LCC: You do not speak for me

Cameron Hindrum

IN its infinite collective wisdom, the Launceston City Council have decided not to engage in the unseemly business of cavorting with the great unwashed, and prepare its submission to the RPDC in support of the proposed pulp mill without canvassing the views of ratepayers through the standard forum of a public meeting.
Instead, it seems, the Council is happy to swallow the extremely tired and fallacious ‘world’s best practice’ line as an excuse for ignoring the important issues of air quality, water usage, transport, employment and pollution that continue to plague this mill proposal.

This situation is compounded by the fact that the RPDC process is already tilted in favour of the proponent; Gunns Ltd will have the chance to amend its IIS on the basis of feedback received from the RPDC and resubmit it for their consideration, after which there will be no opportunity for public response. Surely if an elected governing body such as the LCC is remotely interested in fairly representing the views of its citizens it would maximise opportunities for public input into the only phase of the process that is open to the public for discussion?

Doesn’t it smack of arrogance, even a little bit, that the council has decided it knows best and will therefore speak for everyone? On this issue, it certainly does not under any circumstances speak for me. Or, dare I be so presumptuous, for a good many other ratepayers of Launceston with whom I am acquainted.

Of course, we shouldn’t expect to be consulted over every decision the council has to make, and we elect them for the most part to make decisions on our behalf. But surely some decisions are more important, and will impact more widely, than others. Surely anyone currently serving on the council with a critical mind or a conscience could detect that public sentiment — both pro and anti — is running fairly high with regard to the proposed mill, and that anyone with an articulate opinion on the matter would welcome the opportunity to make that opinion known to the council? Additionally, the mill has Project of State Significance status — all the more reason, one would think, to ensure that anyone inclined to do so has a say in what view is put forward to the powers that be.

It simply isn’t good enough. Concerned citizens wanting to express concerns to their aldermen have had to make do with being given a few minutes during public question time during an otherwise very busy council meeting to ask questions of the council. Regardless of the claims made in the draft IIS, the proposed mill has the potential to greatly affect many citizens who live either in or around Launceston or on either side of the Tamar Valley. To have such significant concerns blithely swept away suggests, at best, poor governance on the part of the council, and at worst, sheer arrogance.

It would seem that the LCC is simply playing along with the power games initiated by the State Government and the Pulp Mill Task Force; the message being sent is, “Don’t worry yourselves about it, we know what’s best, everything will be all right. Just remain relaxed and comfortable and leave all the pesky decision-making up to us.”

I beg, emphatically, to differ.

Cameron Hindrum, a concerned citizen of the fair city of Launceston, invites everyone to gather in Civic Square at noon tomorrow, this Saturday, September 16th to rally against the pulp mill and send a clear message that all is not as the LCC would seem to believe. The rally will proceed along Cameron Street to City Park for speeches by Peter Cundall and Bob McMahon (of TAP, Tasmanians Against a Pulpmill) and other speakers.