The select committee has proposed
some changes to the 3rd supercity
bill but we will still have 7 CCOs
controlling 75% of Auckland's
rates and owning $28 billion of our
public assets.
We think they should go further & give the choice of
whether to have CCOs or not back
whether to have CCOs or not back
to the new Mayor & Councilors.
We don't want privatisation of our
assets.
Join us at Paula Bennett's
office at 11am on Friday 28 May
office at 11am on Friday 28 May
and move on to Nikki Kaye's office
for 12.30pm at 82 College Hill,
Freemans Bay.
We want to car pool
and/or use a bus
- post here if you
can help.
can help.
1 comment:
PRESS RELEASE from Our Auckland
TINKERING NOT ENOUGH FOR OUR AUCKLAND
The Government Select Committee has reported back on its recommendations for the 3rd Bill on Auckland Governance to set up the Super City. Some minor changes to the legislation have been proposed, but they do not go far enough for the regionwide coalition Our Auckland.
Spokesperson Mels Barton says the proposals are a step in the right direction, but it is too little, too late to satisfy Aucklanders that the Government is listening to them.
“Clearly the Government is surprised at the level of opposition to their proposals, so they have tried to soften the blow slightly, but they are still appointing the Boards of 7 CCOs to run basic services before the Council is elected, and that is just wrong.”
“The Mayor and Council should be deciding which CCOs they need and who should be on the Boards to fit their vision for Auckland’s future – this is the basis upon which they will be elected and they need to be allowed to deliver it. Spending the first few months sacking Board members and reappointing them is not a positive start to a new regime.”
There is still no certainty for the role of Local Boards in the proposals, with the Transition Agency planning to release yet another report closer to the elections. Mels Barton says this is far too late.
“How can people decide whether to stand for their Local Board if they don’t know the size of the job, what it will entail, whether it is full or part-time, or what they will get paid? The Government promised the roles of the Local Boards would be contained in the legislation and they have totally failed to deliver. Prospective candidates need this information now.”
“I think it shows their lack of understanding of Local Government and what will be needed at the coalface, as well as their desire to see as much power vested in the CCOs as possible. Local democracy is inefficient, it’s much quicker to get the select few to make all the decisions; the problem is they’re not the ones living with, or paying for the consequences.”
Other issues that Aucklanders have overwhelmingly expressed concern about have also been ignored in this report:
The vesting of assets in CCOs and no referendum before they can be sold;
Removing the right of Aucklanders to determine their participation in the reorganisation until after 2013, especially for those in Rodney, Franklin and Papakura;
Removing the right for Aucklanders to decide to use MMP rather than First Past the Post to elect their representatives;
No permanent Pacific and Ethnic advisory panels;
No Maori seats, just a toothless advisory board;
No representation for Youth
Mels Barton also does not trust the reassurances in the report that water will not be privatised, which can still happen after 2015.
“It seems a bit rich to be promising that water will not be privatised when at the same time another Bill is being introduced that will enable contracts for the operation of water services to be let to private companies for 35 years. Aucklanders are not stupid and the Government is undermining its standing in Auckland by lying to us. The public ownership of water is something that everyone supports because it is essential to the future health of our communities.”
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