Jack Dempsey fails to answer housing crisis questions | Opinion

Council discussions about the possibility of using ratepayer funds on garbage trucks while providing empty answers on what they’ll do to address the region’s homeless, housing and rental crises is starting to compare to the riddles posed by a character from a popular DC comics franchise.

If I earn $158,149 per year as the mayor of Bundaberg council, and long-term members of the Bundaberg community are forced to live in tents, how many hydrogen garbage trucks should I propose the council buy?

If you think you’ve heard a theatrical line like this before, you’re not mistaken.

Yes, it seems The Riddler himself has taken up residence in the council chambers.

Just like the character of DC Comics fame, it seems our council isn’t phased when people are left scratching their heads - in fact, the more puzzling, the better!

Last week, the Ratepayers Association called out Bundaberg council for considering the purchase of hydrogen garbage powered trucks, which are worth around $2.5 million in Europe, while Bundaberg locals are living in tents.

And rightly so.

The good news is that because living costs are rising, it means people won’t be able to afford food to create waste in the first place, so the council will only actually need to buy one truck to service the region.

And of course, people who don’t own a home and are forced to live in a tent don’t pay rates or have wheelie bins to collect either. Another cost saving achieved.

It’s just another cost the council seems to want to throw ratepayers’ money at, without consulting ratepayers first.

Don’t even get me started on Bundaberg Now.

While people are quick to have a go at the NewsMail, we’re one of the only outlets holding this council accountable while it adorns itself with positive PR and distracts you from plans to spend ratepayers money on unnecessary things like, oh let’s just say, hydrogen powered garbage trucks.

This week, I asked three simple questions of the council, to please be answered by our Mayor Jack Dempsey.

1. Gympie Regional Council is working with the State Government to open up a caravan park to help those who are struggling through the rental crisis receive a roof over their head. Does council have any such ambition to go into crisis talks with the local member immediately to address the issue impacting our community?

2. If so, what is the plan?

3. If not, why is it not being addressed?

The lacklustre response I received was disappointing, but not shocking.

First of all, council asked me to attribute the following comments to Bundaberg Regional Council CEO Steve Johnston.

One would hope Mr Dempsey hasn’t pulled a ‘ScoMo’ on his constituents and fled to Hawaii to escape a crisis that he could actually help with.

“LGAQ has developed a Housing Action Plan which, among other measures, outlines the need for a National Housing Summit,” said CEO Steve Johnston.

“We have supported forums and discussions at a local level but this issue is not unique to the Bundaberg Region.

“Local Government is one small cog in a large wheel.

“We are ready to take an active role on tackling these issues but any approach will have no meaningful impact unless industry, community and all levels of government tackle this together.”

So where is the plan for our homeless, apart from several talkfests?

Who is going to make the first move and put an immediate solution forward?

A local real estate agent told the NewsMail earlier this year that the best way to solve the crisis would be to build high rises for high-density living.

Scott Mackey proposes high-density living to solve Bundaberg housing crisis

Very Gotham-City.

I’m sure the researchers and volunteers at Mon Repos would have something to say about that.

High-density living is not the answer to a housing crisis, especially when it is impacting people right now. Today. This week.

Especially when we also heavily rely on our tourism economy to inject money back into the region so people can experience some real magic in the form of turtles on our beaches.

Not only that, but people actually enjoy co-existing in the rich ecosystem that these majestic animals call home, and would prefer that the extra light from high rise buildings didn’t scare them off.

So council, riddle me this…

What does spending millions on hydrogen powered garbage trucks during a housing crisis and diet water have in common?

Originally published as Jack Dempsey fails to answer housing crisis questions | Opinion