And we’ve discovered local government’s longest and best kept secret
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- Published: Friday, 14 June 2024 10:43
In February we put a timer on Robbo’s Pearls on our homepage to record how long the Labor Government had been in power in NSW and done nothing about senior staff. At that stage Premier Chris Minns and Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig had been in office for around 315 days and for almost all that time the senior staff changes, supported by LGNSW and the local government unions since a resolution of the LGNSW board on 15 October 2021, had languished in the office of the Minister for Local Government. We asked the question "what have you blokes been doing?", when it had been SFA.
The lack of action by the Minister for Local Government seems all the more inexplicable when you consider his speech in the second reading of the legislation on 15 May:
“I have been personally advocating against that law since about 1993. It might have taken me over 30 years but I am really proud to support the bill today.”
Well, who’d have thought! All those years we were banging our heads against the wall, looking for political support, all those things we’ve regretted over that time, but apparently lurking in the shadows was the Hon Ron, it’s just that none of us knew. Ron, why didn’t you call?
The Minister for Local government also said this:
“it will provide all Council employees, other than the general manager - and I send a warning that that position is next - with the security of being covered by the award or another industrial instrument.” Woohoo!
The Hon Ron has warned everyone, depa would support that, so would the other unions, but does the Minister’s warning give sufficient of a nudge to LGNSW that they may also support it? Or at the very least supporting 52 weeks as a termination payment to dissuade councils from unfairly sacking GM’s ? Or providing them with access to the IRC?
Go the Hon Ron, just don’t keep it a secret for 30 years.