Jess Milne, Dan Stewart push back over ‘lack’ of Gympie council transparency

Gympie councillors have blasted an apparent diminishing commitment to transparency - especially when it comes to the environment levy - comparing a recent council progress report to a piece of undercooked chicken.

Mayor Glen Hartwig and Gympie council CEO Shane Grey (left), has defended the council’s transprency after it came under fire from two councillors concerned about a lack of detail in the council’s latest progress report.

The commitment to transparency at Gympie Regional Council has been challenged, with one councillor saying its latest progress report was so lacking in detail it was the equivalent of an undercooked chook that should be sent back to the chef.

Councillor Jess Milne questioned the level of detail given by the council in its quarterly reports which give updates on the organisation’s infrastructure, environmental, economic and organisational progress.

Ms Milne voted against accepting the eight-page document presented at Wednesday’s meeting, saying it was “lacking in information”.

“It does not give me confidence in certain areas … If this was chicken you had provided me I’d probably be sending it back as under done,” she said.

“I would rather have more information.”

Money raised through the environment levy program, and transparency around how it was spent, was one key issue.

“I have asked a range of times, probably over the past 12 months about the projects that have been delivered through this program,” she said.

“We are (transparent) with the grants programs but its only 20 per cent; what has happened to the other 80 per cent?

“I kept asking about that, I’d like to see that in here.”

Councillor Jess Milne said the report was missing information and if it was food she would send it back.

Mayor Glen Hartwig said the amount of funds collected by the levy was expended “a number of times over” through programs including pest and weed control.

Cr Dan Stewart shared Ms Milne’s concerns, this time around reporting on the capital works program.

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He said the figure reported, that the council delivered 90 per cent of its revised $31.8 million capital works budget in 2020-2021, should instead be presented against what the budget had been before the revision – about $42 million.

“To me that’s being more open and honest,” Mr Stewart said.

Transparency was a key part of the 2020 election platform for those elected.

“That’s what we should really be comparing too.

“There’s good reasons why we adjusted but let’s say ‘this is what we tried to go for originally’.”

He said the last council’s reports were too long but swinging the pendulum to the opposite extreme was not right either.

“It seems to me this has gone too far the other way and it’s too brief,” Mr Stewart said.

“Let’s be honest and upfront about it.”

Reports under the past council were too long, Cr Dan Stewart said, but swinging the pendulum to the other extreme was not the answer.

“I’m not wanting War And Peace but there’s only 20 … items there.

“We could have a bit more detail on some of those items than what we got.”

Transparency was a key platform at the 2020 council election with councillors promising to overhaul the amount of information revealed to councillors and the public.

Mr Hartwig defended the report, which was ultimately adopted by a seven-to-two vote, with Ms Milne and Mr Stewart the only dissenting voices,

“At no other point in the last term did we see a monthly water business unit update,” Mr Hartwig said.

“The reality is councillors are getting more information than they ever have, in different forms.

“There’s lots of information like negotiations with TMR that’s difficult giving it to councillors when there is nothing finalised.

“I’m very happy with the way the organisation is travelling and the information councillors are getting.”