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?
