Livingstone Split

Let’s get married and in 12 months I’ll start on the divorce proceedings; would you say ‘I do’ to this proposal? That appears to be the sell to the voters north of Ramsay Creek to win their vote in the Livingstone Shire Council elections. A clever strategy of saying what the voters want to hear! Last week I suggested the need to try and heal the division between the coastal and rural ratepayers in the forthcoming council election. Of course an alternate action is don’t try and file for a divorce. Would ‘identity incompatibility’ be sufficient grounds though? The judge, in this case the State Minister for Local Government, I believe won’t approve the dissolution not in 12 months or 75 months (2 council terms), if ever. His decision as video referee to overturn the umpire decision to reject de-amalgamation knowingly has left Rockhampton Regional Council in a ‘weak’ position. Adding more primarily rural areas will arguably make it more precarious. While there is a good ‘identity’ argument and support that Glendale, Rocky View, Glendale and the Caves should be part of Rockhampton I’ll be surprised if the Rockhampton Regional Council make any noises supporting the boundary change. Without which it would be beyond comprehension for the Minister agreeing to a change no matter how much Livingstone Shire Council screams ‘we’re incompatible’. It may not be what some want to hear but I believe I’m telling it as it is.
“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success”, Henry Ford. I would like to think this would be the aspiration of every council within Central Queensland. Not just with each other but also within its boundaries. The November 9 election is a new beginning for Livingstone; lessons should have been learnt from Rockhampton and wouldn’t a more worthy aim in the first term of the Council be develop ways to progress as one shire, not start on a de-amalgamation like path from day 1. Politicians can be good telling people what they want to hear, but they can’t always deliver. From January 1 Livingstone Shire boundaries are re-established; for our mutual success from this day on can both councils please work together, within and alongside.