In addition to the inappropriate and inadequate liaising and consultation with Griffith business community and Griffith Business Chamber, we feel it’s necessary to highlight these factors below.It is no secret that Griffith Business Chamber has been highly critical of Griffith City Council’s performance under General Manager Brett Stonestreet and Mayor John Dal Broi for almost 10 years.In fact, Chamber has made multiple submissions and representations to Council, Office of Local Government, State Government Members, Officials and Ministers and even the Federal Government highlighting the serious issues and gaps in appropriate planning, management and vision .
Council's inability to acknowledge and address serious issues borders on fiscal and social negligence and could lead to forced administration.
Council have actively discredited and bullied anyone including Chamber for speaking out.
The first step to solving a problem is to identify it. Surprisingly, many people see that as negative. Second step to solving a problem is not being fooled by the wrong answer, also seen by many as negative. Just because people want unicorns to exist doesn't mean that they do.
Some significant issues highlighted are summarised under these dot points:
- Inadequate planning and proper steps to address Housing and Homelessness crisis as highlighted in Dr Judith Stubbs report.
- No reference or response to significant Gross Regional Product economic decline (pre Covid 19) https://economy.id.com.au/griffith/gross-regional-product
- Councils inappropriate and unsustainable reliance on water trading. (water that was mostly improperly levied from developers and should be handed back along with water supposed to be used in Lake Wyangan to avoid catastrophic fish kill and toxic Blue Green Algae.)
- Mismanagement of Lake Wyangan causing environmental and social catastrophe with potential community health risks.
- Inappropriate prioritization of widely unsupported projects like Rose Garden, Lake Pontoon, jamming a 50m pool in crammed site without sufficient recreational facilities, grandstand and parking as recommended in ratepayer paid Tredwell report https://www.tredwell.com.au/project/feature-project-5-3-5-2-2-2-2-2-2-2/
- Insufficient representation for return of vital health services and new Public Hospital reconstruction prioritisation.
- Insufficient representation in High School merger and teacher shortage fiasco.
- Inappropriate handling of Volumetric Water Tax and potential losses to tens of millions of dollars from litigation.
- Inappropriate and inadequate liaising and consultation with Elected Member for Murray Helen Dalton. (John Dal Broi and Brett Stonestreet yelled and swore in the first meeting at MP Hon. Helen Dalton and Debbie Buller when they highlighted that their planning documents were inadequate & looked like an advertising brochure rather than a serious and adequate planning document and showed them another Council’s planning document from Edwards River Council as an example of what is expected.)
- Inadequate and insufficient community consultation on infrastructure projects.
- Inadequate representation on Murray Darling Basin Plan, State allocations and water issues.
- Inadequate representation to State Government on Water Sharing Plan and 5%HS + 15%GS Voluntary Contributions stolen from our Community.
- Inappropriate interjections and intimidation of Councillors by Mayor and General Manager in Council meetings.
- Inappropriate responses to Community consultation and submissions.
GRIFFITH LOSES 60 NEW EXECUTIVE TAFE NSW JOBS
It comes as a bitter blow for Griffith’s already damaged economy as 60 higher income individuals and their families were promised to be decentralised by TAFE NSW to Griffith.
I believe this is due to Griffith City Council mismanagement. TAFE have blamed Griffith’s housing crisis, skills gap and lack of strategic plans to address issues. These 60 Executive jobs would have been the necessary economic driver that our seriously damaged economy needed.
Despite Ministerial announcements during the middle of an election campaign - announcing this move to Griffith, TAFE NSW have now said that they are pulling the 60 new jobs out of the Griffith. Even though they have already repurposed a building near the Griffith TAFE Wine Centre.
This fiasco is primarily Griffith City Council’s fault due to blatant mismanagement, neglect and exceptionally poor planning.
TAFE making the claim that 60 new jobs that are now going to Tamworth is coincidental and not related, seems fanciful and difficult to believe.
Chamber are furious with Council’s inability to address the housing crisis as identified by Dr Judith Stubbs with a recent study shockingly identifying 2,175 homeless people and 2,796 marginally housed people in Griffith. These alarming statistics and the low number of new housing construction has been continually brought to Griffith City Council’s attention by Griffith Business Chamber, with nothing but abuse in return.
This neglect creates more pressure on Griffith’s known skills gap’s. This poor planning is evident in Griffith City Councils Investment prospectus, which looks like an advertising brochure- compared to Tamworth’s professional Economic Blue Print.
Council’s claim that that it is not up to them, but it is up to developers is blatant ‘passing the buck’ and borders on fiscal and social negligence”.
The difference in professionalism and planning can only be described as embarrassing. General Manager Brett Stonestreet should step down from his position at Griffith City Council due to 60 new job losses.
Griffith City Council’s Investment Prospectus https://issuu.com/griffithcitycouncil/d1ocs/griffith_investment_prospectus_2020/1?ff
Tamworth’s Economic Blue print.
https://www.tamworth.nsw.gov.au/develop/integrated-planning/blueprint-100
RELATED STORIES.
https://www.areanews.com.au/story/5737432/tafes-shared-services-office-could-bring-60-jobs-west/
https://www.areanews.com.au/story/5939704/jobs-future-viability-created-with-new-centre-in-griffith/
GRIFFITH HOUSING CRISIS & SKILLS SHORTAGE
Griffith’s housing market collapsed in 2013 (partly due to Murray Darling Basin Plan) from a recent point in time where we were building at the start of 2000’s around 250 new homes in Griffith’s LGA per annum, to collapse to only 18 homes in one year and in 2019 just 60 homes. Council did nothing except abuse and make personal attacks on anyone who highlighted these disastrous numbers including elected Griffith Business Chamber volunteer executives.
Griffith has also been identified as record homelessness many times the National average. Around 10% of our population declared homeless. The Griffith City population forecast for 2019 was 26,930, and is forecast to grow to 30,507 by 2036.
https://judithstubbs.com.au/an-affordable-housing-strategy-for-griffith-city-council/
Findings from Griffith Homeless Study alarmingly shows that in any given year there are up to 2,175 homeless people and 2,796 marginally housed people in Griffith. Community members called out for years for Griffith City Council to address the Housing and rental crisis but they refused to acknowledge or attempt to address this serious problem until NOW.
Griffith NSW Growing Homelessness and Vulnerability Study (by Judith Stubbs – Federally Funded) shows that
- higher than average rate of homelessness
- increase in homelessness and marginally housed 2011-16,
- 2,175 homeless people and 2,796 ‘marginally housed’ people in any given year in Griffith LGA
- Largely people living in severely overcrowded dwellings, in cars and temporary or insecure accommodation rather than ‘street’ homelessness
Salvation Army Major at Griffith says governments need to invest in more emergency housing. Griffith’s housing shortage is so dire that caravan parks and short term manufactured units are urgently required.
This problem has exacerbated medical staff shortages,teaching shortages and major personnel and skills shortage across all businesses. Griffith housing crisis data reveals majority of low-income earners deal with rental stress. Social Planning and Research Consultants Judith Stubbs says the data reveal a critical rental situation. Programs like Griffith Now Hiring undermined by housing shortage. Council owned Lake Wyangan property continued to lay idle for decades.
In fact, Council’s only immediate real response to this other than presentations where Mayor berated local developers was to inappropriately reintroduce 1% extra tax on developers. (on top of illegal Volumetric Water Tax)
Recently Council gifted Argyle housing one of the only greenspaces in neglected suburb Pioneer and a small block land locked next to the Ambulance station and the long overdue sale of lake Wyangan blocks – all an obvious case of too little, too late.
Extracted From Council’s website April 2019.
COMMUNITY FORUMS INFORM HOUSING STRATEGY FOR GRIFFITH CITY - Grant funding from the Building Better Regions Fund has enabled Council to commission a detailed analysis of the current state of housing availability in Griffith.
This evidence-based study, undertaken by Dr. Judith Stubbs, forms the basis of a Housing Diversification Strategy for Griffith and seeks methods of increasing access to diverse and affordable housing options for key target groups in the city experiencing housing stress.
Housing stress and lack of availability of affordable housing is a common theme across Australia, with a recent report released by UNSW City Futures Research Centre indicating more than one million social and affordable homes will need to be built in Australia by 2036 to meet demands. Locally, Griffith will require additional dwellings to be built to accommodate the expected increase in the workforce due to additional jobs being generated in the poultry and other manufacturing industries.
The study has already produced some very detailed findings.
Alarmingly, in Griffith in any given year, there are up to 2,175 homeless people and 2,796 marginally housed people. The study also indicated that due to the low supply of affordable dwellings, some Griffith residents in severe housing stress are paying more than 50% of their weekly income in rent.
Director Economic and Organisational Development, Shireen Donaldson said the study will provide potential strategies designed for the local area which can be implemented by Council, the private sector and the community housing sector.
“Using data collected from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, id.community demographic data and interviews with local stakeholders, a comprehensive pool of information will inform the Strategy and shape potential strategies,” said Mrs Dondaldson.
“As part of the development of the Strategy, two community consultation sessions were held last week to discuss the initial draft report from Judith Stubbs and Associates and the proposed strategies”.
During the sessions, attendees were presented a number of strategies designed to encourage development of affordable housing with community members providing valuable input.
“Both sessions were well attended by key stakeholders, developers, real estate agents, builders, architects, investors, community members and Councillors and provided valuable feedback which will be essential in the development of the Strategy,” she said.
“Areas identified out of the consultation sessions included development obstacles, community needs, and the high demand for affordable rental properties.”
Strategies to stimulate housing developments include possible re-zoning around the CBD as well as a review of Council's Development Control Plans (DCPs), which is currently being undertaken by Council Planning staff. The Strategy will also include the consideration of housing options such as New Generation Boarding Houses and Manufactured Housing Estates and the development of partnerships of key stakeholders for the direct creation of affordable housing.
RE-ENGAGEMENT OF GENERAL MANAGER & COUNCILLORS BEHAVIOUS
The performance of Griffith Council is well below acceptable standards. Mayor Dal Broi’s intimidation, bullying and obvious railroading is inappropriate and unprofessional. These issues have been raised many times to only be swept under the carpet with a tokenistic effort at best. Where is the reprimand for poor performance on all the matters listed?
This Council has served it’s elected 4 year term and is currently in a Corona Virus 5th year virtual caretaker mode extension. The General Manager Brett Stonestreet’s contract is not due to end until August 2021 only 1 month before September 2021 elections.
After 10 years as General Manager, it is inappropriate and unprofessional not to advertise this role and open it up to all applicants.
Council should have reprimanded General Manager Brett Stonestreet for poor performance on all the matters listed.
Council Chambers gallery filled with Ex-National Party Cronies at last meeting was inappropriate. Submitting a petition of around 15.4% of Council staff at that meeting is inappropriate and may give rise to Code of Conduct action.
The comments that current major infrastructure projects would be at risk if there is change is an example of frighteningly incompetent processes.
The Mayor Dal Broi’s intimidation, bullying and obvious railroading is inappropriate and unprofessional.
The Mayor and Council’s Governance officer not properly and transparently counting Council votes is a breach of the Code and will be investigated further.
(If one good thing has come from COVID it is the Live Broadcasting and recording of Council’s meetings on Zoom, this is another issue the community also asked for but General Manager stated it was too difficult and costly in the past)
Thousands of Ratepayers have witnessed firsthand the bullying behaviour of the Mayor and Councillors.
They will also have witnessed Cr Croce, Cr Zappacosta, Cr Stead, Cr Andreazza, Cr Dal Broi voting consistently on matters in a 5 Vote block.
This along with Councillors unnecessarily excluding themselves out of the room for non-pecuniary declarations of interest consistently because of fear of reprisal has rendered this Council as dysfunctional and ineffective.
THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT
It is clear that we cannot work with this current Council and Senior Management team.
We would love to work with a new progressive Council. We implore passionate and visionary members of our community to nominate as candidates in next years September 2021 Council election.
We are positive and can see great opportunity for our fantastic city, but we must work together to remove the shackles that have hindered our progress.
We thank our hundreds of loyal Chamber members and encourage all business people to help by becoming a member. With your backing, Griffith Business Chamber can continue to provide a strong collective voice to represent the interest of businesses to all levels of government, about important issues that directly and indirectly affect your business.
Regards,
Paul Pierotti | President