Robinson hits back at mayor’s Labor Party assertions
Sunshine Coast mayoral candidate Ashley Robinson has rejected claims by Mark Jamieson that he is aligned with Labor, saying there is “no place for party politics” in this election. FOLLOW THE LATEST
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Sunshine Coast mayoral candidate Ashley Robinson has rejected claims by Mark Jamieson that he is aligned with Labor, saying there is “no place for party politics” in this election.
Mr Jamieson told the Daily he found it curious that Mr Robinson would swap preferences with Rosanna Natoli, who Mr Jamieson said held ‘conservative’ political beliefs.
Mr Jamieson, who himself has clashed with LNP figures over public transport issues on the Coast despite being considered a conservative, said he believed Mr Robinson was more aligned with Labor values.
Mr Robinson said he found it odd that Mr Jamieson was commenting on preference arrangements after the former mayor had pledged he would not engage in commentary on the election.
Mr Jamieson has refused to publicly endorse any candidate though he told the Daily this week that he believed Jason O’Pray, who has been a close ally on the council, was running a good campaign.
Mr Robinson said it was odd that given Mr Jamieson had been first elected with only 30 per cent of the primary vote, he seemed to have forgotten that candidates make preference arrangements they consider gave them the best chance of winning.
“As for his opinions about my political leanings I would be interested to know on what he based that assessment,” Mr Robinson said.
“This is a local election in which there is no place for party politics. My commitment is to bring the council back to the community it is meant to serve.
“My campaign team reflects the community and includes people from all sides of politics.
“I find it odd that Mr Jamieson would choose this point of the campaign to make these comments.
“I won’t speculate on his reasons, but voters may choose to do so.”
He also said the former mayor’s claims that the council he led had consulted widely were at odds with broad community sentiment.
“And while he is quick to promote his ‘big picture’ successes as mayor, he says nothing about the many local clubs and associations which feel their pockets have been picked by this council,” Mr Robinson said.
JAMIESON TAKES AIM AT NATOI ON VOTING BLOC CLAIMS
Outgoing Sunshine Coast mayor Mark Jamieson says having a husband and wife on the same council would create ‘some challenges’ but he believes the biggest issue for voters will be who will offer the leadership to bring a team together to ensure future prosperity and jobs for the region.
Mr Jamieson said if Rosanna Natoli had a conflict of interest on an issue, as a related party, her husband Joe, if also elected as a councillor, could also be deemed to have a conflict and vice versa.
“I think it does provide some challenges,’’ Mr Jamieson said.
Ms Natoli on Tuesday hit out at claims her serving on the council with her husband will be a conflict of interest and ‘nepotism’.
She blasted retiring Division 3 councillor Peter Cox, who urged voters not to support Mr Natoli saying having two Natolis on the council was a ‘a massive conflict and reeks of nepotism’. She said Mr Cox needed to look the word up in the dictionary.
Mr Jamieson said he would not be backing any candidate or telling people how to vote but said ‘negative’ poor leadership could unddo some of the work the council had done in driving the economy, including through the new international airport, Maroochydore CBD and a solar farm which supplies 108 per cent of council’s power needs.
He said average household incomes on the Coast had been substantially improved in his time as well as employment opportunities for young people who had previously had to move away to get a decent job.
One of the biggest projects is the installation of a 550km undersea fibre optic cable which connects the Sunshine Coast to the 7000km Japan-Guam-Australia South (JGA-S) submarine cable. It is forecast to deliver up to 864 new jobs and stimulate $927 million in new investment in Queensland.
Mr Jamieson said the next mayor had to have the leadership and experience to run a ‘big business’ with a billion dollar budget who could work well with the executive team.
‘I’M NOT AWARE OF ANY BLOCS’
He described comments from Ms Natoli that there has been secret voting blocs in his council as ‘very unusual’.
“I’m not aware of any blocs in the council,’’ he said, adding there had been a mixture of ‘tight’ decisions as well as unanimous ones based on councillors’ own views.
Mr Jamieson said he found it curious that Ashley Robinson and Rosanna Natoli were swapping preferences as he believed Mr Robinson would be more Labor-like and Ms Natoli more conservative.
He also rejected suggestions his council had failed to consult residents enough or be transparent.
“I would say the council has done an enormous amount of consultation over the past 12 years.’’
But he said there was times, including with the dog restrictions at Pt Cartwright, where the council had to consider the views of the whole community, and make decisions for the future when there would be another 200,000 people on top of the 350,000 people here.
“That’s going to be a lot more people and a lot more dogs with them,’’ Mr Jamieson said, adding that areas like Pt Cartwright had to be protected for all to enjoy.
“I’m certainly not backtracking on that decision.’’
NATOLI PROMISES DOGS LAW REVIEW
Rosanna Natoli has vowed to review controversial changes to Pt Cartwright’s dog restrictions as a part of a Coast wide review of where dogs can be allowed on and off leash.
“I think there is a possibility for a compromise,’’ Ms Natoli said on Tuesday as she was being put last, along with her husband, on election guides for dog lovers because of Mr Natoli’s public support for the tighter restrictions.
Ms Natoli also emailed advice from the Department of Local Government which said: “I can confirm my advice to your husband yesterday that a conflict of interest does not exist merely because you and your husband are on the same council (should you both be elected) and may have the same views regarding decisions that come before the council.
“Conflicts of interest must be assessed having regard to the specific issue coming before the council and the individual personal interests of each councillor.
“It may happen that because you and your husband have similar personal interests, that you both have the same conflict of interest in a matter coming before council, but you do not have a conflict of interest merely because you are married.”
Ms Natoli said there were far bigger conflicts on the current council where councillor voted as a bloc to support development applications.
‘YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE MARRIED TO BE IN BED TOGETHER’
“You don’t have to be married to be in bed together,’’ Ms Natoli told the Daily.
She said she and her husband had both worked independently of one another for the past 30 years serving the community.
“Women today don’t have to do what their husbands tell them.’’
“I am open and upfront about what I will offer unlike the voting blocks who operate in secret.’’
Ms Natoli said she would only have an extra vote on council if there was a split vote when a councillor was away.
In those times, she has vowed to defer the vote to the next meeting as former Caloundra mayor Don Aldous and Des Dwyer did.
“Individual councillors have a vote and the mayor has a vote. "There's 11 councillors voting on issues, and that's what would happen in this case, and Joe, and I don't agree on everything."
Dog lovers say two Natolis on council will be bigger conflict
A Sunshine Coast councillor who has become the target of dog lovers fighting beach bans is facing a fierce backlash after claiming his opponent will not be able to overturn them.
Mr Natoli says his division four opponent Mark Gilbert has a ‘conflict of interest’ on the dog issue because he was the lead petitioner against the new laws.
His critics say Mr Natoli and his wife will have an even bigger conflict if both are elected, a claim both have previously rejected.
“I find the concept of a councillor and mayor being in a relationship to be a conflict of interest, even if it is legal,’’ Gail Lockyer posted on a dog lovers page.
But Jane Crew jumped to Mr Natoli’s defence, saying he was the sole councillor who made it public that the council was trying to push through the light rail, and its high rise building code along the beaches without public consultation.
It comes as new stickers were posted on dog signs urging ‘No votes for Nasty Natoli’.
Just before Christmas last year, the council voted to ban dogs on a Pt Cartwright beach on weekends and bring in on-leash areas along the foreshore and at another riverside beach which was mainly used by dog owners to take their dogs for a swim.
This was despite 72 per cent of public submissions being against the changes.
Mr Natoli spoke in support of the move, describing it as a compromise.
“The primary reason we’ve gone through this whole process of master planning and now recommending an amendment to some local laws was to make sure that all users can access Point Cartwright and feel safe and feel comfortable in the space,’’ he said.
At the time, Cr Ted Hungerford, who voted against it, said it couldn’t be more clear that locals were against the changes.
“Have we actually listened to the people?” he asked. “I don’t think so.”
Rosanna Natoli, who is among the frontrunners in the mayoral race, campaigning under the slogan ‘I’m listening’ is yet to promise to overturn the beach ban, suggesting only more dog parks and an adventure dog park.
Already one of her main opponents, Ashley Robinson, has promised to overturn the changes while another frontrunner Jason O’Pray voted against the new laws.
Mr Robinson has been listed as the preferred mayoral candidate on at least one dog lover’s guide to the elections, along with Min Swan and Mr O’Pray.
In a media release, Mr Natoli said Mr Gilbert would not be able to move any motions, vote on the issue or lobby other councillors on the dog issue, under the Local Government Act.
Mr Natoli said Mr Gilbert’s role as lead petitioner against the dog laws meant he had a ‘very strong personal interest’ which would have to be declared prior to any vote.
“It would then be up to the remaining councillors to determine if either (Mark Gilbert or fellow candidate John Connolly) were impartial enough to vote,” he said.
“There are strict penalties imposed by the Office of Independent Assessor should the councillor get it wrong and not declare any conflict of interest.
“I have witnessed many declared conflicts of interest that are far less obvious than this.”
Mr Natoli’s claims were rubbished by those fighting the dog laws, who complained their comments on his Facebook page had been deleted.
Mr Gilbert accused Mr Natoli of ‘misinformation, confrontation and fear tactics’.
“From my meet and greets with the community, and talking with people on the street, it is an approach that the electorate is well and truly sick and tired of, at all levels of government. A fresh council and fresh approach is needed. And that’s what I will provide,” Mr Gilbert said.
“I have sought advice on this issue, and there is no conflict of interest.
“My preference arrangement with John Connelly is about maximising dog access to Pt Cartwright and bringing back the good community vibe of the area. John too, has committed to reinstating the previous dog access arrangements.”
The Office of the Independent Assessor has produced its own detailed guidelines on what would constitute a conflict. Based on that advice, it would be up to the new council to decide whether there is a conflict or not.
The Office declined to enter the fray on Mr Natoli’s claims.
A Local Government department spokesperson said: “A candidate who voices an opinion about an issue as part of an election campaign, if elected, is not automatically prevented from council decision making relating to that issue.”
“The Local Government Act 2009 prescribes a framework for managing conflicts between a councillor’s personal interest and the public interest that, if elected, will apply.
“A councillor can seek assistance from their CEO in how to manage a declarable conflict of interest ahead of a council meeting or raise it at a council meeting. Depending on the facts and circumstances, other councillors and the mayor may allow the councillor to stay and vote on the relevant item.”
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