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Should the Hastings be divided into wards?
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Should the Port Macquarie-Hastings local government area remain as a whole or be divided into wards for election purposes? If divided into wards representatives from each ward would then be elected onto Council.
This online discussion forum has concluded. You can still browse the site but the discussion area will no longer accept new comments or votes.
Comment 1 29 Oct 2009, 6:14 PM
I wouldn't be opposed to this, it sounds reasonable to have representation from certain geographic areas. I would prefer having partially ward-based representation, say 3-5 ward members, and the rest being elected at-large in accordance with s281 of the LGA.
Comment 1.1 30 Oct 2009, 12:45 PM
I am very much in favour of a "ward" arrangement as it not only guarantees the voices of all areas of the shire are heard but also their representatives have a decision making impact in Council deliberations.
I believe the wards might be chosen on the criteria : 1) geography 2) lifestyles 3) issues.
I would prefer the represetatives to number the same from each ward in a similar way that the Federal Senate is comprised ie the same number of senators from each state.
This then guarantees the residents of smaller inhabited areas a "real" representation - (as per my comments more…
Comment 2 4 Nov 2009, 9:15 AM
If this could be achieved before the next election it would be a great idea. It is something that has been discussed by many in the past years. Our Hastings Valley is vast. This would make it easier for a rep to listen to his or her area
Valc
Comment 3 4 Nov 2009, 10:43 AM
Yes, I would support the LGA being divided into wards for election purposes, as it would offer opportunities for locally based candidates to stand for their particular area, i.e. they could campaign on issues that were pertinent to their local area.
Comment 4 4 Nov 2009, 1:16 PM
Before we can ascertain if wards are appropriate we need to know the constraints of the local government act as to how wards are constructed. I believe that wards will need to have approximately equal numbers of electors, ie, as do State and Federal electorates. Therefore we may end up with say 3 wards in Port Macquarie and 1 in the Camden Haven and 1 Wauchop based (based on the premise of 5 councillors being made the number. We need to be very careful as in the past the geographic spread has actually favoured the outlying areas and not concentrated councillor numbers in Port Macquarie - although many were accussed of being "portcentric".
Comment 5 4 Nov 2009, 4:41 PM
Wards?....get real people! This a growing country town, not Sydney or Melbourne. With the prime number of councillors set at seven, they should be equally responsible for all sections of the Hastings.
In a ward system, the most disadvantaged typically become the outlying areas, "no-go"areas and retiree residential areas. We have already experienced the Port-Centric outcome of the last Council, viz the $50mil Glasshouse.
Comment 6 5 Nov 2009, 11:49 AM
A ward system based upon population numbers would work nicely with seven councillors each representing a little over 10,000 people.This would eliminate real,or perceived, bias in where money was spent.
Comment 6.1 5 Nov 2009, 5:10 PM
Really?....you're talking about a perfect world!....history shows that the hardest workers, the loudest table bangers, the red faced shouters and the developers alliance will receive more than their fair share simply because others are not prepared to persevere.....and for the lousy remuneration paid to councillors, would you blame them?
Comment 7 23 Nov 2009, 6:43 PM
No . These sorts of structures merely add another layer of decision making in a body which already has great difficulty in arriving at good common sense outcomes due to the overly bureaucratic & legal structures with which we are currently burdened at all levels of Govt.Such arrangements just divide the larger community goodwill & promote smallmindedness.
Comment 8 26 Nov 2009, 11:00 AM
I am not in favour of councillors standing in wards, as I think all councillors should be equally responsible for the whole LGA - but having 'duty' councillors who take a special interest in each of the main outlying areas might work. It would be preferable that such 'duty' was performed by a councillor who did not live in that area to ensure fairness and avoid possible conflicts of interest. This would work with either 5 or 7 councillors. The critical thing is that the people we elect are qualified to do the job (not necessarily in a formal sense) and altruistic in their approach.
Comment 9 28 Nov 2009, 10:00 AM
The following suggestions are offered with regard to the proposal put forward by the PMHC Administrator on Councillor numbers:-
1. The area defined under the Local Government Area as PMNC should be divided into section (ie as a ward system) such as :- Port Central; Wauchope/ and west; Lake Cathie/Bonny Hills; Laurieton/ west and south and North Shore/north.
2. An elected representative for each of the areas.
3. An elected Mayor with an extra casting vote in case of a tie in voting. (i.e a total of 6 representatives)
4. Experto Crede. Trust one who has expertise i.e (been there , done that)
Comment 10 2 Dec 2009, 3:48 PM
I disagree with wards. COuncillors are elected to represent all the people. It is important that in their decisions they consider all areas of the community and not just be parochial for their area. This just sets up divisions. The community has already voted on this before
Comment 11 27 Dec 2009, 12:46 PM
I beleive that the Ward system would be a very good idea espcially when combined with a reduction in elected members. Councillors, once elected, also need to ensure they have adequate local kmowledge and having them focus on a given area (Ward) would assist in making this process more attainable.
