OPINION: Poll result suggests tide has turned

CLEARLY many of you believe that change can only come about by putting administrators in place.

A FEW weeks ago I criticised the acting mayor's "polling" of the community after he said 80 per cent of Ipswich residents didn't want the council under administration.

At the time I didn't know how off the mark this figure was, but I certainly didn't think 80 per cent was accurate.

So, we commissioned a ReachTEL poll to ask the question, along with a few others.

The results are unsurprising.

Nearly half of the community believes Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe is doing the right thing.

And 40 per cent quite rightly want to hear the final results of Operation Belcarra before they make up their minds. This is fair.

But even at the end of Belcarra, if every one of those 40 per cent decided the council should stay, that doesn't come close to the 80 per cent Wayne Wendt says supports the councillors.

I have no doubt when Cr Wendt is talking to people, many of them say they don't want the councillors sacked. But you can't look at this issue so one-dimensionally.

Residents vote for a person. And they probably like the person they helped elect. They may also feel that person has done a wonderful job in representing their division.

But they may have a different view of the organisation as a whole.

Unfortunately, in this situation there is no way to differentiate between the individuals and the organisation.

And CCC boss Alan MacSporran hit the nail on the head in this week's statement he made about the systemic issues within the council.

They cannot be solved by more of the same. To change those long-running governance issues, there has to be a significant change at the top. And clearly many of you, believe that change can only come about by putting administrators in place.