Minister got it wrong: ROSAG

The Return Our Shires Action Group (ROSAG) has welcomed the news of an impending visit to the region by Local Government Minister David Crisafulli.
ROSAG Chairman Bob Johnson said it would give the group the opportunity to point how to the minister “how he got it wrong”.
“News that Minister Crisafulli was going to meet with proponents of the de-amalgamation submission soon is creating some disappointment amongst the people of the Granite Belt,” Mr Johnson said.
“Many see this as a back down when clearly their wishes were to have an opportunity to vote in a plebiscite on the issue.
“It comes as no surprise that the Local Government Minster has been consulting with the Mayor and Council over a long period of time, this has effectively given Council the edge in the information provided to the Minister.”
Mr Johnson said many people in the community felt that Council’s opposition to the de-amalgamation submission was based on the foreknowledge that certain smaller local government areas would be excluded from proper consideration by the Minister.
“Whatever the truth is, there are many unhappy people on the Granite Belt who reject the Minister’s claim to be bringing democracy to the process,” Mr Johnson said.
Secretary of ROSAG Mary Rofe said she had been inundated with inquiries from people about the fairness of the process.
“It is ruining all the good will accomplished by our Member Lawrence Springborg and casting a poor light on the LNP’s claims to be a grass roots organisation,” Mrs Rofe said.
“At this stage members of ROSAG await confirmation from Minister Crisafulli of a meeting with him in Stanthorpe next week, we certainly trust that he is open to the people’s voice in this.
“Every poll taken on this issue since amalgamation was first mooted has shown that this community is agaianst it, so why have successive governments doggedly taken the stance that we should grin and bear it?
“It is clearly not economically sound to keep getting bigger, our rates keep rising and will continue to do so to service the loans our Mayor is happily predicting we can now get because we are a ‘big’ council.
“We submitted a sensible budget taking into account the current loans and could project a Stanthorpe and Warwick council free of debt in the foreseeable future.
“Minister Crisafulli has had private and public briefings from this council ever since he was elected, ROSAG members have not nor have the ordinary folk of the Southern Downs whom this decision affects most deeply.
“I call on Minister Crisafulli to face the real people of the Granite Belt and explain to them why they cannot be given the same rights as the rich people of Noosa and Port Douglas.
“We are angry at being pushed aside and treated like unruly children and told we will be subjected to simulated counselling session to ‘heal our wounds’.
“We need the Newman government to fix the problem not put on a bandaid.”