March 6, 2016
South Burnett Division 6 residents had their first opportunity to hear their two Council candidates go head-to-head at Wondai on Thursday night.
Cr Ros Heit, who is re-standing, and Uwe (Tom) Nowack were invited to attend a Candidates Forum organised by the Wondai branch of the South Burnett Residents Action Group.
S-BRAG also invited the five candidates for South Burnett mayor to attend, but only Sheena Lindholm and Michael Brown accepted the invitation.
S-BRAG Executive Committee president Don Pinwill criticised the missing candidates in his introductory speech (see MP3 link below).
Few people expected the fifth mayoral candidate, Grant Newson, to attend following the public split between S-BRAG and Nanango & Districts SBRAG. Mr Newson and Division 1 candidate Caroline Haskard are on the executive of the latter group.
Unlike previous candidates forums in Kingaroy and Nanango, the S-BRAG forum accepted questions from the floor.
Each candidate was also given 10 minutes to speak (see below).
NB. Because there wasn’t a roving microphone at the event, the recording of the Q&A section has not been included below.
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Mayoral Candidates
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Division 6 Candidates
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I’d like to thank Tom Nowack for taking the time to study the South Burnett Regional Council Budget and present some figures in his speech at Thursday’s candidates night. However, I feel it is important to correct some serious misinformation given.
1. Tom stated that Council had $62 million in debt and this was “all bad debt like taking a loan for a holiday” and was” spent on things we didn’t need and couldn’t afford”. In fact, the money was borrowed for essential major infrastructure that was very much needed. Just a few examples: a sewerage treatment plant for Kingaroy that cost $26 million was essential because the old one was failing every environmental test and at 60+ years was way past its use-by date. These things don’t come cheap although Council was fortunate to get a grant from the State Government for $10 million towards it. A new water treatment plant is also essential if we want clean drinking water – another $9m. A bridge replacement program to ensure our ageing wooden bridges were replaced and farmers and businesses can transport their product was another essential loan. So I refute the allegation that these loans were things we did not need. Also, Tom stated that Council has $62m in debt but in fact there is $44m of debt and $18m in payables and provisions on which interest is not paid.
2. Tom stated that South Burnett Regional Council rates and charges were “$1000 more than Scenic Rim, Lockyer Valley, Somerset, Ipswich and Sunshine Coast”. A bit of research would show that, unlike the South Burnett, all those regions have their water access charges, water consumption and sewerage access charges billed separately by Urban Utilities (Unity Water for the Sunshine Coast). These costs, depending on water usage are approximately $1000 per year. So the combined rates and water charges are very similar for these regions and the South Burnett.
3. Tom stated that Council is spending “$3.7 million on interest alone each year.” The Budget document states that the finance costs for 2015/16 are $2.4 million which is 3.7 per cent of Council’s operating expenses.
4. Tom stated that Council was spending $1m on new PC computers that would have cost $800,000 less at Harvey Norman. From the Budget documents for 2015/16 it can be seen that $630,000 has been budgeted for computer replacement, new printers, business software, server hardware and to upgrade 2-way radios and phone base stations.
If ratepayers would like more information on the 2015/16 South Burnett Regional Council budget it is available on the council website. Or contact me if you have any questions. Ros Heit 0477-010-743
In regards to Cr Heit’s comments about my speech in Wondai, I am not sure if Cr Heit can say that I have presented misinformation. All the information given at the speech was collected from publicly available information supplied by Council.
Council states quite clearly that it has total liabilities of $62 million and the word liability in financial terms just means you owe the money and have to pay it back.
Cr Heit states that “we are only spending $2.4 million dollars on interest in the 2015/16 budget”.
My question is, is your figure coming from the estimate budget, the revised budget or the actual budget?
Now add the extra $16.6 million dollar Council wants to borrow, on top of the $62 million we owe, calculate the interest on that and you come very close to – you guessed it – $3.7 million dollars.
In regards to spending $1 million dollars on computers, Cr Heit is jumping from the 2014/15 budget where Council spent $1 million dollars for PCs to the 2015/16 budget where Council only wants to spend another $630,000 in that area.
If Cr Heit, or any of the other Councillors, or in fact the Council Financial Officers need some help going through the budget, I am available on 0400-711-138, free of charge!
On the subject of information. In Council’s Annual Report 2015 it states on page 31 that Council has 344 employees, than in a table below it states 342 employees. Same document on page 107 it says 314 staff. There is a beautiful graph on page 16 of the 2015/16 budget and it shows 310 staff, pretty much for the last four years. Talking about misinformation, my “proverbial”.
PS. I just received a “courtesy” phone call from Council, telling me that Council has taken down my election signs, because they couldn’t find my Election Sign form. I have a copy if Council would like to view it!
UPDATE: Apparently they’ve decided to put them back up, nice of you Council! It’s funny that I had to explain the consequences of this action first!!! What are you afraid of????
Tom Nowack Candidate Division 6
I’m sorry, Tom, but I am not going to engage in this petty gutter politics. I suggest you take the annual report and budget document to a qualified accountant who can explain the accounting terms and figures to you. Alternately, if you would like to meet with me and a council finance officer we would be happy to go through it with you.
Hi Tom – we have checked the staff numbers for you. The apparent discrepancy between 342/344 and 314 is the difference between actual bodies (depending on the day) and full-time equivalent jobs (FTEs). So 314 FTEs but about 342 staff.
I guess we now know who the SBRAG candidates for Mayor are …
Excellent understanding and explanation of Councils budgetary and current financial position Ros. Congratulations Sheena on having the intestinal fortitude to present at all invited forums.
Hello John, Can you please comment on Tom’s reply to Cr Heits response to the Wondai speech.
Providing the audio recording of Mayoral and Council candidates is a very good community service, thank you.
If it’s possible, it would be good to have a bit more volume for future audio recordings.
Hi Tom … sorry, the quality of the recordings really depends on the venue and the PA system being used; unfortunately at Wondai there was also only one microphone, and sometimes the speakers didn’t use it …
Well I guess we know the Mayoral Candidates that will look after the whole South Burnett and not just ignore people because of their affiliations or their difference of opinion. I think that Cr. Tessmann and Cr. Campbell not bothering to talk to Wondai residents is blatant disregard to the people.
A weak excuse that Cr Tessmann has given “Cr Tessmann told southburnett.com.au that he had refused to attend the evening “on principle” because of disparaging remarks S-BRAG had made constantly against council staff and councillors”. Cr Tessmann is willing to defend the council and the job they have done by any means available – mates looking after mates!
I bet if the Kingaroy Concerned Citizens Group organised a meeting they would be there.
Ray – who are you inferring is an SBRAG Mayoral candidate?? I do not think the two who were there are affiliated with the group. The divide in this community is appalling and I for one would like to see Tom and Mike as our representatives as they are for the people and want to make a change.
I wonder whether you think it’s OK for an organisation and its members to spread lies about a council staff member losing their licence for drink driving and then publishing statements that council employed a driver for this officer? I wonder whether you think it’s right to publish lies that said council staff have sex in the council chambers? I wonder whether you’d be so offended about someone refusing to attend anything organised by a group that said this about you and your family?
I assume you think it’s OK for a councillor to be attacked for taking time off to grieve for her son so tragically killed? I assume you think it’s OK that another councillor’s close family member who died has had their legacy publicly tarnished simply because they’re related to a councillor? Clearly you think it’s OK for a councillor’s father to be attacked and have lies published about them because they’re related to a councillor. This group and its members seem to.
Some of us have a spine and the temerity to stand for decency. If that’s mates looking after mates, then I’ll take the criticism because I’ll never accept those actions as being justified. I’m not compromising my principles or integrity in the race just to get a vote.
On the subject of ethics. Is there an issue when a Councillor who was found guilty of misleading Council offers himself for election as Mayor?
Is this the same Marc Peters who ran for the Division 6 by-election? The same one that got beaten by a wide margin and moved to Brisbane?
Ray on the first assumption, correct. On Brisbane, totally incorrect. My antecedents were in the South Burnett from the 1930s & I still have interests in the region. Happy?
Thankyou Cr Ros Heit for providing a sensible explanation for the latest round of misinformation being peddled by SBRAG. And congratulations Cr Campbell and Cr Tessmann for standing up for common decency. We need a lot more of this and a lot less of the hatred, fear and division SBRAG have been trying to spread in our communities the last two years. Other Mayoral candidates could learn a lesson from you.
Hello Bill, Can you please comment on Tom’s reply to Cr Heits response to the Wondai speech.
I was at the Kingaroy on Wednesday, Tom, and heard you say the Council had spent $1 million on computers there too. You were outraged, saying you thought this amounted to $8000 per PC when the Council could’ve purchased them from Harvey Norman for $500 each. But about five minutes research shows this is not really true.
If you go to the Council’s website, download the 2015-16 Budget and also the 2014-15 Budget, you’ll find (on page 29 of both documents) the Council spent $1,192,000 on ICT in 2014-15, and $630,000 in 2015-16. But that wasn’t just for PCs. It was also for network servers; for software; for photocopier and printer replacements; for upgrading the 2-way radio network and phone base stations that link up all the outdoor staff; for upgrading a link to the Kingaroy Depot site; for finalising a disaster recovery set-up; and probably (though it isn’t itemised) paying for Internet connectivity throughout the organisation too.
Now I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine running a $60 million a year organisation with 320 staff spread over four main offices plus assorted depots, dumps etc on home PCs from Harvey Norman with no software, no printers or photocopiers, no internet, no backups, no networks, no 2-way radio communications and no way to get systems back up fast in a disaster. So last year’s $66 per ratepayer spend on ICT, or this year’s $35, is money well spent in my view.
The rest of Cr Heit’s points sound just as fair and accurate to me. She’s been on the Council for 2.5 years, is an intelligent and hard-working person, and has looked into all of this in a lot of depth.
Hey Bill, I was travelling through Wondai yesterday and noticed a few people in the park with two heads and spiky tails. Is that the SBRAG that you speak so fondly of? No wonder you are so terrified of them, they look so weird that I was not game to stop to shop. Went on to Kingaroy, they are a better mob to mix with, not anywhere near as terrifying, hey.
The fact remains this council has accumulated some $62 million in borrowings to be repaid from council’s revenue stream with interest payments accounting for $2.4 million which is 3.7% of Council’s operational expenditure.This debt not only affects the residents of Wondai but Kingaroy, Murgon, Proston, Nanango, Blackbutt and all villages and rural landholders across the shire. A debt is a debt no mater the spin.
Point 3 of my comment. The last part should read 3.7 per cent of councils operating expenses
We have updated the original comment to reflect this
Jack: the Council manages assets that aren’t all that far off $1 billion and only $40 million of that is debt that needs to be repaid – and even then, over a very long time period at the lowest interest rates possible because the money comes from Queensland Treasury.
Do you seriously propose that Kingaroy residents drown in their own excrement; that farmers who use the bridges the Council has replaced be told to just try to swim across until the money can be saved up; that Memerambi stay an eyesore; that Murgon residents get their water from trucks; or that Blackbutt’s CBD continues to go underwater every time there’s a big storm? Maybe you do … but I don’t.
Goll-lee, this election has really brought out a great group of candidates. What is obvious is that the new aspirants are not able to get proper information with which to base their views on so it must be expected that some opinions may not appear to be correct.
This is understandable, note quite a few candidates keep banging on about “open, transparent and accountable government” which we do not have at present. This must change. Apparently the current council meetings only go for an hour or so and then finish off. Rubber stamping is really what happens in front of the public.
The meetings of old most times lasted all day. Much smaller councils! What is going on now? Were the councillors of old too inept and stupid that they needed all day to do their business and is the current bunch so efficient and bright that they can finish off so quickly? Think about it. Do we really want or need more of the same, I think not.
Hey Tom of Div 6, keep digging mate, you have a few of the cabal stirred up. We the ratepayers of the South Burnett desperately need someone of your calibre who is able to and will check things out properly. You certainly have my support.