Forum likely to help pave way for Mick

THE Labor faction in Casey council has handed Edrington Ward councillor and Liberal candidate for Narre Warren North Mick Morland an almost certain pass into the next parliament.
This happened inadvertently when Springfield Ward councillor Michael Farley successfully moved that the council establish a series of information forums on the Federal Government’s new industrial relations legislation.
Perhaps Cr Farley should have left this one to his seniors in Canberra. The council will invite MPs and union bosses to participate in the forums.
Whether you agree with the legislation in part or in toto, it’s a political hot potato. Argument was that the motion would not bring politics into the local government arena and won the debate.
However, three councillors, at least, said it was party political.
One was Cr Morland.
Cr Farley said there was a lot of confusion in the community about the legislation. Yes, there is.
Probably less than one per cent of people really understand it.
The forums will provide platforms for politicians to put their slants on the legislation and which side are we to believe?
There will be lots more confusion if anyone attends the forums.
And I wonder if this was a good move in an affluent community such as the City of Casey where the residents are probably less likely to be impacted on negatively as Cr Farley claims they will be.
What if people do not lose their jobs in droves?
Blind Freddy can see that this is local government buying into Federal Government politics and this will inadvertently impact on the forthcoming State election, certainly in Narre Warren North.
My view is that Cr Farley has blatantly brought party politics into the council chamber.
This, I don’t like, and I hear from many people on both sides of politics who also don’t like it. Nevertheless, whether it is right or wrong, party politics has been creeping into local government and is now firmly entrenched in that level of government. It is there to stay.
The motion visibly upset Cr Morland, but at first I wondered why? I wonder if Four Oaks Ward councillor Paul Richardson had not gravely insulted Cr Morland, would he still have appeared upset.
You could see the doors of parliament swinging open for him the moment Cr Farley began to speak and Cr Morland explained why.
Cr Morland: “I have been on the council for 15 years and I have prided myself with the fact that I did not comment on party political issues in council debate. This motion is not about local government issues, it is a political witchhunt. The Federal Government and the ACTU have spent millions of dollars on media to put their case on this.
“The unions have stated their case. What will we do with the feedback we get from the community?
“If we are going to do this, why not bag the State Government about public transport?”
Cr Morland then foreshadowed that his policy would change and that he would present notices of motions at each council meeting until the State election. “I will raise issues of concern in the State Government arena,” he said.
River Gum Ward councillor Wayne Smith said he looked forward to Cr Morland’s motions.
So do I, but it’s a pity it has to happen this way. Whether Cr Morland has the numbers to get his motions through is irrelevant. He still gets a platform that could lead to wide media coverage, a politician’s dream.