RE: New Waste Collection Scheme
I am writing as a concerned citizen and ratepayer of the Southern Downs Regional Council. I am one of the residents that is being hit by the new tax for an unwanted service to my address.
I live within 2kms of the North Granite Belt Waste Facility which I will add in recent years has had hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on its upgrade. I utilise this facility for both recyclable items and general household waste for which on our rates I currently pay a waste levy. This levy was introduced by the current council also and I have no qualms in paying this as it supports a system that is safe, convenient and well equipped for rural residents to use.
I am also concerned about the extra heavy machinery on our road. Our road is a single lane, 100km/hour, dirt road that is more often than not, in very poor condition. In my opinion there are no safe places for any residents living along this road to leave their bins out for collection nor for a garbage truck to stop to collect said bins without entering private property. This is a real safety issue compounded by several blind corners on said road.
Another safety issue in my mind is the biosecurity risk to our livestock and wildlife. Garbage collection can be extremely messy, and this rubbish will then contaminate my paddocks and cause injury and illness to my livestock if they were to eat any of the debris. Is the council going to send workers behind trucks to clean up the mess left along the way?
The current council has entered into this scheme without any consultation with rate payers and affected individuals. This scheme implementation has been extremely poor and seems to have had very little logical thought put into it. Would the council like it if I started charging them for something that they did not ask for or something that was not safe for them to use?
I am happy to pay for things that are convenient and logical however this fee, that was not even outline in the letter sent to residents is absurd. Is the lack of consultation due to the fact the council knew that residents would be upset and out of pocket or simply due to poor management and a lack of common sense?
I believe the fee is around $455 per year however have not been formally notified of the cost. This is like me sending a quote for a service without a price on it. Residents should at least have been afforded the decency of a letter that outlined all fees and charges associated with the scheme that they are expected to pay.
The Mayor stated in an article on 24th March 2022 in the Warwick Today publication that this scheme was a trial for 3 months. Is this true Mr Mayor? In the council meeting on the 23rd February 2022 (which is available for all to watch online) you were corrected by staff that this was in fact a mandatory scheme. Why would the council or its contractors go to the expense of purchasing and delivering new bins to thousands of residents for a trial scheme that had had no consultation or community input?
I would like council to come and collect our bins as we will not be using the service and I know there are definitely several other residents in our community that feel the same. I’m sure you can tell the residents that are unhappy due to the number of bins still littering the side of the road.
Response from Cr Marco Gliori
Letter to the Editor,
In response to a recent article in our local news I am writing to clarify as I was not afforded the opportunity to provide comment in advance.
In replying to this letter, I acknowledge the Githabul people, the traditional custodians of this land and acknowledge elders past present and emerging. I also regret any hurt I may have caused to anyone and unreservedly apologise.
After 30 years in the industry as a Poet, Entertainer and Guest Speaker and now as a Councillor, I can assure you that I have tried to be my own best critic. This one routine mentioned was included on an Album that won Tamworth Country Music Festival’s Album of the Year, in the 2008 Bush Laureate Awards.
In the original theatre style performances, our troupe dressed up in many ridiculous costumes which included me, in this case, with brown face and appropriate garb. But just as the rest of Australia became self-aware with regards these matters I too retired that ‘Dress Up’ version of the skit over a decade ago.
My Italian father’s comedic idols (therefor mine growing up) were the irreverent, once popular, and now outdated Benny Hill, and Dick Emery who himself portrayed Indian characters. My father loved it when, as a child, I told a story or sang a song with various accents. He laughed so hard, but times have changed.
Together with our script writers, I created Bobby Cashmere. He was a fictitious touring Country Music Singer, inspired by an actual Indian Country Music Singer, Bal Kishore Das Loiwal, who adopted the name Bobby Cash, himself creating a parody of American Country Music Singer Johnny Cash, his childhood idol. I was fortunate enough to see his show at the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
I created my character, with a touch of Bollywood in mind, and a host of country music parodies, with stars like Keith Turban, Chilli Nelson, Kenny Rajas, and Bobby Cashmere, all battling to win a coveted Golden Sitar.
You can’t take back time, but we can all learn from our experiences, continue to grow as individuals and a community, and look forward to a future where our many diverse cultures are accepted, celebrated, and respected.
Once again, sorry for any hurt this routine may have caused.
Yours Sincerely
Marco Gliori
Emu Swamp Dam
Mr Pittard ‘s last letter regarding Emu Swamp dam sums up what we are all thinking. According to the Gaurdian article it appears that the final cost will be 2 to 3 times higher than originally claimed. This will make the water derived from the dam some of the most expensive irrigation water in the country. Forty to fifty Agribusinessess will benefit from this huge public water subsidy but will we the taxpayers & ratepayers benefit from this extravagant waste of our money? I fear not.
Does a scheme like this come under the term pork barrelling? John Morison
