WHEN the state government sacked councils, including that of Logan City, a core component of the brief to administrators was to establish robust and transparent processes.
They were asked to reduce the risk of corruption by incorporating a more consultative process of governing the city.
Put simply, councils were told to involve their community, inform their community, and utilise feedback from their community to inform decision-making processes.
Sadly, the Palaszczuk doesn’t seem to be taking its own advice.
At a time when independent news operators are driving a rebounding news industry, the government wants to implement a tactic which allows government agencies and developers to stop placing public notices in newspapers.
There was also quite possibly something in that brief to administrators about accountability.
While many public notices will go unnoticed by the majority of the community, they are a reminder to developers that the community has a role to play in how our neighbourhoods are planned.
Public notices let people know what’s happening BEFORE it happens.
Member for Woodridge says regional communities are no longer serviced by regular print publications.
A more accurate account would be that regional communities are no longer serviced by Murdoch-owned print publications.
MyCity Logan is in the treasurer’s backyard, and we are carrying numerous public notices.
There have been 22 similar publications opened by independent operators over the past 12 months in Queensland.
Instead of making decisions which kill accountability and diminish democracy in regional and suburban areas, how about finding ways to support the resurgence of local news networks?
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