TATE CHANGES HIS MIND AGAIN

BELOW IS A LETTER SUBMITTED TODAY (SEPTEMBER 28)TO THE HERALD.

IT ILLUSTRATES CR TATE'S PENCHANT FOR OVERTURNING PREVIOUS STRONGLY HELD POSITIONS.WHY DIDN'T HE SHOW LEADERSHIP AND SUPPORT FREE PARKING IN THE CBD WHEN HE WAS GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY BACK IN 2006?

It’s great that Newcastle City Council and particularly Lord Mayor John Tate, have changed their view and finally endorsed a trial of free weekend parking in the CBD.

I unsuccessfully moved a 6 months trial of free parking, against the recommendation of staff, when the Mall Markets opened in 2006.

The majority of councillors, including Cr Tate, spoke and voted against it. Better late than never.

THE STAR HOTEL DESERVES ANOTHER CHANCE

The following is a submitted letter to the Newcastle Herald on the 30th anniversary of the 1979 Star Riots which received world-wide media attention.

A Herald liftout has been published and an exhibition and celebration/commemoration at the Lock Up, Hunter Street, will be held on September 19.

The Star Hotel’s history is diverse, rich and unique. It was an institution in the CBD since it opened in 1855.

Most of its fabric is still there, facing both Hunter and King Streets. This is by sheer good luck, since a proposal to demolish and redevelop was approved in 2004.

I believe the owners should rethink their proposal and incorporate as much of the surviving buildings as possible in any redevelopment. At the very least, the 1922 King St building should be saved.

It’s heritage significance at a local level -architectural, social and historic is very high and the notorious 1979 riot is one the few occasions Newcastle gained world wide publicity. Notorious or not, other cities would celebrate the site’s long history by retaining the buildings.

The Star’s survival has become relatively more important since the unnecessary recent loss of the nearby Palais -another heritage lynchpin gone.

Copies of old photos and a bronze plaque in a new building’ foyer (as proposed for the Palais redevelopment)are token, completely unsatisfactory gestures to the Stars’ history. It’s bricks and mortar still exist, waiting sensitive adaptive recycling.

The current approval wipes out everything, including the art deco Hunter St hotel and former terraces in Devonshire Lane and crudely narrows the lane itself.

It’s ironic that GPT want to create an artificial Melbourne style lane in the Mall, when we have the real thing with Devonshire Lane, potentially a unique cultural landmark in a revitalised West End.

MEDIA TART BUMAN'S AT IT AGAIN

REFER TO TWO NEWCASTLE HERALD ARTICLES:
POWER IN MERGED COUNCILS (31/8)
FIX RAIL GATE OR CLOSE IT (1/9).

There’s no beating Cr Aaron Buman for populist (in the very worst sense of the word) and simplistic, poorly thought through media announcements. Or perhaps we should blame those he calls his “advisors”.

Yesterday (H, 31/8)it was for Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens and Cessnock to from a “Hunter super council”.

Is this genuine local government? He compares it with Brisbane City Council. Has he compared Brisbane’s population base with his Hunter Council’s?

Or the differences between New South Wales’ and Queensland’s local government powers ? Would our public transport be a poisoned chalice?

Today (H, 1/9) it’s to fix the Adamstown rail crossing or close it.

In this case, he has filched one of Cr Tate’s favourite publicity media grabs, though his demands never made any difference. Nor I predict will Buman’s.

Is this an opening salvo for a 2011 state election campaign? Has he seriously thought through the traffic flow implications?

And didn’t Cr Buman consistently say over the last Council term that rail issues were none of Council’s business?

LAZY COUNCILLORS WANT IT BOTH WAYS

GEE GIVE US A BREAK; COUNCIL CONSIDERS JULY HOLIDAY (HERALD, 1/09/09)

THE FOLLOWING IS A LETTER TO THE NRECASTLE HERALD IN RESPONSE THE ABOVE ARTICLE

After a week or so in office last year, Newcastle City Council, arrogantly, and in ignorance, decided to halve their meeting load. This is despite having a new general manager to advise them with relatively little local government background and with 10 out of the 13 councillors having little or no background or experience.
Now they want a mid-year break. Has it occurred to them that the main reason they a paid a higher fee than most other councils in NSW is their greater workload? Only Sydney City Councillors are paid more. They appear to want it both ways.

CR BOYD INCORRECT IN HIS ASSURANCES ABOUT A FINAL DECISION ON THE RAIL LINE TO NEWCASTLE

Cr Boyd’s letter (H, 27/7) correctly claimed that on Dec 2, 2008, Council unanimously resolved not to agree to any change in the existing transport modes until the State government implemented an integrated public transport system in Newcastle.
Unfortunately that decision was overridden by Council’s decision on June 16 (supported by Cr Boyd) to endorse the HDC Report’s “City Revitalisation” recommendations, including cutting of the rail line to Newcastle and a strategy for an integrated transport system, which must be based on the line being cut. The line may stay until the strategy is implemented. Council nevertheless supports its removal.
This decision, supported by the conservative bloc (including Cr Boyd) was made without any planning report or public submissions. The majority of councillors, including Cr Boyd, endorsed the June decision last Tuesday by voting against a motion to rescind that resolution.

WHO SHOULD BE NEWCASTLE COUNCIL'S SPOKESPERSON ON POLICY? CERTAINLY NOT THE GENERAL MANAGER

It was great that ABC National Radio broadcast their program AM from Stockton today. Why, however, was Newcastle Council GM Lindy Hyam , rather than Lord Mayor John Tate interviewed as spokesperson on Council policies? Why didn’t Ms Hyam suggest him as the appropriate interviewee and what will Cr Tate and councillors do to rectify this? Her ideas about Newcastle initiatives for a more sustainable city appeared to be eminently supportable. However, the ABC announcer’s claim that Newcastle City Council supports an increase in coal production and export was incorrect. It’s a pity she didn’t correct this. One would expect that Cr Tate would have corrected this error.

THE ABOVE LETTER TO THE EDITOR (NEWCASTLE HERALD) WAS SENT TODAY.IT HIGHLIGHTS THE OLD PROBLEM OF GENERAL MANAGERS SEEKING TO ACT AS SPOKESPERSON ON POLICY MATTERS AND TOO OFTEN THEY GET AWAY WITH IT, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE QUICK TO REACT (OFTEN PUBLICLY) IF MAYORS OR COUNCILLORS MAKE PUBLIC COMMENTS ABOUT THEIR DOMAIN-OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT.THIS INSTANCE MAY BE EXCUSED AS GM INEXPERIENCE-TIME WILL TELL.

IT ALSO RAISES THE QUESTION OF WHAT LORD MAYOR TATE WOULD HAVE SAID IN DEFENCE OF NEWCASTLE COUNCIL POLICY OPPOSING MORE COAL MINING, GIVEN HIS PERSONAL SUPPORT FOR IT.
AFTER 28 YEARS AS A COUNCILLOR AND 5 GENERAL MANAGERS HE SHOULD BE AWARE AND SWIFT TO RESPOND TO INAPPROPRIATE ACTIONS FROM COUNCIL MANAGEMENT.
BASED ON THE EXPERIENCE OF HIS ACTIONS OVER THE PAST 2 MAYORAL TERMS ,NOTHING WILL HAPPEN IN MY VIEW.
MAYORS AND COUNCILS THAT ALLOW GENERAL MANAGERS TO RUN THE SHOW, EITHER BECAUSE OF LACK OF KNOWLEDGE (10 NEW COUNCILLORS) OR MAYORAL LAZINESS (THE BUCK ALWAYS STOPS WITH THE MAYOR AS LEADER) ARE DIGGING THEIR OWN GRAVE.

REMEMBER THE MAJOR HERALD ARTICLE DURING THE LAST TERM(C 2005),WHICH FEATURED THE MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE LEADERS WHO RAN THE CITY? GENERAL MANAGER JANET DORE WAS ONE BUT LORD MAYOR TATE WAS MISSING.TATE'S RESPONSE TO CALLS FROM (THEN)GREENS CR MCKENZIE TO ASSERT HIMSELF AND COMPLAIN WAS TO DO NOTHING.THAT'S WAS INDICATIVE OF COUNCIL LEADERSHIP SINCE 1999.

Published as a Short take; Newcastle Herald, 11/08/09.

COUNCIL'S 150TH ANNIVERSARY MEETING

Last night (July 30), Newcastle City Council commemorated its sesquicentenary of local government, as the second oldest council in NSW (after Sydney, incorporated in 1842).

Former Greens councillor John Sutton is authoring an opinion piece for the Herald on the demise of local government in terms of planning powers across the State as well as problems particular to Newcastle with its newly elected Council; and newly appointed general manager and senior management.
I will place it on my blog when it is published.

John Sutton (councillor 1991-99) recently described the new Council in the Herald as the most anti-community council in his memory. I wholeheartedly agree.

My comments relate to some other aspects of this stitched together commemoration.
I recall after the 1997 Shortland Bicentenary, former councillor Margaret Henry and I raised the issue of the need for forward planning for the 2004 Bicentenary of Newcastle as a permanent European settlement (“Menzies Bicentenary”); and for the 2009 sesquicentenary of Newcastle Council (Borough 1859, later Municipal, City from 1885,Greater Newcastle 1938 and Lord Mayoralty 1948).

There was very little forward planning for the 2004 event and even less for the 2009 event, despite urging in past councils by Ms Henry and me.

In 2004,A published history was to be a major initiative for the Menzies Bicentenary. The long overdue comprehensive professional social history of Newcastle (probably the only major city in Australia NOT to have one) morphed into a last minute token document – a book which was excellent for school projects and tourists, but hopelessly inadequate as a comprehensive history. It wasn’t the fault of the eminent historian hired to do the project. Council’s inadequate funding and timing meant it would never be what was originally envisaged.

As a token gesture of atonement, the 2004-08 Council agreed to my inserting the history project in the 2005-2010 Community Plan (which ends in less than a year). What a pity the project wasn’t identified as a commemorative item for this year’s sesquicentenary.

The extraordinary Council meeting was an anti-climax. Yet another master plan for revitalisation for the CBD was endorsed, incorporating many strategies already approved, like the Perkins St “sesquicentenary toilet block and bus shelter” (money has been available ($250,000 from the Silk House development approval) since 2006) and the area has been without a toilet since it was demolished about 7 months ago.

Another “commemorative” strategy is the reopening of traffic into the Mall, an idea based on flim flam arguments and an outrageous waste of over $320,000 of ratepayers’ money.

There are a few positive initiatives:

• A lookout at Blue Gum Hills Regional Park on Council land to be eventually handed over the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service is a great idea but who will pay?
Another problem is the views on offer: Summerhill Dump in one direction and in another,the gross overdevelopment of the former Dan lands (the handiwork of former, unlamented Planning Minister Frank Sartor, using his infamous Part 3A powers and warmly supported by Lord Mayor Tate and Cr (now MP for Wallsend) Sonia Hornery
• A work of art for Newcastle Region Art gallery by an indigenous artist.
• A stunning suite of photographs of Newcastle, its topography & landmarks by Professor Allan Chawner, recently opened at Newcastle Region Library (on June 4-the exhibition is now closed).There was a large crowd in attendance, but apart from the Lord Mayor, only 2 ward councillors (outnumbered by 3 former councillors) turned up. I know well that councillors can’t attend every event and 2 were away but 2 out of 12 ward councillors in attendance sent a very negative message about councillors’ priorities.
• A piece of commemorative music, “A slender strand of memories” by Colin Spiers, to be launched in November (?).A preview was held at the photo exhibition.

Before we get too excited about implementation of the commemoration initiatives, remember that the monument suggested by Doug Lithgow (Parks & Playgrounds Movement)and agreed to by the last council, to commemorate the 2004 Bicentenary is still on the drawing board, 5 years later. Will we ever see it?
Then there’s the restoration appeal for the monument on the graves of James Hannell (ironically, our first mayor in 1859) & his family in Cathedral Park. The monument has disappeared and has been replaced by a stone tablet saying “watch this space” (or words to that effect).It’s 7 years on and we’re still watching.

How about finishing off those projects first?

TATE'S MANGLED ENGLISH

At last night's 150th anniversary of Newcastle Council meeting John Tate excelled himself again with a new definition of "unanimous".
He claimed that the resolution on returning vehicles to the Mall, which was sensibly opposed by Cr Michael Osborne (and reported on in the Newcastle Herald), was "for all practical purposes unanimous".
No doubt he also believes that something can be unique, very unique or even very very unique.

NEWCASTLE COUNCIL CONGRATULATES ITSELF FOR SAVING $57,272 AFTER THOWING AWAY $4.63 MILLION!!

THE FOLLOWING LETTER WAS SUBMITTED TO THE NEWCASTLE HERALD TODAY:

The Herald’s and Cr Sharpe’s claim (H, 23/7) that Council saved $66,000 on a tender to remove trees in Mayfield was incorrect. The saving was $57,272 and private sector quotes widely ranged from the winning $23,228 up to $62,500.Thereport was confidential, away from public gaze.
Prima facie, it looks like a good result for Council. However, cheaper quotes don’t necessarily imply that the job will be done better or even as well. And public sector work practices are supposed to reflect industry leadership which can cost more.
Perhaps it’s time for a public briefing to councillors on public sector employment obligations.
Weigh this saving against Council’s mind-blowing decision on June 2 to allow a massive 94% discount to multinational company Orica’s obligation to pay a section 94A contribution to the community, as part of a $490 million industrial development at Kooragang. Contributions are meant to pay for provision or extension to community facilities and services.
Council accepted a mere $272,000 for Stockton’s Corroba Oval improvements, when they could have claimed up to $4.90 million. It was the most financally irresponsible, indeed reprehensible decision in my memory. The vote was almost unanimous with only Greens Cr Osborne dissenting.

FAIR (?) PAY COMMISSION RORT

So Professor Ian Harper, chair of the ludicrously named Fair Pay Commission believes that those on the minimum wage of $544 per week can afford to do without a pay rise this year.
Would he care to tell us how much he and the Commission members earn as a fee for their troubles?
By how much will Harper’s other salary packages increase this year?
The plight of low income earners isn’t just the result of Harper’s decision. Julia Gillard can take the high moral ground, but will the Howard/Rudd income tax breaks this and next year benefit low income earners, compared with Harper and his Commission members (and her) ?

GREENS ELECTION STRATEGY FOR POST OFFICE WAY TO GO

An abridged version of the following post was puiblished in the Newcastle Herald (page 9) on 1 July 2009 under the heading "Community use best future for post office".


At the 2008 Local Government elections, I advocated as a candidate, Newcastle Greens policy to call on the State Government to acquire the former Newcastle Post Office and transfer it (with sufficient refurbishment funding) to either the University (who had expressed an interest in the building before their financial crisis) or Newcastle Historic Reserve Trust (NHRT), who manage the adjacent Lock Up cultural centre in the former 1860s-90s police station complex. I believe these options still represent the best future for the building. No doubt Greens Cr Michael Osborne will pursue this policy.
Either The university, as part of their planned expansion into the inner-city; or the Lock Up would make excellent new owners or lessees. Whether the State or Commonwealth government (perhaps jointly)funds its purchase doesn’t matter. But Council should not provide funding.
Interestingly, Cr Aaron Buman has recently called for Council to acquire the building, at an estimated cost of about $10M, which is its market value, given that it has development approval for a reception centre/pub. Add to that, there would be very considerable stabilisation and refurbishment costs.
His call was very inconsistent, given that he recently wouldn’t support the art gallery extension (about $10 M) because he believed Council can’t afford it. In addition the Buman team tried to halt the museum project because of a cost overrun of only $1.5M. Newcastle City Council can’t afford to acquire the Post Office and has no viable or strategic use for it.

Further, Cr Tate’s off-the cuff commitment (H, 30/6) to ask his financially stressed council to consider a contribution, only a few days after approving next year’s budget is unacceptable and inconsistent as well.
In the past he has been very critical of initiatives that divert from the approved budget, no matter how small.
Council has no financial obligation in this matter, but that shouldn’t prevent it from giving strong moral support on behalf of the community and to lobby for state and federal government funding for purchase and conversion to a genuine community use.

Certainly the Post Office building is not appropriate for library or art galley use, as advocated by Buman as well. The long overdue library and gallery extension should be constructed but must integrate with the existing facilities on Council- owned land behind Laman, Queen and Darby Streets.
Cr Tate claims to have always supported transfer of the Post Office to NHRT. What was his response to requests for support for a NHRT submission to the Federal Government, which requested the transfer of the building for a peppercorn rent when the Commonwealth sold it back in 2002?
The NHRT has an excellent record for management of and innovation at the Lock up (and its predecessor, the Hunter Heritage Centre). It’s a great pity that the Post Office wasn’t integrated with the Lock Up years ago. The community should seize the chance to make good that lost opportunity now.

The state of the building and inaction by successive Planning Ministers, despite its listing on the State Heritage Register since 2000, is an illustration of how heritage protection in this state is a paper tiger. It also illustrates, in my view, the alarming lack of interest in heritage issues by this State Government. They have stood by while the building is demolished by neglect.

Developer Shaun Ngu’s financial problems at last provide us with an opportunity to give Newcastle Post Office the kind of sympathetic future use that should be demanded for this much loved heritage icon. It should not on-sold to another speculator for a yet another CBD pub.

Let’s see some urgent commitment and action from our MPs, Jodi McKay and Sharon Grierson.

Keith Parsons.

BUMAN'S CHAMBER ANTICS

Following is a letter to the Herald in reponse to a letter from Aaron Buman:"Buman learned a Green lesson", published on 25 June 2009.

Cr Buman asserted (H, 25/6) that he never walked out on a debate. These are the facts:

He often left meetings before debates began. On occasions his notices of motion had to be deferred because he had already left (without excusing himself).
Ironically, he often told me he thought debates were unnecessary because councillors all came in with a closed mind on issues, as he did. He rarely participated in any debate.

He often went walkabout for 15 to 30 minutes if public briefings didn’t interest him or he didn’t regard them as important, even though community members, consultants or staff had been waiting for hours to give presentations. He could be found him lying on the lounge in the Lord Mayor’s Reception Area. I recall him once leaving because he predicted the decision after debate wouldn’t meet with his approval.

As for hacks, are his anonymous “advisors” (as he called them) hacks? I’m aware of one ALP Right Wing party hack who Buman admitted to me was a close advisor.

There’s a story to be written about the real Cr Buman that I believe belies his public image.
Keith Parsons.

TATE'S BIASED AND INCOMPETENT CHAIRING (AGAIN)

The following blog has been sent as a letter to the Newcastle Herald today (22 June 2009) in support of a published latter by John Sutton:

John Sutton’s criticisms of Cr Buman and the conservative block that now controls Newcastle Council are completely justified.

As former councillors with over 16 years collective experience, we are well placed to comment.

I believe Cr Buman’s behaviour was characteristic. However, it also reflects on the leadership and the apparent level of understanding of Council’s Code of Meeting Practice by Lord Mayor John Tate, who has 28 years of councillor experience, including 10 years in the chair.

It was absolutely inexcusable to allow Cr Buman to include his irrelevant motion as an addendum. In my experience incompetent and biased rulings and filibustering on issues Cr Tate didn’t support were hallmarks of the past two terms.

This is not a minor, esoteric matter about meeting procedure. Tate’s and Buman’s actions were a major abuse of local democracy.

Keith Parsons.

MCCLOY'S AND GRUGEON'S "VISION" FOR NEWCASTLE CBD

The following is an unpublished letter to the Newcastle Herald:

Geoff McCloy wears a “Rip up the rail” T-shirt, endorses a plan to halt all rail at Wickham, while complaining that we’re not getting light rail into the CBD like Brisbane (H, 13/6).He also hates heritage and other planning guidelines being “shoved down our throats”.
His and Hilton Grugeon’s vision for the CBD is qualified by their clear conflict of interest as major property owners and developers.
They needn’t worry too much about heritage restrictions, given the Planning Minister’s dismemberment of heritage protection legislation and recent decisions, whereby a clear councillor majority have voted against CBD heritage protection and planning standards .
Major CBD problems over the past two decades have been largely the result of speculators who buy cheaply, gain development approval and then sit on empty buildings or vacant land for many years, waiting to on-sell to another speculator.
Add to that, the (often absentee) landlords who would rather see small business go broke or move away rather than impose reasonable rents.Have McCloy or Grugeon ever criticised this ? How about the peak bodies like Hunter Business Chamber, Australian Property Council and Urban Development Institute?
After all, their constituency is responsible.Have any of the above condemned or even mildly criticised the owners of the development-approved former Post Office for letting the building rot since 2002?
Keith Parsons. 18 June 2009

HUNTER DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION PLAYS PSEUDO PLANNER TO "JUSTIFY" REMOVING RAIL LINE TO NEWCASTLE STATION

Below is an unpublished letter to the Sydney Morning Herald on the Newcastle CBD rail issue:

While cities across the world are spending billions to reinstate rail lines into their CBDs ,Newcastle, or more precisely, the Hunter Development Corporation,( a state owned real estate business ), Premier Rees, and local property speculators want to get rid of the rail line into the city’s heart. What will we be getting? In the past the local big end of town have called for (uneconomic)light rail to replace heavy rail. Even that’s off the agenda now. It’s to be a “green corridor”, a narrow pedestrian and cycle path between the back ends of buildings. Even the local cycleways movement says it’s unwanted and unnecessary. The property/business lobby call the line a “barrier”.The answer, promoted by local community organisation “Save Our Rail” is a narrowed 2 line rail corridor , with visually improved new infrastructure, decent landscaping, new digitalised signalling to shorten delays at crossings, and more at-grade pedestrian crossings for better access to the harbour. It’s simple, logical and relatively inexpensive but it doesn’t accord with the real agenda of the Government and property lobby. This unwanted white elephant “green corridor” will inevitably become a future "greenfield" site for another row of high-rise: a genuine barrier between city and harbour.