UPDATE: Report to be made public

Passion, intimidation, identity - all words bandied around last night as in excess of 200 people crammed into the Civic Centre for a de-amalgamation 'workshop'.

Greg Hoffman addresses the Civic Centre supper room on Monday night. Picture: Matthew Purcell

COUNCIL has refuted claims that the findings of the latest de-amalgamation publication won't be made public.

On Monday night more than 200 people crammed into the Civic Centre supper room for a de-amalgamation 'workshop'.

It was led by Greg Hoffman, who was engaged by Southern Downs Regional Council to run the rule over council's review of the Granite Belt Community Associations (GBCA) de-amalgamation proposal, as well as scrutinise the latter.

Despite Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe never requesting council employ an outside consultant, it proceeded with the plan, with ratepayers covering the costs.

"Engaging an impartial consultant to undertake an independent assessment of both the Granite Belt Community Association's proposal and Southern Downs Regional Council's management review was at the discretion of council and a decision made in the public interest,” an SDRC spokesperson said.

The meeting ran for close to two hours, threatening to boil over on occasion, as residents voiced their frustration on council issues, as well as the need to even hold such a workshop.

Throughout the evening Mr Hoffman provided commentary to facets of both reports, sitting on the fence with regard to the issues put in front of him.

'Strexit' as Mr Hoffman termed it, would bring about some difficulties that he believed hadn't been fully outlined in the GBCA's report.

Issues surrounding staffing, redundancies and splitting assets needed greater attention, he suggested.

The tipping point came at the end of the evening, when Mr Hoffman said that his review of both council's and GBCA's reports would only be made available to SDRC, not to the public or to Minister Hinchliffe and his office.

"I give you an undertaking that we will report faithfully what's been said in what we provide to council,” Mr Hoffman said. "I cannot discern what council will then do.”

Council has since made a commitment that they will make Mr Hoffman's findings public.

"Once completed, Mr Hoffman's assessment will be made publicly available to all residents,” a council spokesperson said.