Dear Editor (what’s her name)
I was at the mass meeting on 17/12 held at the WIRAC at Warwick. It was attended by a massive crowd stretching out to some 1500 people. I’m sure you knew all about it as one of your reporters was there and wrote a blurb that appeared on the net. In the Freetimes published last week (9/12) it was said there wasn’t enough time to make the story in last week’s Freetimes but the issue was going to be addressed in this week’s Freetimes (16/12). So I gets the Freetimes this week, went through it carefully looking for an article on the Pro Choice meeting at Warwick on 17/2 and low & behold there was not a mention of the meeting. It was quite a meeting as I’m sure you well know with a range of speakers over a 3 hour period. Heck, even the Mayor was there and a few councillors as well.
As you’d know some other Political seminaries were invited to attend but didn’t and neither did they respond to the invites! Rude of them, doncha reckon
In case, I’m ragingly disappointed the Freetimes didn’t do an article on the meeting of 7/12. I guess yous were told by “higher ups” to ignore the meeting and not really cover it in any meaningful way. Just shows what contempt you mediaites have for the people. Shame on the lot of you!
Then on 15/12 at the monthly council meeting at Stanthorpe a letter was tabled to the council about the vaxxed and un-vaxxed and how the un-vaxxed are going to be discriminated against from attending certain venues. There were up to `130 citizens turned out at the Council building at Stanthorpe on 15/12 to support the motion. However, only 3 or 4 people from the massive crowd were allowed into the council chamber. Once again the presence of the Freetimes was noticeable by their absence. I’d wager in next week’s Freetimes there will be no mention of what took place on 15/12 at Stanthorpe. So, the folks of the SD region will have little or no knowledge of these events. It’s obvious you’re taking orders from headquarters and do all you can to keep the information from the citizens of the South darling downs. I think you are a real disgrace in not reporting on these events.
No wonder the people at large are so sceptical of the media. It’s obvious you aren’t serving the wider community as you should be. I’m seeing shades of the old Soviet Union and today’s China manifesting itself more and more in today’s media. Your motto must be “GO ALONG TO GET ALONG”! Your just jumping jacks from the rulers of darkness!
Disgustingly Yours
Fred Jacobs
Editor’s Note: Hi Fred, sorry to hear you missed our full-page spread on page 10 of last week’s paper about the meeting at WIRAC. Both our journalists (myself included) attended the meeting, and also attended the Stanthorpe Ordinary Council Meeting. Thank you so much for your letter, everyone in the office really enjoyed it.
De-Amalgamation when?
Prior to the 2020 Local Government elections, some of the candidates that were standing for the position of Mayor and Councillor were playing the de-amalgamation card knowing full well that de-amalgamation won’t take place. This type of electioneering by B grade candidates has no place in Locally. These B grade candidates would have known full well that, when the present Opposition Leader was the Minister for Local Government, the Minister knocked any chance of de-amalgamation on the head, however the Minister did make a token gesture of allowing a couple of Councils to part ways at great expense to the ratepayers, yet knowing all of this, and the fact the present Government has no intention of allowing any de-amalgamation, however these candidates still persisted with the disinformation.
Any candidate that was honest enough to say de-amalgamation won’t happen was howled down, as a result Southern Downs lost a good Mayor and several excellent candidates didn’t get elected.
So at the moment I’m waiting patiently for this promised de-amalgamation to take place.
John Salata, Glen Aplin.
Right on finances
I wish to extend my gratitude to all who have been involved in keeping Emu Swamp Dam alive to date. Thanks to the Governments and their advisors that have backed us on this project. Thanks to the elected officials that have backed us and continue to advocate on our behalf.
I would also like to thank other members of the Granite Belt community who have constructively engaged in the project and not tried to pull it down for their own personal agenda. The people at Granite Belt Water have always been open and honest about the challenges they have faced, including doing all the activities during the pre-construction phase with limited government funding.
The Emu Swamp Dam project has always relied upon government support and funding, and a Go/Stop/Pause decision point was always part of the original funding granted to the project. Alt the irrigators who have committed to investing in the project have been aware of this from day one.
As a 4th generation food producer, employer, business owner, parent, and community member, it annoys me to read people making suggestions and selectively reporting and deliberately misrepresenting or calling into question the overall need for this project and the long-term benefits more secure water will bring to our town.
Farming businesses sustain multiple families and employ lots of locals and itinerant workers that underpin Stanthorpe and the Granite Belt. These businesses understand financial accounting and governance, it’s a pity the article wasn’t more balanced.
Lewis Perkins
Editor’s Note: I’d just like to clarify that our reporting on Emu Swamp Dam has not concerned whether the dam itself should be built, or is in the right spot, or anything else regarding this. We may have received letters to the editor on this topic, but our two recent articles certainly do not contain anything to this effect. I’m not sure what publication Mr Perkins is reading if he believes this to be the case. I’m also not sure what he would consider “balanced” reporting regarding the project’s finances, as our article simply laid out the figures found in their recent report. Perhaps by “balanced”, he means he wishes we had simply not reported anything at all.
Clarification needed please Cr NcNally
In the interests of accuracy can you clear up some anomalies regards you qualifications, business ownership and social media use?
On your Jo McNally Facebook page you list under Education “Bachelor of Accounting at University of South Australia.” On the Joanne McNally Linkedin page you list two other degrees; Bachelor Business and a Bachelor Commerce (Accounting and Finance) from the University of Southern Queensland. Have you finished these three degrees?
On the Australian Local Government Women’s Assocation website it says Cr Jo McNally holds the Finance and Governance Portfolio with the Southern Downs Regional Council. However, no such portfolio currently exists. You updated this website when you became president of the Association’s Qld branch. Was it nostalgic or wishful thinking that you would like this Council portfolio to exist?
The Council Employee Code of Conduct says “You must not in any way misrepresent your qualifications, experience or expertise in any recruitment and selection process”. Did you misrepresent anything when being selected for the Association’s presidency?
The G.J. Gardner website, under the heading “Meet our G.J. Gardner Warwick Office Owners” says Mr Ian McNally and “my wife Jo” welcome you to…..to your builder’s team”. “Jo is dedicated to helping the community through her role as the Deputy Mayor of the Southern Downs Regional Council”. Is it not the case you have not been the Deputy Mayor for nearly two years? Is this misrepresentation to potential home builders implying any specialist knowledge or skill in obtaining building approvals? Apart from being a fib, it might be a conflict of interest as the Council Code of Conduct says “A conflict of interest can arise from gaining personal advantage – whether financial or otherwise. This includes advantages to relatives and friends”.
On the building website the couple say that “with all this knowledge of the Southern Downs area” they “are proud to be known as G.J. Gardener Home Warwick and Stanthorpe owners.” But on the Council register of interests Cr Jo McNally is not listed as a director or owner of McNally Constructions Pty Ltd GJ Gardener Warwick and Stanthorpe. Are you an owner of this business or not? The Council register of interests declares you receive more than $500 a year income from that company, but not as an owner.
At the Council meeting of 15th December 2021 planning approval was given for an application from McNally Constructions Pty Ltd. You correctly declared a conflict of interest in the matter and did not vote on it. But apparently Mr Ian McNally, who is the owner of McNally Constructions was not happy with the conditions attached to the approval. That day a post to Facebook under his name said “Penisi, gale, tancred, Bartley and Gow. What a joke”. (spelling and grammar as posted). Was this insulting Facebook post sent from the McNally home computer? Because the Council Employee Code of Conduct Policy says “insulting and threatening comments about Council or another employee sent from the employee’s home computer and out of work hours may constitute serious misconduct and lead to dismissal.”
A further Facebook comment from Mr Ian McNally two days after the decision was “In my application the Mayor and Deputy Mayor went against all advice from the officers and fuelled their personal agendas”. Was this accusation sent from the McNally computer?
E. Smith, Stanthorpe
