Time for Tag Along Politics - My Commitment

Vote 1 :  Michael Byrne  Independent
Seat of Liverpool  

To Read my Background and other Notices see ------------->

NOTE:  See my final week Pamphlet....  under Speeches, Media Releases etc...--------->

When I go bush walking I tag along with mates. They organise, I just pack my pack and tag along. 

One night around the fire, in deep discussion, it came to me that the idea of “tag along” is prominent across all levels of social activity from kid's sports and activities to special interest groups where everyone participates once gathered. The organisers have the skill and memory of things past which underpins their activity.

This, with the outer glow of the fire and the inner glow of the red wine, triggered further thought about my own interest in civic affairs. I ask where today in Liverpool and elsewhere are the civic organisations with the properties required to assist the “tag alongers” to actually contribute with their skills and talents. They are almost non existent, with the void filled with narks, nongs and opportunists that tend to drive peoples’ hopes into the ground.

Thirty years ago, as a 30 year old, I signed  a petition concerning a local issue that turned out to one of private interest with Councillor support in favour of a local businessman against the wider public interest.  This saw me attend a monthly meeting in February 1980 of the East Ward Progress Association. I knew such organisations as fronts for the Liberal Party at the Local Government level. Not this organisation. It comprised of more than twenty regular members many of whom were aged 60 thereabouts -  my age now. They were generally conservative with a strong sense of commutative justice. They contained a wisdom and command of respect.  Its Executive comprised two Communists, Don and Kath Syme, and Pat Devlin, a man steeped in Catholic Social Doctrine. Now that was a dynamic that contained a real sense of truth in purpose and well supported by the conservative membership. The EWPA had members as Councillors on Liverpool Council for over 30 years until 1995.

I stuck with the organisation across the years. The term stalwart is often used. Today it is in a remnant state. As is, I fear, the values of open civic engagement for higher worth than just politics. From that first experience I was appalled at how political manipulation can so easily steer an agenda that stands for private interests against the broader public interest. So I engaged, and my pamphlet writing began.

An annoyance for me over the years was how people would come in and use the organisation to fight their cause and then move on. Out of 100 you may hold 3. I would ponder on why didn’t people commit to what is so important? Answer: That’s life sunshine! In a sense it is the biblical “many are called but few are chosen” which keeps alive our thousands of civic entities from the local childrens’ sports to other recreational, intellectual and civic pursuits.

Political engagement is a positive civic value, if only to keep the windows and doors ajar for light to shine on those in power or seeking power.

So what is “tag along” politics?  I would promote it as a positive engagement in local civic affairs across all sorts of activity. Where a citizen knows they can contribute by simply being present at a meeting or by offering their matched skills and talents to a particular cause. It requires an entity being in place that contains the local memory and an organised forum. Social media lends itself for far easier access and ongoing recording of retained memory and current issues. It requires, to survive, goodwill generated from a common sense of purpose.

I commit upon being elected to engage with existing local public groups across my electorate of Liverpool to form neighbourhood groups that will promote "tag along" politics. We need such entities where an eager young 30 year old can walk in to engage in respectable debate on a local issue and tap into the local memory and wisdom of people who live in their neighbourhood.   And bring the public interest to the fore in all issues.

Election Day - what a journey

It's pre-dawn and I am ready to hit the early road with last minute deliveries to my poll workers. They come from family, friends and new found supporters of my campaign.

What a journey. And in a way it has been a 21 year journey, a journey without maps. In 1986 I led the campaign for the citizens of Liverpool to elect their own Mayor. Since 1980 the East Ward Progress Association ( remember the name "East" ward for a little tale at the end of this post) Councillor Don Syme several times had the balance of power vote on Council to elect the Mayor from amongst the Councillors. Our observation over the years was that for months leading up to the annual Mayoral election deals were being struck causing all sorts of aberrations when it came to voting on normal Council policy and resource allocation. After the election there was retribution effecting policy where deals were betrayed.

In December 1985 the late Kath Syme moved at the December EWPA meeting for us to utilise the provision ( Section 25A) under the Local Government Act to prompt a petition from the citizens of Liverpool requesting that we elect our Mayor directly. I was made Campaign Manager. We proceeded to target the 8000 signatures required and through it we forced Council into action in the face of the coming 1987 election. There was a lot of counter-play by the Councillors. The Labor Party under Craig Knowles worked against the proposition, as did the Liberals and old school Councillors. A young Mark Latham stirred up the dust by coming out in full support of it and he turned around the Labor policy position.

In the end Council was forced through public pressure to resolve to hold a Constitutional Referendum at the 1987 election on the matter. Over 70% of electors voted in favour of the proposition and from 1991 it became a reality.

Mark Latham was Liverpool's first Mayor elected by the people. Upon Mark's election to Federal Parliament he later stood down and the egregious George Paciullo was elected in 1995 and 1999 to see him lead Liverpool City Council into the $30 million Oasis blackhole.

So now I find myself standing for election as Mayor in 2008. I happily stood back from civic affairs when Mark Latham was Mayor but was gradually drawn back in as the Oasis debacle began its journey to oblivion.

An interesting point from all this. There are only 31 of NSW's 152 Councils that have a popularly elected Mayor. In 1993 the Local Government Act was completely revamped. The provision we used in 1985/6 ( Section 25A) was removed from the Act. The only way I understand for a Council to change its method of Mayoral election is for the existing Councillors to resolve to hold a Constitutional Poll on the matter. And of course they will not do it as they prefer their annual circus of king making. The NSW Parliament is full of local government hacks who act firstly in the interest of their chums coming through the Local Government system.

If elected I will be an advocate for Local Government reform and will target the goal of having all NSW Mayors elected by the people in 2012.

Well, the sun is now up and I am on the road.

What will the will of the people deliver today?

Final Note:

The East Ward of Liverpool was wiped off the electoral in a vindictive act led by Hon Paul Lynch MP when he was a Liverpool Councillor in 1995. An opportunity arose through an abnormality associated with the new 1993 Local Government Act and popularly elected Mayors. Lynch saw the opportunity and led his Caucus to break up the newly established policy of 4 wards across Liverpool into 2 Wards ( North and South) which purposely divided in two the long standing place of political agitation, Liverpool's East Ward.

Mr Lynch's sacking this week from the Local Government Ministry position has something to do with this. We had already begun, since November 2007, a campaign to re-establish our more representative Wards (North, South, East and West). Mr Lynch's past behaviour would be still an embarrassment to the much troubled NSW Labor Government.

Failure of the Professionals

The Council Election this Saturday will see a new Council elected after being under Administration for four years.

As Mayor I will seek Council to revitalise its Administration and external advisers.

Our City has had ten years of top level administrative incompetence in the form of General Manager Carr, followed by four years of "fat cat" bureaucracy in the form of the Council Administrator Kibble. And of course fat cat bureaucracy breeds fat-cattery with Council's Administration requiring revitalisation to be in line with the new and strong political leadership I am offering.

There are professional firms such as Price Waterhouse Coopers from the Oasis era still engaged with Council as high fee advisers. I will seek Council to agree to terminate their services.

It is my view that the Oasis debacle was a complete failure of the professionals to see the Public Interest as a value of itself rather than an extension of the elected body that pay their accounts. On all major budget matters there is a point on which the public interest beacon stands and at which professionals must say "We will no longer engage with Council on this matter".

Price Waterhouse Coopers, Macquarie Bank, Ernst and Young, Abbott Tout, the Labor Party, retired and comfortable Premier Bob Carr, retired and comfortable Hon Craig Knowles, Hon Paul Lynch - they all failed us here in Liverpool.

Costly Eco Nuttery - M5 East Tunnels

I regard myself as a lover of nature. I enjoy the outdoors. The rugged charm of the Australian Bush. Camping by a stream around a camp fire in a valley full of eucalyptus and devoid of human markings. That is my idea of being close to nature. It is also assisting a harmless spider found inside my house to a new home out in the garden.

I have a front yard with 4 gum trees planted by Liz and me over 25 years ago. I turned the remnant lawn into a bush garden to address the dryness of the drought and the strain of the trees. I am now blessed with spring bush flowers and daily visits by colourful lorikeets and parrots.

So I do appreciate wild beauty. I appreciate the bush.

What I do not appreciate is eco-nuttery. This is where NotInMyBackYard ( NIMBY) activists pick up an issue and define the whole matter of public interest as an ecological battle being fought by eco lovers against the evil forces of road makers and users. And the politicians cave in to them.

The M5 East Roadway was originally planned to route through the Wolli Creek Valley. This contains a road corridor reserved for decades. The valley has a creek running through it, and a lot of second rate bushland. It already has a major rail route established adjacent to the creek and bush. The local activists took up the challenge to protect their amenity and ran a successful campaign over many years.

The consequence of this activism was a lengthy delay in the provision of the M5 east to south western Sydney ( Liverpool) drivers and a massive hike in costs ( $800 Million) due the construction of a dual road system underground for 4 kilometres. Whilst second rate bush was saved from having an open, wide and fast roadway within sight of activists backyards, drivers have to daily pass through exhaust emission smog filled, narrow, tunnels ensuring their car air systems are turned to internal air circulation to avoid being gassed. Drivers have been forced to a dirty underground where as they could have been travelling atop a viaduct roadway in the open air with pleasant views to their work or home.

This is eco-nuttery. Especially as the same people who forced the roadway underground are now forcing the Government into other extraordinary expenditure to clean the air in the tunnel without exhausting it near their backyards. The Government is expending $50 million on a trial 18 month filtration system to clean the air in the tunnels.

There is currently a review of the duplication of te M5 East roadway to accommodate the growing demand for container truck trips to and from Port Botany.

As Mayor of Liverpool I will advocate the use of the Wolli Creek corridor for a new viaduct for car traffic and have the trucks use the existing dirty tunnel.

There will be no more silence from Liverpool to advance a political party's self interest.

And no more NIMBY eco-nuttery dressed up as genuine ecological causes.

Badgery's Creek Airport

Liverpool is a City bursting with need and opportunity.

The needs have been neglected across decades to the detriment of the City.

Its opportunities have been wasted through a prevailing small town cargo cult mentality ( good things will just turn up) or simply sacrificed on the altar of political ambition of local State Members.

One such opportunity is the Badgerys Creek Airport. A decision to proceed with this massive development will deliver thousands of jobs to Liverpool citizens at the development stage and importantly for the ongoing operational and multiplier service industries.

The CBD of Liverpool is equidistant from the existing Sydney Airport and the proposed Badgerys Creek airport. There is no noise issue for the established and planned Liverpool residential areas. Indeed the plans for the alignment of the proposed runways at Badgerys Creek have been around since 1985. They show a South / North direction that is parallel to Liverpool's developed areas. And since 1985 aircraft manufacture has advanced with materials, engine performance and noise emission being greatly improved.

Badgerys Creek Airport would generate high need for transport infrastructure to link both airports. Our existing major tollway roads pass through and interlink in Liverpool.

I want to see our young people taking residence in Liverpool to raise their families commuting to work to the wide open spaces to our west and not the parking lot traffic chaos to our east and north.

The shelving of Badgerys Creek Airport's development was a result of self serving Councils and State MPs who ran a scare campaign to boost their political advantage. Liverpool's representatives, Paciullo, Knowles and Lynch, and its compliant Council all laid low when the Party's interest, defined by those from other Western Sydney Labor areas, call for them to be quiet. Shame. They failed us.

As a City Leader Mayor, I am willing to take up Badgerys Creek Airport and advocate it as a real advantage to Liverpool and all areas surrounding it.

No more fear and scare politics in the name of self serving politics.

Liverpool's Poor Political Representation

As Mayor I will remain a tireless advocate for any issue that I judge to be in the interest of Liverpool citizens and that rests outside of the Council budget domain. In particular, I will ginger up our lack lustre State Members that fail to take up our interests. Holsworthy Railway / Warwick Farm, Liverpool Station Car Parks are a disgrace and fall to far short of the public needs in our area.

Liverpool has been poorly served by its Labor career State politicians. Their various antics saw poor quality, and less threatening, Labor councillors to the fore that saw the loss of over $30 million of ratepayer funds in the Oasis folly.

Over the decades since the 60's George Paciullo, Craig Knowles and Paul Lynch expressed their creative abilities in bulking up their numbers at the Party branch level to attain / retain numbers for pre-selection. This ensured a secure safe seat that guaranteed re-election no matter how you performed in the interest of the electorate. In the case of Liverpool, it is an electorate delivering up to 70% of primaries in places.

The Hon. George Paciullo was simply a narcissistic dabbler at the job, notwithstanding his claim to fame in fronting the Random Breath Test introduction in the 80's. He was to later cause the waste of over $30 million of ratepayer funds on his Oasis "dream" turned nightmare leading to the dismissal of him as Mayor and his Council in 2004. He brought great financial loss and shame on Liverpool.

The Hon Craig Knowles sacrificed many of Liverpool / Macquarie Fields public interests to the altar of personal ambition towards the Premiership. What should have been fought for was ignored and buried in the name of the Party's interest that was directly linked to his interest and ambition. He crashed and burned at the base of the Premier's pedestal. He left Parliament at a whim taking a fat pension and causing a costly by-election.

The Hon. Paul Lynch MP, the current Member for Liverpool and Minister for Local Government, has simply worked Liverpool as his own political fiefdom for whatever global or ideological cause he attached himself to. He has failed the people of Liverpool over the years and he relies on the low expectations they have of their politicians. Mr Lynch will be the subject of my promised Ginger Up activity.

A little later I will expand on the real benefits and opportunities lost to Liverpool in the playing out of these peoples' ambitions.

Policy : Graffiti - Car Hoons - Dirty Streets

The most common annoyance to us all is graffiti and car hoon behaviour. They both really irritate, like a mossie in the room at night. Unlike a can of fly spray or a good swat to kill a mossie, graffiti and road hoons are more difficult to stop.

Mayoral candidates who claim to have the solution will soon be wealthy men because this is a global problem experienced in all towns and cities in the western world who are looking for answers.

In the short term we need a sizeable budget item allocated to chase our tail with these people. Over what other council activity this takes priority is to be determined by the new Council.


In the longer term we begin in the kindergarten and with adult education. I understand graffiti artists and car hoons to be the modern vandals - they are individuals detached from social values of respect for the other - a value generally eroded through the 1960's social revolutions. They see public roads, public and private property as a personal possession for them to express themselves in ego-centric behaviour that annoys the hell out of the rest of us.

We need civic leadership to promote our traditional social values - respect for the other - love of neighbour - without having to necessarily like them. That is a bonus of life.

As far as dirty streets go, it is the result of a Council not doing its job.

To fix, you change the people running it.