Green Caldera

Sylvia Hale, NSW Greens MP and Local Government spokesperson has slammed Tweed Council for imposing a ban on its Councillors disclosing information to the media. "Tweed Council was dismissed in 2005 because of corrupt conduct. Haven’t the Councillors who voted for this ban learnt anything from that experience?” asked Ms Hale.   “Denying the media and the public access to information creates the sort of climate in which corruption can flourish.”   The Daly report into Tweed Council that led to its dismissal in 2005 specifically criticised the then Council for adopting processes that “resulted in a low level of transparency in its operations.” (Daly report, May 2005, p. 294)   “Now this new Council is doing exactly the same thing, implementing processes designed to reduce transparency and shut down public scrutiny. It’s a very dangerous road for the Council to pursue and the Council should reverse its decision immediately.”   “If the Council wants to win back the trust of the community it should be looking at making more information available to the public, not less.”   “Given the potential negative consequences for public administration in the Tweed I am calling on the Minister for Local Government to intervene to ensure that Tweed Council adheres to the principles of freedom of information and stops its attempts to avoid public scrutiny of its processes and decisions,” Ms Hale said.    Contact: Chris Holley on 02 9230 3030 or 0437 779 546