TWEED COUNCILLOR ELECTION FUNDING QUESTIONS

Wednesday, 20 October 2004 10:00

 
Total Environment Centre coastal campaigner Fran Kelly said unless developers were taken out of the political process it would be almost impossible to achieve sustainable planning.

"Most underfunded communities do not have the ability to use extraordinary sums of cash to try and persuade people into voting for them. The fact that in Tweed the pro-community and environment candidates missed out by 13 votes is an incredible feat in the face of the relentless propaganda coming from the side representing greed and self-interest," said Ms Kelly.

"Democratic elections become a sham when those with the money, seeking to make yet more money, can exercise excessive influence. This is particularly stark at local government level where developers trick people into voting for them by claiming they stand for the environment and community while they really only stand for themselves."

"The saddest thing is that by gaining council control, those whose only interest is to make a killing from the rezonings and developments approved by their mates, are effectively writing off the future for everyone else," said Ms Kelly.

"I doubt that so many in the community would vote for these people if they really could see behind the smoke and mirrors. If developer donations were banned there would be less chance of the kind of outcomes we have now occurring where developers almost always win a majority on councils and therefore get to dictate what happens to an area's planning and development outcomes,"

"The ban should occur at the State and even Federal level as well. It would be far more democratic if a level playing field existed," said Ms Kelly.