Take a chainsaw to woke agendas, smart cities, and council rates!
The woke agenda has infected our local councils. Councils should be focussed on basic community services, such as roads, parks, and rubbish. But instead, they are fixated on conceptual ‘woke’ rubbish: climate alarmism, the doomed YES campaign, transgender ideology, drag queen story time, pride month, banning Australia Day, Middle Eastern politics, etc. All this folly results in ever-increasing rates and basic council services being neglected.
The NSW local council elections will be held on Saturday, 14th September 2024. There are 128 local councils with 256 wards in NSW and we will be actively contesting these council elections. Vote 1 Libertarian and we will:
- Get the Woke Out of Council
- Say NO to Smart Cities
- Cut Costs and Slash Rates
- Promote Property Rights
- Support Council Demergers
1. Get the Woke Out of Council
Walk into the foyer of your local council office and there’s a good chance you’ll be bombarded with woke propaganda. Private individuals and associations are free to spend their money on whatever cause they want. But councils should not be using our rates to fund contentious issues that divide the community.
Stop ratepayer funding of woke programs.
In November 2023, the Local Government Association voted to have drag queen story time events in public libraries across the entire state. These types of events should not be funded by our rates.
Employ based on merit.
We oppose “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) quotas in local council recruitment and will seek to terminate the employment contracts of all “diversity” officers. Employment opportunities should be based on merit, not gender or ethnicity.
Make ‘acknowledgement’ rituals optional.
We oppose the incessant “welcome to country” ceremonies and the trite “acknowledgment of country” recitation being foisted on you at every council event, venue, and even every document. These are often patronising and do nothing to address Indigenous disadvantage. Participation in Indigenous or other rituals should be optional.
Reject climate alarmism.
We are sceptical of climate alarmism. A perfect example of local councils wasting ratepayer money to appease the climate alarmists is the construction of bike lanes, often at the expense of restricting the width of normal roads. Their thinking is that one day we will all be cycling to work to change the temperature of the planet. The reality is, bike lanes are barely used and cyclists prefer using the normal roads rather than a narrow lane. Local councils should be traffic engineers, not social engineers.
2. Say NO to Smart Cities
Smart cities are a dumb idea. If we don’t take a stand against so-called “smart cities” now then we are on the slippery slope to a China-style, 24/7 surveillance state and social credit system.
Protect resident privacy.
Smart cities use different types of electronic methods and sensors to collect data on the movement of people and vehicles. We are told it is about efficiency and sustainability but the goal is carbon reduction and therefore strict control of your personal behaviour. The technology will be used to monitor your every movement and measure how much carbon you emit. Then you can be rewarded (or punished) based on how compliant you have been. Ultimately, you can be locked down in a 15 minute zone and fined for travelling further.
Don’t believe us? Do a Google search for “smart cities Coffs Harbour local council”. The technology is quietly being trialled in our coastal cities but it will soon be statewide unless we take a stand now. North Sydney’s smart city action plan seeks to “explore options to install sensors to measure people movement and use of public places”.
Oppose any and all lockdowns.
First we got COVID lockdowns, next there will be climate lockdowns. When the central-planners saw how much they could get away with during the COVID hysteria, they got bolder. To them, we are all just human farm-animals under the watch of a benevolent state shepherd, ultimately following the playbook of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the United Nations (UN). It is an evil agenda that is being implemented via our local councils.
Promote council transparency.
Cameras should always be pointed inwards (at the government) not outwards at you. We oppose governments spying on citizens at every level.
3. Cut Costs and Slash Rates
At a time when households are struggling to make ends meet, and the Canberra regime is gouging us with ever-increasing taxes, councils are looking to increase rates – by as much as 60% in some cases. We will always fight for a reduction in rates and support a policy of “no rate rises without a ratepayer vote”.
Get council back to basics.
Councils are well funded. They collect more than enough ratepayer money and state grants for basic community services, such as roads, parks, and rubbish. By removing unnecessary woke programs and activities, councils can get back to basics and massively slash rates.
Privatise council run businesses.
Council bureaucrats are notoriously woeful in running businesses and the losses must be paid for by the ratepayers. This leads to a drain on council resources and focus. It also results in these businesses becoming another platform to promote woke propaganda. We support privatising the day-to-day operation of businesses currently managed by local council, such as childcare centres, pools, sports centres, and caravan parks. Local business owners should not have to compete with their local council for customers. When private businesses (including some not-for-profit organisations like YMCA) run these businesses, as is already practised in some council areas, they offer better customer service at a lower cost.
Let grassroots community groups flourish.
It wasn’t long ago when there was a community need that volunteer based groups would come together, fundraise and build a park or a lookout, etc. Today’s mentality in response to a need is to lobby the local council to provide funding, which gets bogged down in red tape and ends up costing more. Grants from the government also come with strings attached which try to mould opinion in line with whatever the latest propaganda message is.
If a need is genuine, then grassroots community groups such as Rotary, Lions, Apex, churches, clubs, sporting groups, etc. will find a way to make it happen and give the community a sense of ownership. Community members will have more funds available for genuine needs when we have slashed rates. Libertarians want to maximise freedom and let individuals thrive and build real community.
4. Promote Property Rights
Council bureaucracy often leaves people tearing their hair out, when they just want to use their own property to freely live their own life how they choose.
Remove unnecessary red tape.
The bloated development application process is a financial drain on the council budget, as well as a huge drain on the resources of families and would-be developers.
Support your right to use your property how you choose.
Councils should not be banning stoves, barbecues, pets, or any other household conveniences. Let homes be used for home business purposes without interference. Let kids have a lemonade stand on the street and not be harassed by a council officer. Council should not be trying to stop you from using your property for short-term accommodation rentals. Personal trainers should not need a permit to access a local park. If it does not affect another person's property rights, you should have the freedom to use your own property the way you choose, and we will support it.
Support development that does not affect another person’s rights.
You should have the right to cut down any tree on your property, or plant as many as you want, without begging for permission. Want to build a granny flat, a pergola, or a shed in your backyard? Do it. Want to buy your neighbour’s home and build a block of modern, classy units? Do it. If it does not affect another person’s property rights, you should have the freedom to develop your property the way you want, and we will support it.
5. Support Council Demergers
The NSW government forced many councils to merge in recent years, despite this being deeply unpopular with local residents in many cases. Council bureaucrats love it because they can then rule over a larger empire and command bigger salaries. But for residents it leads to an impersonal council that ignores the needs of the ratepayers they are fleecing. We believe local residents should decide. If residents vote to demerge into smaller councils, the state government should get out of the way.
Become a Local Council Candidate
Applications to be a local council candidate have now closed. If you still want to help in another way, please consider donating or volunteering. We can't do this without you!