bondipom

I think it would be hard to find a non corrupt council. The latest on strathfield is that Michael Tsang was setup because he was not corrupt enough.

ABCDiamond

I saw that same "Councillors sticking their snouts in the trough" comment about the Burnett Shire Council plan to massively increase the pay and entitlements of the mayor, deputy mayor and councillors.

But the rises were: An ordinary councillors package will rise $35,332.00.
18 August 2004

Not sure i'd want to be a councillor !!

I am however, curious about the 1800% pay increase one I'd be tempted to apply for any councillor vacancy there

JackTheLad

But aren't councillors part-time? So they are like executive directors, maybe putting in 3 days a month. The council in Victoria has increased its councillors pay from $18,000 (which sounds reasonable for a part-time job) to $90,000 ( which is stupid if its a 3 day a month job). I'll put in 6 days a month for $90,000

And then they say, you can't get a good businessman to work for any less? Are they wanting rupert murdoch to be council chairman or something?

The proof is ( mis-quoting 'yes minister'), if its such a tough low paid job, why do we have loads of candidates all prepared to humiliate themselves in public for weeks just to get elected?

Madness
Cheers,
JTL

anya4oz

Sorry, you really ARE starting to frighten me now...... :scared:

Anya.

ABCDiamond

That's a good point, I think it may vary between councils. I know one here that does it full time, and i'm pretty sure the Mayor is full time too, but I think that back in the UK, they were part time.

I did see one quote that said: "My mayoral salary was $57,000, if you take away 30 per cent tax off that how many business people are going to put up their hands? "
Now...., the worry with that is that he seems to say that the average business man may be better than him, so the councils may not be getting the best people ?

DagBoy

That's nothing, in the UK when I was younger, they put a mentally unstable woman in Number 10 for 11 years. :scared:

seang

LMAO very good

anya4oz

LOL!

There seems to be a *pattern* of dodgy people getting a billet in that place, doesn't there......? It must all be part of this 'care in the community' thing....

Anya.

tiredwithtwins

Its over 9 years since i was last in oz, but the main thing that stcuk in my mind was the lack of whinging in oz. I noticed in the uk we moan about everything, but when i went to oz it was one of the things i noticed the aussies didnt do! returning to the uk, it seemed to be more noticable, and to this day i think the uk is the moan capital of the world!
The whole attitude of talking to people you dont know seemed to come naturally in oz, wheras in the uk if you talk to a stranger (except to moan!) they think you are after something!
I found aussies smiled more too.......if you could see the miserable kites on folk's faces this morning on the tram to school you would have groaned..Me and my kids however smile all the time, and it has been noticed and mentioned to us on many, many occasions.
As for the councillors, here in sheffield they have jsut given themselves something like a 20% payrise!!!! us nurses get 3% i think, dont even know!

sue
ps, if antone wants to start telling me i have rose tinted specs on, dont bother - ive heard it all before!

Merlot

I hate to say this Sue but do you think the weather makes a difference?

UK in the summer was not a bad old place, people tended to be out and about more and much happier?

M

GCS15

Without looking through my mental health notes and text-books (hey I am on holidays) and without googling (you want ME to open another window and type more words! :scared: ???) I think that what you are refering to is SAD - seasonal adjusted(maybe not) depression.

Maybe someone with enthusiasm could chase it down. For now I'll pretend to be knowledgable and hope that people don't catch on that really I am just plain lazy

Merlot

Funny you said that as only yesterday my friend suggested that I maybe needed to buy a special lamp to help with this and I was having sun withdrawals!! :scared:

I believe it is a full blown, fair dinkum medical condition.

BTW enjoy your holiday, you lucky thing!

M

Banksia

You mean like the Sydney Olympics?

Seven years if worrying and complaining. But it was in the common good: an excellent end result.

It just HAD to be right on the day.

ABCDiamond

I was just about to reply with the same comment

Merlot

Yes today in my part of Blighty, blue skies, chill in the air, it was perfect.

Went for a walk and felt a million times better!

Cure for all miseries, a dose of blue skies!!!

M