IN February, 2014 Newcastle Herald journalists Donna Page and Michael McGowan revealed how Port Stephens mayor Bruce MacKenzie contributed to the campaigns of eight other candidates in the 2012 local government elections.
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It secured a majority “Liberal-leaning” council of candidates who campaigned as independents.
The Herald described it as the most calculated election numbers game the Hunter had ever seen, and quoted University of Sydney political communication expert Dr Richard Stanton, who said there was “absolutely no transparency in the (NSW) system at all”.
“The general public has not a clue about what goes on,” he said.
He said law reform was needed to ensure greater transparency about the links between candidates. He also called for a cap on campaign funding to ensure a level playing field. Those things haven’t happened.
Instead of reforms to improve transparency and public trust in the integrity of local government elections, the NSW Government gave us its botched amalgamation process.
It is less than three months before the next council elections and the battle lines for Port Stephens Council are already drawn.
Over the weekend the Labor Party announced it was standing nine candidates – three in three wards – and supporting businessman and popular advocate for Williamtown contamination residents, Des Maslen, as mayoral candidate.
On Monday Port Stephens councillor and former state Liberal Party candidate Ken Jordan criticised the Labor Party’s decision to run a ticket and said there was “no place” for party politics in local government.
With all due respect to Cr Jordan, that statement flies in the face of the reality of local government – that it is often the stepping stone for ambitious people with eyes on higher levels of government.
It also misses the bigger problem in local government – that it’s not necessarily party politics that is the problem, but undeclared groupings and alignments.
Local government is the form of democracy closest to the people. It can have the greatest impacts on people’s lives. The community expects each councillor to vote according to the merits of issues. And if there are links between candidates – and particularly campaign funding links – they should be declared early, and openly.
Issue: 38,529.
