Industrial Port City so we need to deal with the issue. It is clear the Port and the Department of Transport (owner of the Marina) have a responsibility to assist with the cost of rectifying the Northern Beaches erosion because their structures are the primary cause of the erosion problems.

Some two and a half years ago I became frustrated that we were making no progress with the Department of Transport (DOT) and the Midwest Ports Authority (MPA) in getting them to address the issues of erosion on the northern beaches and wrote to the then Minister of Transport, Troy Buswell, to make him aware of my frustrations. As the result of my letter the Minister appointed a senior person from the DOT to lead a team consisting of the DOT, MPA and the City to find an acceptable solution to this vexing problem. This group has an engineer from each and has sought the advice of a specialist coastal engineering firm and is now at the point where a designed solution for the area from the Marina Bay through to St Georges Beach is all but complete. The next phase will see us negotiating with the DOT and the MPA to provide the necessary funding. Some funding has already been sourced from the Royalties for Regions program but much more will be required. I expect the DOT and the MPA will provide the bulk of the funding as it is their structures which have caused the erosion.

Many ratepayers ask why we continue to have to sand nourish in the Midalia/Beresford Beach area. As noted above, the Port and Marina block the natural northern movement of sand so this will always be required to ensure the northern beaches continue to be nourished. After this sand is put in place it naturally gravitates northwards. The City has an agreement with the MPA to provide a specific amount of sand each year at no cost to the City. This sand is sourced at Pages Beach where the sand is continually building up. I am told by the MPA, removal of this sand prevents silting of the shipping channel. 

Because there are other areas like Sunset Beach and Drummond Cove where erosion of the beaches is an issue, a future Council will need to make decisions as to whether it commits to spend a great deal of ratepayer’s money to provide further coastal protection or let nature take its course in areas where it is not necessary to protect any infrastructure. This issue is yet to be decided as we are awaiting an engineer’s inundation report which will cover Point Moore to Drummond Cove. It is important that we have the best engineering advice available before we decide on an action plan. I think we should avoid hard infrastructure to protect the coast wherever we can but there may be some areas where it simply may not be possible to avoid it. 

Geraldton is renowned for its beaches, diving, swimming, surfing and other water sports. We need to retain our “Gero feel” for future generations and I have and will continue, if re-elected, to work to make sure we get the best possible outcome for our community

Ian Carpenter.
Mayor,
City of Greater Geraldton

Councillors Must Share in Cutback Pain

As a result of a long history of poor forward thinking, the City today is forced to close an asset renewal gap of at least $6 million a year. In more recent times the answer was simply to raise rates in order to fund asset renewal and repairs.

This I find unacceptable and have fought hard to lower rate rises. I strongly opposed the 27% rise of 2012. This year after significant lobbying by myself and some of the current Councillors, aided by the community and driven by the CEO we have seen significant cost savings of more than $3.6 million implemented. Unfortunately this has led to a reduction of more than 40 staff at the City.

As Councillors who lead the City we must also share in this pain and reduce our numbers.

Currently we have 14 Councillors plus a Mayor. I will seek to reduce this to 9 Councillors plus the Mayor. I will also call for a review to see if 7 Councillors plus the Mayor is also viable.

By reducing the City wards from 6 to 4 we can reduce Councillors by 4. If we cut to 3 wards we could reduce Councillors by a further 2. The Mullewa ward must remain but the number of Councillors should be reduced from 2 to 1. This would save as a minimum $150,000 to $210,000 per year depending on which option was chosen.

As we expect City staff to work harder and drive efficiencies and as we expect community groups to share in cutbacks, Councillors must do the same. The process will need to commence from the next election in 2017, providing sufficient time for community consultation to determine boundaries and the desired level of representation.

I ask voters to elect me as their Mayor to move on from prior poor decision making and set a fresh direction for our City by restoring the community’s confidence in it. 

Shane Van Styn
Candidate for Mayor for the City of Greater Geraldton
shane@suncitysecurity.com.au
0417 910 005

"Bin Man" rewarded

Local resident Courtney was pleasantly surprised yesterday to find her bin had been emptied, despite having not put it out. 

The bin was on the other side of the street. 

She decided to check her home's security footage to find out who the Good Samaritan was. ​

What she discovered prompted her to contact us and express her gratitude. ​

We shared the message of thanks to the Veolia driver who had gone the extra mile for Courtney onto our Facebook page. 

Geraldton residents loved the post, sharing it far and wide. Currently over 36,000 people have seen Courtney's note of thanks.  

Rob, a manager at Veolia, reached out to us, in the hopes of working out who the driver was. 

After working out where the house was, it was discovered that the helpful driver was "Zatie Hazel". 

He's been rewarded with a $50 Bunnings voucher.  

If you have kids that love watching the rubbish bin truck come past like I do, you've probably seen Zatie before. He's perhaps the friendliest driver I've ever come across in my time on this earth. 

Thanks for making Geraldton a better place Zatie.  

Protecting Our Beach : Protecting Our Lifestyle

The beaches and climate were a fundamental reason I chose to return to Geraldton with my family some 15 years ago. I love our beaches - I walk them, swim, dive and occasionally drive along them; they are key to the lifestyle we enjoy each and every day.

Unfortunately both our climate and coast-line are undergoing change that must be responded to.  How that intervention is managed will be as much about the Gero lifestyle that we want our kids to enjoy, as it will be about cost to the public purse and coastal engineering solutions. 

The role that the Greater Geraldton City Council takes in getting the balance right between what the community desires and expects, the cost and engineering drivers shall be one of its most significant and ongoing challenges it shall face in the years ahead.

Coastal processes are complex and dynamic, and protection against erosion is very expensive. There is no perfect solution and each intervention whether it is a structure, sand renourishment, protection, rehabilitation or just letting nature take its course, has different benefits, impacts and costs.  But the choices made may significantly impact access, amenity, use and vistas along our beachfront that we currently take for granted.

 In my experience in working in local government engineering, planning and management roles, (not just with the Geraldton Foreshore project but with similar issues in localities like Albany and Broome), determination of the appropriate solutions come from a balance of sound coastal engineering/science based on the coastal processes and landscape, cost and understanding just how the community inter-acts with and values the attributes of the beachfront .

We can’t escape the reality that every “solution” has both benefits and negative impacts:

• groynes tend to hold a beach but often compound  erosion further along and still leave it exposed to storm events;
• offshore breakwaters offer more storm protection, can create a fishing spot and protected area for younger swimmers and access for walkers, but may increase erosion further along the beachfront;
• coastal rehabilitation and/or sand renourishment is about the closest intervention we can undertake to replicate nature but has significant ongoing costs, and may not be adequate in areas subject to high erosion or storm impacts
• rock armour protection can be effective at protecting built assets but limits access and  the reflecting waves tend to carry sand away, leaving little if any beach strip to use and enjoy
• Retreating and letting nature take its course is ok where there is little threat to property and infrastructure, but rising sea levels may require sacrificing much of our valued coastal reserves

There are many variations to these common responses to coastal erosion and as these problems  are occurring globally we should be looking and learning from the experience of others as we go forward

I am putting up my hand to be your Mayor in the full knowledge that getting the decisions right on these issues in the eyes of the community and within the resources available, will be a tough ask of any on the Council. But the Council’s role will be critical in ensuring the community’s views are very much understood and incorporated into these decisions, and are not subservient to advice and direction of the accountants and engineers alone -those decisions will be as much about the Gero lifestyle our kids will enjoy

Rob Jefferies
Candidate for Mayor City of Greater Geraldton