General News
20 August, 2024
Abstain vote only a veil to water fight objection
LETTER TO THE EDITOR Sir, I refer to your article “Council pair refuse to back water fight” (Loddon Herald Thursday July 25). This article took my interest, as overwhelmingly the Councils of the Murray River Group of Councils voted to endorse...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Sir, I refer to your article “Council pair refuse to back water fight” (Loddon Herald Thursday July 25).
This article took my interest, as overwhelmingly the Councils of the Murray River Group of Councils voted to endorse the groups push to maintain its opposition to open tender voluntary buybacks; yet two Loddon Shire Councillors “abstained” from the vote.
Under the Local Government Act 2020 - Section 61 Council meetings (e) for the purpose of determining the result of a vote, a Councillor present at the meeting who does not vote is to be taken to have voted against the question.
Just to refresh readers (and maybe the two Councillors concerned); the role of a councillor (under the act) is:
(a) to participate in the decision making of the Council; and
(b) to represent the interests of the municipal community in that decision making; and
(c) to contribute to the strategic direction of the Council through the development and review of key strategic documents of the Council, including the council plan .
Both councillors provided very feeble reasons for abstaining - Cr Jungwirth stating “I am not an expert in this area” and Cr Murphy stating she did not have enough information.
I doubt any councillor in the entire group is an expert in the area and I would assume councillors are privy to the same amount of information to inform their decisions.
By abstaining, and not declaring their opposition, I would suggest they have tried to veil their outright objections to the proposal - which is most likely not in the interest of the municipalities they represent, but in the interest of state governmnet agendas.
Miki Wilson
Serpentine