Don’t blame us… we’re just the voters!
The dust won’t settle on the City of Melbourne election until there is a review of the electoral provisions of the City of Melbourne Act and a limit placed on campaign funding together with real time disclosure of the amount and source of the funds.
The successful Reece Team despite spending almost $1 million on its campaign does not have a majority on the council so promises will need to be negotiated with some unlikely to be delivered.
The unsuccessful teams spent around $1.5 million and resulted in the election of candidates who were members of seven unsuccessful teams. Their policies are already in the too hard or not to be mentioned basket.
Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece and his team now carry the potential conflict of interest baggage as a consequence of some of their campaign donors having property interests in the City of Melbourne.
We won’t have long to wait before they’ll have to declare a conflict of interest and vacate the council chamber. Watch this chamber space!
There is no doubt given the media commentary during the election campaign that the electoral provisions and campaign funding embarrassed not only us voters but also Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor team candidates.
Post the election the call for a review of the electoral provisions that has delivered a compromised council is louder.
The Carlton Residents’ Association (CRA) will call for a review of the City of Melbourne Act and lobby the council to adopt a deliberative democracy approach and establish a People's Assembly to undertake the process.
Deliberative democracy is increasingly adopted by cities as a participatory response to the need to deal with complex and ingrained issues that impact on their governance.
The City of Melbourne has experience in deliberative democracy most recently with a People's Panel on affordable housing. Deliberative processes are a requirement of the Local Government Act and the council’s “Community Engagement Policy”.
The People's Assembly comprising around 50 participants would be drawn from the city’s resident and business community. The Assembly would review the current Act and develop a set of recommendations that address the failings of the current electoral provisions.
Voters are burdened with the two to one franchise in favour of non-resident property owners and businesses, postal voting only, no wards and the election of the popular election of the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor that inhibits the role and scrutiny of the remaining nine councillors. •
The recommendations would provide the council with a mandate to demand the state government to undertake a review of the City of Melbourne Act and not continue to ignore the council or the community.

Bibi Ji: “not your typical Indian joint”
