Few people would doubt the appointment of administrators to a local council is not usually well and truly called for, in fact the minister appointed bureaucrats are usually welcomed with open arms by a citizenry fed up with the less than inspiring efforts of their incompetent and/or corrupt councillors and staffers.
And with nearly ten appointments in the past decade, in NSW alone, it seems this particular exercise of brute power in local government is becoming a feature of an increasingly troubled form of public administration.
It would seem all forms of government have their moments. Benevolent dictatorship has often been cited as the most desirable or effective form of government however, as we all know, over time they inevitably become more dictatorial and less benevolent!
To be fair, even the longest administrations have not come anywhere near the length of time in office of the councillors or staffers they replaced – which suggests to me that ‘time in office’ may well be a major factor in overcoming the types of entrenched problems exposed in Wollongong or Liverpool.
In the good old days local bank mangers were arbitrarily transferred every three or four years on the well established grounds that over familiarity with customers was not a good thing – for the bank anyway.
And for all the bank bashing that goes on in this country one thing they can’t have levelled at them is incompetence or negligence (based on their trading results anyway). Perhaps some over enthusiasm in extending personal loans, but that’s another story.
The recurring theme in all the well known cases (where administrators have been appointed) is a gaggle of councillors with an eye to higher political office and/or profitable land development and a corporatised CEO who has occupied their senior positions for decades.
It must be said that in the cases I know of personally there have always been a small number of councillors beavering away in the background trying to do the ‘right’ thing. They have usually been outside the ALP ranks and never had the numbers to directly influence important decisions within the council chambers or gain the ear or respect of their pragmatic CEOs.
Given that our current form of local government is not likely to be jettisoned anytime soon (and I do know many would say that would be a good thing), about the only short term fix I can foresee, and would strongly recommend, would be to limit the continuous time in office of councillors and CEOs to 6-8 years maximum.
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The debt crisis
I was surprised to learn from the ABC TV 4 Corners program on Monday that approx. 300,000 home buyers are having trouble meeting mortgage payments. One couple interviewed were evicted and are now living in a double garage in the same street; their home did not sell at auction. When asked why they kept on taking the loans, she replied "They kept offering them to us".
Another unpleasant surprise was the extent of credit card debt - and the news that the largest lender, GE, continues to issue cards [from various off shoots of GE] to people who have already had other cards withdrawn because of inability to pay their debt. Some people apparently have numerous credit cards all up to their limit and are only paying the low monthly repayment rather than the whole debt! Yet it appears there are no shortage of companies prepared to give a credit card to anyone who requests one.
I don't expect economics to be taught in schools, but I do expect life skills and budgeting to be taught. Otherwise the belief in the tooth fairy and Santa Claus
and we are entitled to everything, will continue until we are a nation of bankrupts.
Fergie | 
