Howdy dear availees and welcome to a relatively short re-visit of a coupla' issues we've been covering over on TMGI Facebook...(and in that previous post-Ed)...ah yes, indeed, we refer dear availees to the immediate previous post re MGCC and the Apollo Football Club...so we're gunna' cover that again briefly, then secondly look at the apparently equally corrupted 'processes' relating to the 'Cellar Door' currently operating out of the old WIN TV building adjacent the Blue Lake...(and three?-Ed)...three is a doozy, MGCC's massive and in many respects catastrophic 10.2% Rates increase...(plus 40% Refuse Collection increase-Ed)...indeed, not forgetting that...(making a total Rates increase of just over 14%-Ed)...isn't that just terrific...(well it's certainly terrifying, if that's what ya' mean-Ed)...and to hear MGCC CEO Sarah Philpott tell it, 'Council have done Ratepayers a massive favour by limiting the increase'...(nooo? the CEO didn't?-Ed)...oh yes the CEO did, and continues to do...(wow-Ed)...yep, wow...
***Pardon me for interrupting myself...('selves'-Ed)...sorry what?...('selves', it's 'myselves', plural, not 'self'-Ed)...thankyou confected literary device for yet another of your sparkling contributions...(well, ya' know, it just pays to remind dear availees from time to time that I'm not a real boy, I ain't even a puppet-Ed)...great, anyhoos, this post was started several days ago, then today (11 June 2024) on the ABC SE Radio they cheerily announced that MGCC is "not renewing the leases" for Umpherston Cave Tourism Kiosk nor for the tourism enterprise at Engelbrecht Cave...the details were unclear as to why this has happened, what motivated what, etc, so I'll just have to look at it and get back to ya's...(any initial thoughts?-Ed)...oh phew, thought you'd never ask...
My immediate first reaction is that MGCC want those businesses for a family member/mate/colleague/whatevs...(would not be the first time-Ed)...indeed...(in fact, just in the last few years we've had a series almost of these very similar events-Ed)...indeed we have...(but one lady did say she was retiring-Ed)...yeah, but which precipitates which?...(ah, so you mean, is the Lease not being renewed in October, did that prompt her to retire, or effectively vice versa?-Ed)...exactly, and the other lady said 4 people are gunna' lose their jobs, so, like I said, gunna' have to look at it properly first, but we'll definitely be back to this one...***
MGCC and/or Apollo Football Club continue to claim that Apollo has a current Lease for their pitch area and clubrooms...MGCC/Apollo are apparently referring to a 'map/plan' that shows Apollo having their current pitch area and clubrooms as one 'Lease'...(along with that section of carpark between the pitch and the now dis-used tennis courts-Ed)...you mean that section of gazzetted road (Webb St) that runs through HCR and that Apollo use as a carpark?...(yep, that's supposedly included in these supposed 'Leases'-Ed)...but not the carpark on the Northern side of the pitch area?...(I don't know what to tell ya', but, yeah, apparently not that bit-Ed)...hang on, hang on, so it does include a section of road, but not the dedicated carpark area?...(as I say, don't know what to to tell ya', that's what MGCC/Apollo are apparently alleging/claiming-Ed)...all right, moving forward...
We note that Apollo, supposedly operating with the official approval of MGCC to 'unlawfully' fell and then sell-off more than a dozen healthy trees in Hastings Cunningham Reserve, have taken what they want and just left a massive section of very healthy tree trunk and piles of other assorted branches/detritus lying on the ground***...(and what about Apollo clearing trees from that section of Northern carpark that isn't in their supposed 'Leases' area?-Ed)...thanking you for that excellent segue, cheers Ed...(you're welcome-Ed)...'cos as part of their general hubris and selfishness, Apollo have appropriated for themselves that carpark area, and have similarly removed several trees from along there...(what about Apollo using that area as their own personal rubbish tip, as evidenced by the huge pile of old pallets and tree litter clearly brought in from elsewhere?-Ed)...nah mate, Apollo has mates on Council don't cha' know, so it's do whatevs ya' want mate...(including illegal burn-offs in a residential area?-Ed)...dunno', I guess we'll see...
(*** Since starting this post on June 8th, about half of that debris, eg, the massive trunk section, has been cleared but there's still some stuff piled-up, and it appears at least some of the branches etc have been dumped behind the Northern carpark area, and possibly more trees removed, which is all outside this alleged MGCC/Apollo 'Lease')
As others have noted, for years 'Apollo' bring rubbish from other sites and dump it in what is technically always a part of HCR, and, according to this alleged map/plan 'Lease', an area that is outside said 'Lease' ...(do what I want mate-Ed)...that's pretty much the attitude, yeah...(and we note that Apollo ain't Robinson Crusoe when it comes to this behaviour, other clubs do it too-Ed)...sure, and there's likely been incidents of unlawful tree removal and/or similar at other sites, etc, but it's what's happening in the Public Parkland of HCR that's illustratively infuriating...(do what I want mate-Ed)...yeah, so you've said...(say what I want mate-Ed)...yeah yeah, we get the point mate...
So, once again, on the MGCC Register Community Land Leases and Licenses, the legally requisite Register that we have been using as our source of info...(and not just 'legally requisite' to have, but legally requisite that said Register be current-Ed)...absolutely, two critical points, the RCLLL is required by law to 1) be made publicly available and 2) kept up-to-date/current...(and MGCC got half-way there, but couldn't quite get the job done-Ed)...well kudos for at least trying?...(no, no I don't think so, failing to maintain a legally requisite Public Register is just a failure-Ed)...and to our surprise, not, the RCLLL refers to a single 'Lease', now 2-years 'Expired', and specifically identifying the pitch and clubrooms area...(so, even the expired 'Lease' only refers to one area?-Ed)...yep...(so where does this 'Second Pitch Area' immediately adjacent in HCR Parkland Area, where does that 'Lease' come from?-Ed)...oh I don't know! the Boundary Pixies?! sprinkled their magic Re-zoning Dust, and with a nod and a wink and the scratching of a back, the fiddling of a knob, and the pulling of a string, th...(okay okay, I think you've made your point-Ed)...and made quite specifically to underline the fact that my cynicism about MGCC's Budget is fueled by 2 decades of not being able to believe a word they say...
MGCC Budget 2024/25 - Where to start?...(the beginning?-Ed)...sure, but when one asks how long is a piece of string, it really helps to know exactly where that piece of string starts, at least...(sure, so go from there, where are we starting 'Council Budget-wise'?-Ed)...well that's the first and compelling, omnipresent problem isn't it, where to actually start?...(ah, I see, there's ya' problem, nothing MGCC says and/or produces on any issue is reliable information 'cos MGCC just lie-Ed)...sure, but not just lie, they lie and lie and lie like their lives depended on it...(well I don't know what they're worrying about-Ed)...well indeed, 'cos the Sth Oz ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) has clearly demonstrated that they (ICAC) will protect/perpetuate/ensure MGCC corruption, upto and including spending $millions to persecute the Whistleblower who annoyingly insists on reporting said Corruption and...(ah, now, you promised, stay on task-Ed)...my apologies, got some 'Stuff' goin' on...(absolutely, fair dues, but today we're here for this-Ed)...indeed...
So, when trying to make informed commentary on the proposed MGCC Budget, one is immediately hamstrung by the unwavering likelihood that none of the figures provided are reliable, let-alone founded in reality...(and MGCC CEO Philpott's bizarre word-salad diatribe on ABC SE Radio on Saturday 1st June 2024 was riddled with those fanciful figures and/or calculations-Ed)...indeed it was, it seems the CEO is very much enamoured of the 'bore them to tears with bureaucratic word-salad and they'll stop listening' style of public performance...(man, that's 10 minutes of my life I'm never gettin' back!-Ed)...you and me both, knackers...(I particularly enjoy the way the CEO doesn't answer a question by explaining, in detail, what the question is about-Ed)...go on...(well, for example, when not answering re MGCC's woeful attitude and related gross failings re Public Transport, the CEO spent a good long while explaining what Public Transport is-Ed)...and the same with this Budget 'explanation'?...(pretty much-Ed)...right, this 'Budget' is gunna' be a Whole Post Issue', but bottomline Rates are up 10.2%, yeah?...(and it's up over 14% if you include Refuse Removal Charge, which you should-Ed)...indeed, a combined Rates Increase of just over 14%...(and to hear the CEO tell it, MGCC have done us all a massive favour, again-Ed)...well ring-a-ding-ding...
But the real issue here is how well it illustrates just how complicit and compromised the ABC SE Radio is when it comes to protecting their mates on MGCC...(mates and husbands-Ed)...well sure, former The Border Watch editor and current MGCC Councillor Frank 'The Jellyfish That Grew A Spine And Roared Like A Mouse From It's Ivory Tower' Morello is Sandra's husband, but I'm sure that they both treat that deeply incestuous media/politics relationship with all the dignitas and reverance for The Law, etc, they conduct themselves with in the rest of their lives...(so not at all then?-Ed)...well I dunno', perhaps they're model citizens...(model citizens apart from the relentless self-serving protecting corruption stuff, etc?-Ed)...well that's sort of the default setting for just about every politician/journo/public servant I've ever met...but get this, this is the bit that just butters my parsnips...
Shortly after the CEO's Budget filibuster, the ABC read-out a 'message' apparently called-in by "Ray of Nararcoorte"...("Ray of Naracoorte" you say-Ed)...apparently, and Ray...(of Naracoorte"-Ed)...thankyou, "Ray of Naracoorte" was reportedly gushingly congratulatory of the wonderful CEO for explaining what a budget is and how it all works, and, apparently, quote "you've got a good one there"...(yowsers-Ed)...now, let's assume that "Ray from Naracoorte" is a real boy...(just like me!-Ed)...sure, just like you, or a lady, whatevs, and that "Ray from Naracoorte" did ring-in and leave that quite extensive and detailed message, that all of that did actually happen, and I gotta' tell ya' I do have my doubts...(fair dues-Ed)...but all things being equal, and with all of the dis-ease and rancour in the community about this massive Rates increase, I find it very hard to believe that 1) the one and only person who called in was 2) hugely supportive of the CEO/MGCC/Budget, and 3) not even from Mt Gambier...(are you suggesting that the ABC had to go 100klicks to find someone who had something nice to say about MGCC/the CEO/the Budget?-Ed)...nice one, makes as much sense as any other explanation...
But the obvious is called that for a reason...(duh, obviously-Ed)...and the fact is that Sandra Morello is running the show at the ABC SE Radio whilst her husband Frank is a MGCC Councillor...and this is what ya' get...(and their good mate Carp Cooker ad infinitum-Ed)...sorry what?...(not "what", whom, Carp Cooker, good ol' Reef Poacher-Ed)...ah yeah, now I know who you're talkin' about, our mate Lease De-Frauder...(yeah, them and theirs', mates of MGCC, special 'permits', etc, etc, but Carp Cooker's been heavily promoted on the ABC SE Radio several times this past year-Ed)...yeah yeah, I heard 'em, ABC SE Radio is cooked from the inside-out, and nothing defines that better than Sandra Morello as 'Manager'...
And all of this ties together when trying to ascertain just exactly what is going on...one cannot believe the source, MGCC, nor can one trust at all the reportage...I remind dear availees of the crap I copped for pointing-out that no-one had a 'Lease' or even a 'License' at HCR, and my concerns that MGCC was going to sell the land, etc, via an article that didn't research the RCLLL or contact me...but we digress...
This also relates to the 'Cellar Door' currently operating out of the WIN TV building...I cannot find any evidence that any Re-zoning has been done to allow Service of Alcohol in a Residential Zone, or that there are any relevant discussion/re-zoning applications/approvals/permits/whatevs from and/or to MGCC, etc etc, but that doesn't mean they don't exist...somewhere...probably...(and again, MGCC have a definable history of letting their mates/families/colleagues do whatevs they want re holding 'unlawful events', including with alcohol service involved-Ed)...and that's relevant to the Citizen Peeps Ratepayers of MG how exactly?...(well, for example, remember when MGCC let their colleague and close personal friends the Shearings, firstly, set-up a cafe in their driveway, serving onto the footpath, etc, but then also let them throw a li'l soiree on that footpath, of a major residential road, 30m from a very problematic intersection, without the relevant permits/approvals? remember that?-Ed)...ummm, not sure, do you have any visual aids at all, you know, just to assist my recollectionings?...(funny you should ask, I just happen to have this-Ed)...
Ahhh yeah, it's all coming back to me now...(thought it might-Ed)...this photo was taken noon-ish Friday 1st October 2021 and ya' can clearly see the marquee legs out on the road, section of road cordoned-off, etc, and local availees will recognise that being less than 30m from the very busy and very, as you say, "problematic" Wehl St South/Lake Tce West intersection...and when I contacted MGCC shortly after this photo was taken, there apparently were no permits/approvals, not that could be found anyways, and I was told someone would call me back...and they did, got a phone message the next morning to helpfully inform me that "those structures are coming down as we speak"...(so MGCC, even if they were somehow entirely previously unawares of this 'function' and therefore hadn't issued any permits/approvals, etc, at the very least they were alerted Friday lunchtime, then, either which way, allowed the 'function' to happen that night, then called you next morning like that was somehow the solution?-Ed)...if by "solution" you mean MGCC's desire to provide their standard operational but still entirely comprehensive 'Fuck You, Idiot' response, sure, it resolved everything...
And why do I whinge and moan about this so much?...firstly, I'm just sick and tired of watching low, selfish people profit while decent people struggle...soooo sick of it...but in this specific case, and as I explained in detail to the Liquor Licensing Board, who claimed that this was 'not important enough for us to look at', etc, it's the direct potential for the dodgy 'Do Whatevs Ya Want Mate, Rules Are For The Plebs' attitude of MGCC for their families/mates/colleagues, etc etc, for that attitude and resulting conduct to go so ballistically wrong for everyone else, specifically, Mt Gambier Ratepayers... (I don't know why the Liquor Licensing Board 'approves' any form of license without demanding proof of the related Council permits/approvals, most importantly, when the failure to have those Council permits/approvals immediately renders any license invalid, and therefore makes that service of alcohol unlawful/illegal-Ed)...mate, when ya' put it like that, it really does look ridiculous...(surely the first and simplest thing is to actually verify not just 'require' these basic Council permits/approvals-Ed)...absolutely...
(And what are the cascading repercussions of a license granted sight unseen of requisite Council permits/approvals but then invalidated? eg, what are the Insurance implications? who is 'legally liable' in the event of an accident/injury/pelican attack? the LLB? the Council? the operator/proprietor? -Ed)..."pelican attack", you idiot, but you're 100% spot-on, this is the exact point I made to the LLB and that they dismissed...('cos if it falls into the lap of Council, then that's Ratepayer's problem right there-Ed)...which relates back to your excellent point about the LLB not requiring proof of Council permits/approvals before granting temporary licenses...(which removes the LLB from the 'Getting Sued Pool' 'cos they'll argue they acted in good faith, etc, and dumps it back on the Councils/Ratepayers-Ed)...and that's particularly relevant to what the Shearings were allowed to do sans MGCC official permits/approvals...(because if something had gone wrong and the entire 'function' was unlawful/illegal, and MGCC knew it, the insurance companies ain't gunna' pay-up for a MGCC-approved unlawful/illegal function-Ed)...shazzam, and then it's Ratepayers who end-up paying...
And this has now reached a critical mass in a certain context, 'cos this 'Proposed Budget' appears to have MGCC's 'Liability' at 99.9%, that is, effectively, the capacity to borrow to cover costs of unforeseen emergencies...(so we, MGCC Ratepayers, we've got a 0.1% margin of error re something like another sink hole opening-up or a major plant failure at the FARC (Wulanda) or some other 'emergency funding requirement'?-Ed)...like a "pelican attack"? yeah, as explained to me, and I did see that some other Council's are much lower, at say 40-50%...
MGCC has borrowed-out Mt Gambier's future and sunk it all into the Farcical Aquatic Recreation Centre (Wulanda), and flatly refuse to explain any aspect of the debasco (debacle/fiasco), and that refusal continues into this Budget...MGCC continue their deceit that the FARC only cost $64m when the reality is well North of $80m, and still refuse to explain the construction costs, nor the bizarre 'Management Structure' that has Ratepayers paying all the utilities and wages, but Belgravia paying MGCC to run it, but with some 'Secret Profit Sharing Agreement' that we also are not allowed to know the details of, etc, etc, etc, in a context where the FARC is running at a loss...(mate, I need a Bex and a good lie-down-Ed)...you and me both...
Tomorrow: 22 Years Of The St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up
And in an extraordinary coincidence that reeks of Universal re-alignment, on Friday, leading into the June long weekend that marks the 22nd anniversary of the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up, the rancidly complicit ABC South East Radio fawningly re-introduce that supposed doyen of SE journalism, our mate Stan Thompson...(maaate-Ed)...gas-lighter extraordinaire, complicit, betrayer, manipulator, rancid sack-a'-f...(okay okay, I can see where this is headed-Ed)...and can you blame me?...(well no, Stan, mate, is a shitfully complicit stooge, but I just didn't want to see you say something you might regret and/or not be able to defend-Ed)...but "shitfully complicit stooge" is okay?...(mate, absolutely-Ed)...so Truth is still a defence then?...
And the crowning glory?...hearing Stan, mate, praising-up that equally complicit stooge and current ABC SE Radio 'Manager' Sandra Morello...(OMG, Sandra Morello as ABC 'Manager', what a mind-numbing shizzle-show of gross incompetence and corruption both richly rewarded-Ed)...indeed...
I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers and laters...
