Ludicrous train of thought

THE following news item makes me wonder about democracy.
“THE Victorian Local Governance Association (VLGA) wants councillors to receive more intense training, even to tertiary level. VLGA president Warren Maloney has written to Local Government Minister Candy Broad with a request to move the idea forward. Mr Maloney said the VLGA believed that ongoing public issues confirmed the need for a more systematic and rigorous approach to the training of councillors.”
This also makes me think that the organisation that represents councillors thinks its own members should be in a corner wearing a dunce’s cap. My view is that most councillors are fairly switched on, intelligent, forward thinkers, and able to learn on the job.
Probably the biggest problem in local government is party politics.
No amount of education will stop a councillor with allegiance voting a wrong decision if his or her party has an agenda that suits a wider political platform than a particular municipality. Also, what happens if a democratically elected councillor doesn’t pass the tertiary test? Councillors receive advice from highly trained officers. I have seen councillors vote for things that they have said privately should not happen so what’s the point of highbrow academic learning. Councillors already receive significant training and extensive briefings. My view is that if the VLGA plan gets through it will create another impost on ratepayers and an unnecessary diversion for councillors.
The ballot box should be the method of dealing with a councillor who doesn’t learn on the job in a fouryear term.