LOCKYER VALLEY REGIONAL COUNCIL MEDIA SHUT OUT = BAD POLITICS
Lockyer Valley Regional Council councillors are forbidden from making any sort of comments or saying practically anything to any media organization unless they get permission from the LVRC mayor, who is presently Steve Jones, or the CEO of the council, depending on whether the issue has potential political fallout i guess.
The LVRC is effectively a quasi branch of the Liberal National Party, and it's that sort of paranoia about journalists which sums up the institutionlised belief systems of the LNP and it's currently inflated to the point of bursting membership base.
Frankly i dont care what Jones and his LNP populated council do down at Gatton or Laidley, if he and his councillors want to close themselves off to the media and make themselves the untouchables they will also make themselves invisible at times when the media, and in particular the local newspaper The Gatton Star, could very likely improve their political stocks when any of their achievements in council meets with praise from the likes of cadet journalists who want to stoke and not step on the big toes of local politicians.
If Graeme Lehmann and the six councillors who make up the numbers at Somerset Regional Council have any ideas about adopting LVRC's media shut out policy, they may well be shooting themselves in the foot as well.
The LVRC is effectively a quasi branch of the Liberal National Party, and it's that sort of paranoia about journalists which sums up the institutionlised belief systems of the LNP and it's currently inflated to the point of bursting membership base.
Frankly i dont care what Jones and his LNP populated council do down at Gatton or Laidley, if he and his councillors want to close themselves off to the media and make themselves the untouchables they will also make themselves invisible at times when the media, and in particular the local newspaper The Gatton Star, could very likely improve their political stocks when any of their achievements in council meets with praise from the likes of cadet journalists who want to stoke and not step on the big toes of local politicians.
If Graeme Lehmann and the six councillors who make up the numbers at Somerset Regional Council have any ideas about adopting LVRC's media shut out policy, they may well be shooting themselves in the foot as well.
Hi Tim, wondering if you can confirm whether Somerset Council have been tried to follow Lockyer Valley Council's lead in restricting Councillors freedom to speak to Media, the public, and now Federal and State Members about Council matters without approval by the Mayor/CEO? By the way you might be interested in the discussion at LVRC's meeting, Last week. For example, Cr Jim McDonald said last Wednesday.
ReplyDelete"However, having to obtain express permission from you is unconstitutional and outside the rights of every Australian to meet with their state or federal member. “You are just riding roughshod over all of us.” Cr Jones then accused Cr McDonald of grandstanding before the media, adding that he would take advice from the Local Government Department. The situation stemmed from an article in the current issue of The Valley Weekender which featured Cr McDonald and fellow councillor Kathy McLean attending a Laidley Better Business breakfast hosted by local member Ian Rickuss and attended by Local Government Minister David Crisafulli. Both councillors said they attended the meeting in the capacity of ordinary citizens and not as councillors."
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