McCulloch Inquiry to start hearing evidence
The long-awaited public hearings for the Inquiry into Central Coast Council are set to begin on September 27, with COVID-19 restrictions forcing them online. The hearings will be conducted from…
public inquiry
Wasted chance to learn from mistakes
Forum – Congratulations to the Pelican Post on running the story “Will keeping submissions private serve the public interest” on its front page regarding the current Central Coast Council Public…
Public Inquiry submission from suspended Cr MacGregor tracked down
The total number of submissions sent into the Public Inquiry into Central Coast Council has risen by five to 102 after the Commission asked for people to check they were…
Will keeping submissions private serve the public interest?
Shadow Minister for the Central Coast, David Harris, has written to the Local Government Minister, Shelley Hancock, questioning the decision to keep all submissions made to the Public Inquiry into…
The not-so-public inquiry
Forum – Why is the so called “public” inquiry into Central Coast Council being conducted largely in secret (“Nine suspended Councillors make submissions”, CCN 6 August)? The only reason given…
Council inquiry to conduct virtual interviews
The first and last weeks of September are expected to be used by the Commissioner of the Public Inquiry into Central Coast Council to conduct interviews and gather evidence. Central…
Little fishing village with a big council problem
The Patonga Progress Association was one of the very few groups to make a submission to the Public Inquiry into the financial woes of Central Coast Council according to a…
Inquiry moves ahead but referendum stalls
A public hearing to be held as part of the Inquiry into Central Coast Council may be held at the end of September but the referendum on the number of…
Consultant’s review of Council finances in 2020 made public
A report into Central Coast Council’s financial capacity by consultants last year found a cultural lack of emphasis on the importance of its financial position and performance. The consultants Grant…
Community demands summarily dismissed
Forum – The public inquiry into Central Coast Council’s financial fiasco is under way (Public submissions to inquiry to close June 21, CCN 295). Nevertheless, as I pointed out when…
Public Inquiry submissions close on June 21
The public, along with suspended councillors, have until June 21 to submit their thoughts to the Public Inquiry into Central Coast Council. However, the suspended councillors will not have access…
The Weekly News 5@5
Coast Community News 5@5, May 21. Coming up this week: Submissions for Public Inquiry to closeFormer Mayor Jane Smith says councillors hands are tiedAdvent Energy seeks equipment for PEP11 well…
Public submissions to Inquiry to close June 21
The public, along with suspended councillors, have until June 21 to submit their thoughts to the Public Inquiry into Central Coast Council. But the suspended councillors will not have access…
Former Mayor, Jane Smith, says denial of access to information not fair
Suspended Central Coast Councillor and former Mayor, Jane Smith, said councillors have their hands tied in trying to make effective submissions to the public inquiry into Council, with no access…
Democracy activist calls out Administrators
Local democracy activist, Klaas Woldring, has shared his submission to the Public Inquiry into council with Central Coast Newspapers, revealing a scathing analysis into how undemocratic the whole process of…
No excusing fiscal incompetence
Forum – Chris Holstein’s contention about our present catastrophic situation, that “a public inquiry would accomplish little … (because) it has the potential to embarrass the State Government, the Department…
Debate triggered by 20,000 signature e-petition over in half an hour
Debate in State Parliament over a community petition calling for a Judicial Inquiry into Central Coast Council took little over half an hour and achieved nothing. All that came out…
Crouch defends Public Inquiry and its terms of reference
Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, has hit back at criticisms from the Labor Party over the terms of reference for the recently announced public inquiry into Central…
End of an era
The announcement that councillors will remain suspended as a public inquiry into Central Coast Council is launched marks the end of a 30 year career in civic life for Councillor…
Inquiry’s terms of reference fall far short of what is required
Forum – The public inquiry announced by the Minister (“Public inquiry under section 438u of the Local Government Act 1993 into Central Coast Council”, CCC 236) falls far short of…