Happy Holidays and A Great New Year

Sincere thanks for being a subscriber of A Personal View during 2010. 

 

It is pleasing to recieve such positive feedback on some of the issues this year and the passion that everyone has in ensuring that the right for free speech in our wonderful democracy is well and truly maintained, from the local issues to the bigger federal and world arenas.

 

I thank you for continuing to be a subscriber to A Personal View,  I surely believe that a lone voice can certainly project a large message/view through other networks that can be spread far and wide. 

 

I thank you if you have contributed suggestions and tips for A Personal View issues in 2010, its hard to keep track of them all.

 

On behalf of my wife, Sheryl, and my daughter Isabelle, I sincerely wish you and your family all the best for 2011 and look forward to keeping in contact with you to ensure that A Personal View is maintained and enhanced.

 

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to offer an idea for A Personal View or have information that you think may be worth sharing in the Public Arena.

 

This is my personal view.

 

Mal

Volunteers and Social Capital

It's at this time of year that I reflect on the year that was, the year that is coming and my friends and family.  I also reflect on what I did to make my community a better place and how, in the new year, I can continue to support my community through my personal efforts, outside of my paid community role. 

 

I feel it is timely to remember the Volunteers in our community, whom I believe are part of the glue that holds our community together, part of the Social Capital, that enhances where we live and work. Their contributions in their own time to others that are in need of assistance.  Though not identifying any group or individual, I recognise that there are many thousands of Volunteers within our own community whom deserve both individual and group recognition for their efforts.

 

The overall contribution that each and every Volunteer makes to our community is immeasurable, though some have placed a conservative dollar value of $23Billion per year, the amount that it would cost to pay for the tasks that Volunteers offer to our community.

 

I have been supporting Volunteers and Volunteering myself within the community for many years, of which one special time was in my role as Coordinator Kyabram Learning Town program.  Within this role I developed a whole range of community Volunteer recognition programs of which the Volunteers Awards Dinner was a much supported event. (See the cartoon below from the Kyabram Fee Press. That's supposed to be me chairing the Volunteer Dinner :-).

 

I understand that a similar cause to recognise our valuable Volunteers is being contemplated within our own Bundaberg community through the efforts of Nathan Williams (Pagent of Lights Coordinator).   To subscribe to his “The Volunteer Monthly” email the following to nathanwilliams23@hotmail.com

  

This is my personal view.

 

Mal

Council Divisions - The case against all in one-centralised electorate

Recently there has been a call from the Mayor for one Local Government electorate for Bundaberg Region.   It may be the Mayor Pyefinch has the financial resources as her disposal to cover the whole of the region to to spend in TV, Radio, print media, but will it be so with others to campaign as Councilors across the whole of the region.  The reality is that the cost of a candidate electioneering in the whole of the region is prohibitive majority of our community.

 

In a one size fits all - centralised - electorate for the Bundaberg Regional Council, the Bundaberg City population will draw the majority of councilors due to the shear weight of population numbers in the Bundaberg City area.  Communities such as Gin Gin, Woodgate, Childers, Rosedale, Bargara, and all in between, will be put at a disadvantage because of lack of numbers to elect a 'local' candidate whom understands their immediate community.

 

Through a one electorate system for the Bundaberg Region, the services of the Council will become increasingly centralised away from the coastal and hinterland areas due to Councilors interests being focused on Bundaberg City.  The parallel is that of City centric policies of any party of State Government where the majority of representatives are drawn from Metropolitan areas.

 

Normal everyday working folk whom have the interest of the community at heart to seek election to office, do not have large financial resources to engage in expensive TV, Radio, print media to get their message out to the whole of the region,

 

Through the Divisional system, 'local' candidates do have the local networking and close community resources of being known in their local communities to be able to seek support from those whom share their community living, without the large financial costs.

 

As I have stated previously,

 

"The most fairest form of voting process that would enable the greatest equity for the varying community interests, coastal, hinterland and metro' would be a reduced Divisional system, yet with multiple representatives elected."

 

"Of course part of the reform would be that elected Councilors must immediately cease any other income producing activity/employment and become 'full time' representatives enabling them to concentrate on what they are elected for, to 're-present' the electorates." 

 

 

This is my personal view.

 

Mal

Clever Australian Voters - Getting The Balance

Over the past 12 months we have seen the election of a Liberal/National Governments in Victoria, West Australia, a close Labor victory in South Australia and Tasmania,  and the writing is on the wall for Labor in NSW and QLD.  

 

For me it amusing to see the pundits over analyse these results through the prism of a State focus for each result.  For me,  it is clear the the Australian Voters, as a collective, are a 'clever bunch'.  For many decades Australians have bought themselves insurance against excesses of Government through their State and Federal choices.  For me,  when there is a Labor Federal Government there are a majority of Conservative State Government elected, and visa versa. 

 

It may take some time for the round up to occur due to varying election cycles of the Feds and the States, however things eventually level out.  It is no surprise for me that once Howard was ousted that the Labor State Government dominos began to fall.  Now that a minority Labor Federal Government is in place Victoria has continued the State conservative domino effect. 

 

It is quite clear that the clever Australian voters provide themselves an insurance policy in ensuring that not one major political Party is in control of the whole Country at any one time.  During Hawke and Keating there was a majority of Conservative States.  During the Howard years there was a majority of Labor States and how again the tables are turning, with the clever Australian voter re-establishing balance.

 

Except for the one period during the Howard years,  the clever Australian voter also expresses this insurance policy in electing one party in the Federal Lower House and either Conservative or a balance or power situation in the Senate.

 

This great 'unique' Australian Democracy of ours, that at times we may take for granted, and have long and meaningful discussions about over the BBQ, has brought us stable and workable Government since 1901.  We have have not had any internal electoral struggles that other countries experience, ie: recently Egypt, Haiti. 

 

All of this is because we have a system that allows the cleaver Australian voter the freedom to express not only their vote in secret but their opinions in public.

 

This is my personal view.

 

Mal

Bundaberg Regional Council - Divisions - Alternative

Recently there has been much discussion on the voting process of our Local Government - Bundaberg Regional Council - due in 2012.

 

There are those that wish to maintain the status quo and have the current Divisions, that split the voting across equal numbers in geographic areas, and there are those that feel that there should be one big electorate, such as occurs State and Federal electoral areas.

 

There are compelling arguments for both retention of existing Divisions across the Council area and those for a further amalgamation into one complete voting area.   A Local Government voting system in our Region needs to be fairly established that recognises the unique characteristics of each of its significant and different areas, a system that produces representatives that understands each of those unique areas, beyond which we currently have.

 

It is my view that the current system provides a whole range of inequities in voting as there are individual and community expectation cross overs of the competing geographic areas whom currently are asked to vote for the same candidate. A similarity is having the expectation that a Brisbane based politician understands the issues of those living in Moore Park or Gin Gin.  That is why we vote for our 'local' representative to 're-present' our issues to Brisbane.

 

It is clear that within such a large geographic area of the Bundaberg Region, the needs and aspirations of those living on the Coast differ from those in what could be could called the Hinterland which in turn, differ from the populous of those living in the CBD and its outskirts.  I offer that the most fairest form of voting process that would enable the greatest equity for the varying community interests, coastal, hinterland and metro' would be reduced Divisional system, yet with multiple representatives elected.

 

There would be three Divisions, Coastal (includes the areas of Woodgate to Bargara to Moore Park to Rosedale Areas), Hinterland (includes the areas of Childers to Boyal, Gin Gin, to South Kolan), Metro' (includes the areas of Bundaberg CBD, Thabeaban, Branyan, Kalkie, Oakwood, Woongarra).  Coastal and Hinterland Divisions would elect two (2) representatives each, a total of four (4), and the Metro Division four (4) being a total of eight (8) Councilors. 

 

This would decentralise the power that Bundaberg City area currently has, create balance in re-presentation of all areas, offer real re-presentation for the varying communities of interest throughout the Region and reduce the number of Councilors. 

 

Of course part of the reform would be that elected Councilors must immediately cease any other income producing activity/employment and become 'full time' representatives enabling them to concentrate on what they are elected for, to 're-present' their electorates. 

 

This is my personal view.

 

Mal

Senate Committee - Banking Competition - Submissions

Following on from previous A Personal View, Australia Bank, many have requested information on how they can let the Government know their own thoughts on the current practices within the Australian Banking System.

I have sourced out the Terms of Reference for the Senate Economics Committee on Competition within the Australian Banking Sector.   I have highlighted section that enables the re-establishment of the peoples bank, Australia Bank.

The email address to send submissions to the Senate Economics Committee on Competition within the Australian Banking Sector is economics.sen@aph.gov.au

IMPORTANT - Submissions close on the 30th of November so send an email to the Committee as soon as you can.

To go straight to the web site of Senate Economics Committee (Banking Inquiry) click here

Please also consider forwarding this edition of A Personal View to your family, friends and colleagues so that we can get as many submissions to the Committee on the range of things that need 'fixing' in out current Banking system.

(a) the current level of competition between bank and non-bank providers;
(b) the products available and fees and charges payable on those products;
(c) how competition impacts on unfair terms that may be included in contracts;
(d) the likely drivers of future change and innovation in the banking and non-banking sectors;
(e) the ease of moving between providers of banking services;
(f) the impact of the large banks being considered ‘too big to fail’ on profitability and competition;
(g) regulation that has the impact of restricting or hindering competition within the banking sector, particularly regulation imposed during the global
financial crisis;
(h) opportunities for, and obstacles to, the creation of new banking services and the entry of new banking service providers; (i) assessment of claims by banks of cost of capital;
(j) any other policies, practices and strategies that may enhance competition in banking, including legislative change;
(k) comparisons with relevant international jurisdictions;
(l) the role and impact of past inquiries into the banking sector in promoting reform; and
(m) any other related matter

This is my personal view.

MalHERE