Oh dear, oh dear, of dear … City of Greater Bendigo has really given a most unroyal salute to residents of our great regional metropolis that demands the Bendigo Bunch is banished from our proud and passionate provincial kingdom.
Causing a greater stir than young Master Archie Harrison, who at least one day will be a prince, the Bendigo Bunch of six councillors and a CEO is has jumped the 21-gun salute to the new royal babe in arms by pushing ahead with spending money on the dud GovHub deal before knowing or revealing all the details after the “in principle only” decision back on 20 February.
In that act of treason and betrayal, they blindly chose without public consultation to roll-over and become a branch office of the State Government, selling the city’s crown jewels at Lyttleton Terrace, handing the cheque straight back to the government and paying rent that would make the Reserve Bank blush more than the spelling error in the latest print run of $50 notes.
We know – disappointingly for the Bendigo Bunch who hoped to slip this little one through – that the tender advertisement in the Bendigo Advertiser on Saturday 11 May falls outside any “in principle” decision.
This is detail that has been hidden by the CEO and his disciples, spending money before any final decision has been made. You can always back out of an “in principle” agreement but this Bendigo Bunch is ignoring due process yet again.
So the questions remain and grow:
· Why is Bendigo selling out to government when Ballarat will be $1 billion better off and without council putting in a cent?
· How much of our money has already been spent on dud GovHub and how much will be spent this financial year when yet again our rates go up faster than inflation?
· When will the Bendigo Bunch really inform, engagement and consult their ultimate employers – the residents and ratepayers of Bendigo?
· When will council make more decisions on this appalling deal? The next council meeting or will the game of hide and seek continue?
One thing is for sure, the Bendigo Bunch have buckley’s chance of any royal pardon for the way they treat the people of Bendigo.
Comments