gympie council election

Gympie Council to Be Divided

Gympie Council to Be Divided – Decision Made

The ABC website reports that the Queensland Government has decided Gympie Regional Council will operate under an electoral divisional system for the 2012 election. Today (4/11/2011), Local Government Minister Paul Lucas says Gympie Regional Council will now have divisional councillors rather than undivided representation. 

Minister Lucas says he adopted the recommendation of the independent Change Commission.  The Queensland Change Commision (part of Electoral Commission Queensland), undertook surveys and collected submissions from Gympie residents after the Gympie Council failed to conduct a satisfactory survey and then completely disregarded the majority vote for divisional represetation.

The Change Commision findings were that the majority of Gympie residents wanted a return to divisional representation – representation that was summarily removed at the time of amalgamation in 2008 by self-interested Mayors and Councillors, again with total dis-regard to the democratic wishes of residents.

The Queensland Government decision shows a respect for democracy – a respect that is sadly lacking in all elected representatives of Gympie Regional Council. 

The upcoming Gympie Council election in March 2012 will give Gympie residents the opportunity to elect new Councillors – people who can be true representatives instead of the current insular, self-interested totalitarians.

It is time to ensure that the current Gympie Councillors are called to account and made to regret their self- interested decision to disregard the democratic rights of the people of Gympie.