October 13th, 2024Just sayin’…

By Donna Kelly  

Let the games begin.  So, 12 candidates are vying for seven spots for the new Hepburn Shire Council.  The wards have been done away with and really, it seems a bit of a no-brainer as to  who will get in.

I won’t say that here but I will put the names I believe will get up in an envelope,  seal it and then open it after the votes have been counted. I reckon I will be pretty  spot on. I’ll let you know.  

The candidates include four former councillors for the shire, one former councillor for another shire, two business owners, a couple in the ALP and a couple  who didn’t worry about filling in a candidate form for the Victorian Electoral  Commission – which I do find a bit strange but each to their own.  

And the keyboard warriors are already busy at work with all sorts of rumours doing the rounds. Or maybe not rumours. There are some interesting Google  searches to be had if you have nothing else happening.  

It comes on top of the collapse of the final Hepburn Shire Council meeting for the year – with three councillors walking out on a confidential planning matter –  meaning there was no quorum and the final agenda item for the meeting ended with  no vote.  Strange way to end the year.

I have spoken to a few people and had some of the oddest conversations all about transparency and yet not actually being able to talk  about what happened.  

It is probably just as well it happened at the final meeting; some of the councillors  are not very happy with each other. Although I hear that might have been a bit of a  trend for 2024.

Those who stayed said they were doing their job while some of those who left said they were doing their best by walking away.  

Kind of reminds me of the Local Government Inspectorate report into the  council and The Rex. Like how the Inspectorate says it is “an independent agency  responsible for making sure Victorian councils follow the Local Government Act”  and then says, after a five-year investigation, there is nothing to see here. WTAF!  

Blind Freddie can see there is plenty to see. Well, maybe quite a few million  dollars not to be seen, but then there are the Bleakley Street apartments which are  looking very bleak indeed. I wonder if the council will lose yet more money there, say if someone decides they were led astray with their building permit on a pretty dodgy piece of land.  

Anyway, the games continue. Hepburn Shire Council has always been interesting.  I have covered the council for 11 years with The Local and another year or so with the  former Fairfax news company.  

I remember the Ned Kelly incident – nicely handled by Heather Mutimer – and  the coffin. Ahh, the fun we had.

Further back in my life I covered the Frankston City Council and that was also fun. Councillors calling other councillors fat, the moccasin jokes, a former CEO who said he was going to “get that bitch” – me. Good times.  

And then I also worked at Kingston City Council. Not so much fun being on the  inside. We used to have weekly meetings with journos and the mayor, and offer free cake and coffee. The journos loved that and forgot to ask the right questions.

Did you know Kingston had the last shit cart dunny? No, because no-one ever asked. What a  great story that could have been.  I guess the only thing all councils have in common is that now and again shit  happens. Just sayin’…