Landsborough Meeting

Feb 23 2007

I'm glad I went. Landsborough School of Arts.

It was a very one-sided argument. Smith and Singh are probably good simple men, out of their depth, vulnerable to persuasion perhaps. Smith seemed very weird to me. Inarticulate, unable to answer anything slightly complex. He gave a long speech with almost no substance - his main argument was that it would save money. He went on to reveal an illogical mind. Cr Singh repeated several times that he was listening, and couldn't say how he would vote. 

Newman, Grosscreutz, Wallace, O'Kearney each spoke well, putting their case against the reduction. revealed their dilemma in council...no other interpretation than to say it's a 'power grab'. Plus there's some Board Economic Development Board (?) where to be on it you have to pay $25,000 and everything , everything has to go past this Board. Grosscreutz expressed her concern that you have to be a big developer to be in that group. Ordinary people can't be there. And if we go down to 6, ordinary people won't be able to afford to run for Council. Male and McCardle are both concerned at the process. O'K read from a paper which came recently from the Min for LG. about amalgamations of Councils. He is against them. And if they are proposed, must have a Referendum. So Smith's suggestion that Caloundra must reduce or be amalgamated is rubbish.

Good audience, around 70, who voted unanimously against changing from 10 in 10 divisions, to 6 in 3 divisions. 

Gillian