Redland City’s 2016 increase in the pensioner rates discount enables some seniors to buy 100 tea bags per year.
On Monday Redlands’ seniors will find out if the pensioner rates discount will be increased, one of Mayor Karen Williams’ key policy commitments when running for re-election in 2016.
In 2011/12 the maximum rates discount for a full pensioner was $330.00 per year.
If this amount had been indexed every year to compensate for cost of living increases as measured by the Brisbane Consumer Price Index (CPI) the discount would now be $370.92 per year, $35 per year more than the current discount.
But pensioners and other seniors have been largely ignored by the Council since Karen Williams became Mayor. During her first term as Mayor there were no increases in the pensioner rates discount, despite concerns raised by local residents.
When running for reelection in March 2016, Karen Williams promised to deliver an increase in pensioner discounts.
After the election, the pensioner rates discount was increased by just $5.00 from $330 to $335 in the Mayor’s 2016/17 Budget.
There was no further increase to pensioner rates discounts in the 2017/18 budget.
Brisbane City Council offers much more generous rates discounts to pensioners. In Brisbane pensioners get up to 40% off their rates, up to a maximum of $1,015 per year.
Seniors hit by funding cut to Donald Simpson Centre
Funding cuts to the Donald Simpson Centre financially disadvantaged many Redland seniors.
In 2017 many Redland seniors were financially disadvantaged when the Council decided to cut its longstanding $100,000 per year funding support to the Donald Simpson Centre.
A $50,000 reduction was imposed in 2017/18 and unless the Council has a last minute change of mind the Centre will soon lose all Council funding.
Council’s withdrawal of funds forced the Centre to increase activity charges to its 2,400 members, typically costing these residents (most of them seniors) an additional $40 per year in 2017/18.
The vote to cut funding to the Donald Simpson Centre was supported by Mayor Karen Williams and councillors Peter Mitchell, Mark Edwards, Murray Elliott, Julie Talty and Paul Gleeson.
The five councillors who opposed this controversial decision were Wendy Boglary, Paul Golle, Lance Hewlett, Tracey Huges and Paul Bishop.
A petition signed by more than 1,500 people, calling for Council to restore its funding support to the Donald Simpson Community Centre, was ignored by the Council.
Council’s secretive divestment of its Home Assist role
Divestment of Council’s home assist role was first discussed on 10 August 2016 according to documents obtained through Right to Information.
For many years Redland City Council has administered home assist services to people who are are 60 years of age and over, have a disability or need help with the tasks of daily living.
These services, such as help with home maintenance, are funded by grants from the Federal and State governments.
But in recent years the Council has been divesting its home assist administration role to a community group, Star Community Services.
As often seems to be the way in Redlands, this process was handled secretively with no opportunity for community discussion.
No other prospective service providers were given an opportunity to become the home assist service administrator in lieu of Redland City Council.
Star Community Services approached Redland Council in 2016 proposing that it take over Council’s home assist administration role with a view to becoming the future recipient of government grants.
On 10 August 2016 the Star Community Services proposal got the green light at a non public meeting of the Mayor and councillors.
This decision in principle was followed up by a number of further decisions discussed confidentially during closed sessions of Council general meetings.
It’s understood that considerable efforts were made by the Council to keep secret as long as possible the transfer of its home assist role to Star Community Services.
In late 2017 the Council’s home assist clients were advised by letter that the Council was transitioning out of its service delivery role, in partnership with Star Community Services.
Gaining the role as manager of Council’s home assist responsibilities from 2 January to 30 June 2018 significantly enhanced Star Community Services prospects of obtaining future government grants for provision of home assist services.
It’s possible that Star Community Services may be capable of doing an excellent job as administrator of government funding for home assist services.
But why was this role gifted to them so secretively, without other community organisations being given an opportunity to put themselves forward for consideration?
Council’s secret meetings uncovered
Council decisions are supposed to be made at formal meetings as provided for in the Local Government Act but in Redlands many matters are discussed and decided secretively by the Mayor and councillors at non public meetings and workshops.
The agenda and minutes of some non-public Mayor councillors meetings from May to October 2016 were obtained by Redlands2030 through a Right to Information (RTI) request.
The Council declined initially to make this information available, but it was finally provided (with many redactions) following a review by the Officer of the Information Commissioner.
As well as illuminating Council’s decision to give its home assist administration role to Star Community Services these documents bring to light a number of other issues discussed by our elected representatives.
Topics discussed early in the new term of the current Council included a new Cleveland jetty, a water play park at Capalaba Regional Park, and the process of recording votes at these informal meetings.
There are also a few more mundane matters discussed such as what sort of lunches should be provided to councillors. One councillor wanted “less sandwiches and greater variety”.
Anyone browsing through the notes from these meetings might wonder why many of these issues were not discussed properly, in public, at the Council’s general meetings in accordance with procedures set out in the Local Government Act.
These agendas and minutes from May to October 2016, obtained by Redlands2030 through RTI, are available here.
The precedent established by Redlands2030 in obtaining records of these secret meetings means there’s a reasonable chance for anyone else to obtain records of Mayor and councillors informal non-public meetings and workshops through Right to Information.
Under state legislation, Right to Information processing charges are waived for pensioners and others in financial hardship (but they still have to pay the $48.00 application fee).
Redlands2030 – 24 June 2018
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5 Comments
Pensioner rates discount for pensioners to be increased? Not in the previous one, and no not in this one either…yet cost of living continues to increase making life even more difficult for many elderly.
We, the people of Redlands, pay the generous salaries of Redland City’s public servants, but they decide, along with mates, what information can be divulged to the people at large….preferring to keep development issues secret, decided in Mayor’s inner sanctum.
Then we have a councillor who abandoned her constituents in a run for higher office in State government. Having lost, came running back to Council taking on being councillor for the division, again. Try that in private industry…when you are out, there is no coming back to the same job. But in government circles, anything goes…its like the buddy system…look after each other…working well in Redlands in my view.
I would like to make an honest reply to Lynn’s comment, that it has only been since I retired that I have realised Mayor Williams is pro-developer at all costs and anti local interest. We all make mistakes and I guess that I believed she was actually trying to improve the natural beauty and tourism potential of the Redlands. I gathered a group of 20 residents, who all voted for her on condition that she try to remove the 2012 CEO of RCC asap because he was not maintaining the sewage pumping stations in Victoria Point and Capalaba. He was replaced within a year but unfortunately by someone who was worse. Fortunately he has now gone as well. I guess I was a little naïve and when a misleading artist’s impression of the Toondah Harbour proposed upgrade appeared in the Redland City Bulletin I thought – that will be nice, it needs to be upgraded. It was only when I discussed the Walker Proposal with Steve Macdonald of R2030 that I realised it was a commercial unit development posing as a ferry terminal upgrade. Why then was the Mayor, along with two other councillors, supporting it to the hilt when residents could smell a rat. Your guess is as good as mine but I think the Mayor has now realised that her time in that role is drawing to a close.
Ouch! No wonder they didn’t want the dirty linen exposed to the paying public.
So councillors wanted “less sandwiches and greater variety”.
Does that mean there really is such a thing as a “free lunch”, for councillors?
In the 2016 Council elections for Redlands I voted for Karen Williams for Mayor, as I did in the previous elections. I have now retired and one of her promises was to increase the pensioner discounts, however, I am not holding my breath because another commitment was to do something about the increasing congestion on our main roads but it has got markedly worse. Councillors will pass this off by saying main roads are the responsibility of the State Government. Why then do you include it in your commitments and why do you pave the way for removal of large areas of mature forests and the construction of small lot housing and multi-storey blocks of units where infrastructure cannot cope? The support of some councillors for the flawed proposal of Walker Corporation to construct 10 storeys of units out over the Ramsar Protected shore zone just shows they are not listening to the residents or considering the future welfare of the Redlands.
I am puzzled, Dr Tafe, that it is only now that you have retired that you see Mayor Williams in an unfavourable light. This ridiculous Toondah Harbour proposal by Walker Corporation has been ‘out there for all to consider’ since about 2003 and Mayor Williams and her cronies have refused to listen to the ratepayers for that whole time.
I’m interested to know what has made you change your mind? I have believed, along with very many others, that this Council under Ms Williams has been anti-local interest and pro-developer at all costs and always has been. Nothing has changed!