UPDATE - MARCH 2007 - PART ONE
IS IT POSSIBLE THAT SUCCESSIVE N.S.W. STATE
GOVERNMENTS HAVE TURNED A BLIND EYE TO
QUESTIONABLE PRACTICES BY LOCAL GOVERNMENT?
The following scenario has come to the fore by our investigators who were former law enforcement-trained Federal Police Officers. The evidence they’ve compiled regarding the questionable practices by the Labor-controlled Canterbury and Rockdale City Councils will give resident ratepayers quite a shock to their system.
In or around 1984, Canterbury Council sold the Campsie Masonic Hall, Amy Street, for a reported $1 to a developer, who on-sold the property for $12,000, although some reports say it may have only sold for $6,000. Eventually, due to possible public exposure when the Campsie Shopping Mall was built, the owners donated space and built a library in the Mall, giving the deeds to Council.
In the late 1990’s, the Labor-controlled Canterbury City Council worked in tandem with the Carr State Labor Government to implement night racing at Canterbury Park Racecourse. They ignored the complaints of resident/ratepayers regarding their concerns that part of Canterbury’s national history, the battling Canterbury trainer, would be kicked off the track and lose their training facilities to make way for night racing. What was even a greater loss to local garden-lovers, especially the retired elderly, was that every weekend the Canterbury trainers would ensure that their staff delivered manure at no cost to the local garden-lovers.
To make matters worse, since the night racing has been operating, the lack of attendances has forced the Sydney Turf Club to reduce their annual fixture list from 12 meetings per year to seven. In addition to this, the four group and listed races have been transferred to Rosehill and Randwick tracks.
Another DA (Development Application) that had Kingsgrove resident/ratepayers up in arms was when the Labor-controlled Canterbury City Council voted to allow “Gardens For Us” Nursery to operate from the defunct Kingsgrove Bowling Club in lieu of turning it into an open green space. Council showed no compassion or respect to the owners of the long-time established Moorefields Road Nursery, which was within 1,000 metres of the Kingsgrove premises. In a short period of time, the Moorefields Road proprietors were forced to close down.
For those resident/ratepayers who have never witnessed the manner in which a political party controls Local Government, such as the Canterbury City Labor Council, you will learn how the residents/ratepayers of 18 St. Albans Road, Kingsgrove, and the pupils of Kingsgrove North High School’s “quality of life” was altered because of the Labor-controlled Council and its relevant Administration’s lack of common sense and compassion. In fact, it leaves no doubt that the greed of Council is evident in the following attachments.
You will read a response to Mr. K. Wright from the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s (I.C.A.C.) Assessment Officer, Linda Madgwick, saying the failure of Council to produce documents under Freedom of Information (F.O.I.) provisions and/or pursuant to Section 12 of the Local Government Act is not necessarily corrupt and, in many instances, is permitted by the legislation. In other words, the N.S.W. State Government has legislated to protect the rights of developers over the democratic rights and the “quality of life” of resident/ratepayers.
This letter is as follows:-
“Dear Mr. Wright,
I refer to our recent telephone conversation and to our telephone conversations on 26 June and 4 July 2006, as well as associated emails and your letter dated 7 July 2006 providing a bundle of additional
documents. I note in our conversation on 26 June 2006, you complained about Canterbury Council’s refusal to provide you with the information you sought, in particular, what was discussed at Council’s meeting about Frutex’s application for extended hours beyond current conditions. You also raised in that conversation and in the 4 July conversation, the failure of the court proceedings brought by Council against Frutex.
“As discussed, the failure of Council to produce documents under Freedom of Information provisions and/or pursuant to section 12 of the Local Government Act is not necessarily corrupt and, in many instances, is permitted by the legislation. The NSW Ombudsman’s Office deals with such complaints and will also provide advice. However, the concerns you had in this regard were also taken into account by the ICAC in assessing the additional information you provided.
“The documents relate to the truck movements and correspondence between Council and Frutex in relation to breaches of the restrictions and the failed court action, as well as records of Frutex truck movements. You also provided a copy of the letter from Frutex to Council about its need to check overseas records, which you consider is clearly ridiculous and should have been disregarded. You also raised again the failure of Council to sue the correct Frutex company.
“The additional documents support the information you provided to the ICAC but do not provide any additional information which supports your allegations of corrupt conduct. I note the allegations were previously assessed by the ICAC and are addressed in the ICAC’s letter to you dated 7 September 2006. The ICAC will therefore not be taking any further action in relation to this matter.
“I enclose as requested, the originals of the documents you mailed to the ICAC.
25th October 2006”
You will notice in the photographs (attached) that large trucks making deliveries to the premises of Fruitex International knocked down two trees on the High School side of St. Albans Road, Kingsgrove, which could have severely injured or killed a pupil from the school or, for that matter, a local resident. The following photos are self-explanatory and, last but not least, a copy of a threatening letter received in the mail by local resident, Mr. Wright.
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