No Taxation without Representation

No Taxation Without Representation - call for Businesses to enrol to Vote. Sydney businesses pay around $150 million a year in rates and charges to the City of Sydney Council. This represents about 50% of the annual running costs of the Council, Councillor Shayne Mallard said today at the launch of the new website: www.SydneyBusinessVotes.org.au At the 2004 council elections, only 2000 businesses and non residents who own businesses or pay rates enrolled. The City of Sydney Council estimates that potentially 20,000 business owners and lessees may be eligible to vote in the 2008 election.'"I believe the current Lord Mayor and her party's control of the Council is set on a course to run down the city's hard-earned cash reserves by the end of her next term.
" Next week Council will adopt a budget for 2008/09 that has buried in its report an underlying cash deficit of $113 Million.
" This Council administration is continuing an orgy of spending at the rate of over $2 million of our savings each week. ($2,173,000 per week).
"At the end of this Lord Mayor's planned final term the business rate payers will be forced to pick up the credit card debt for this Council's excesses. "
"The September election is therefore vital to the future prosperity of businesses large and small in Sydney. It has taken years to build up these reserves and now, the Lord Mayor is planning to spin and spend her way back into office for her farewell term. " "I have set up a simple website to help businesses through the paperwork to vote.

The ALP State government legislated to make the process difficult for business owners by wiping the non-resident roll before each election, forcing businesses to re-enrol each time.

The applications for enrolment are available on the website and we have an e-mail help facility to answer any questions you may have. There is a link to the NSW Electoral Commission page for further information. Monday, 4 August is the deadline to enrol to vote on 13 September. "

The City of Sydney Council makes decisions every day that affect the future of business in this great city. I urge all business owners and non-resident ratepayers to get on the roll today. "
Resources: Council Corporate Plan and Budget 2008/09

Lord Mayor's double park blames the Council driver

Fine with her: Clover Moore pays for chauffeur to park

The Australian - Angus Hohenboken June 10, 2008

SYDNEY'S Lord Mayor has offered to pay a parking fine on behalf of her chauffeur after he was caught parking illegally outside her house.
Footage of Clover Moore's driver double-parking outside her home over a period of several days was shown on Seven News last night.
It showed the driver leaving his locked vehicle next to cars parked at the kerb, despite the availability of parking spaces close by. Seven said neighbours reported the driver double-parked regularly.
A spokesman for the Lord Mayor said Ms Moore would discipline her driver. "The Lord Mayor has offered to pay a fine if the driver was not parked properly and has asked him to ensure it does not happen again," the spokesman said.
The City of Sydney Council used undercover rangers last year to catch and fine parents for parking illegally when dropping their children at school.
The revelations come after NSW Education Minister John Della Bosca was last month caught for speeding for the seventh time in just over a year, causing him to lose his driving licence.
City of Sydney councillor Shayne Mallard said politicians and councillors needed to set better examples on the road.
Mr Mallard said he was disappointed that Ms Moore was blaming the driver.
"They are public servants and by and large they follow instructions," he said.
"The bigger issue is the hypocrisy. The Lord Mayor's administration makes a lot of profit out of parking fines in this city; one would think they would adhere to their own rules and laws in regards to the council's own vehicles. The Lord Mayor should know the rules."

View Channel 7 story here.

Lord Mayor's driver facing fine

Profile of an inner-city Liberal

The South Sydney Herald profile -

Liberal Councillor Shayne Mallard likes staying as close as he can to the community reports Simon Nichols in the December 2007 edition of the South Sydney Herald.
“No, I don’t have any Federal Government ambitions,” Mallard tells me. “I am more interested in health, education and community service. I have always preferred the bread- and-butter issues, even though they are often considered the un-sexy areas of politics.” Sharing a coffee with him near the fountain in Kings Cross, you can tell that Mallard feels comfortable out on the street with the local residents. “I come from a small farm community, with just one church and just one school. I guess that instilled in me the notion of communities empowering each other and doing it for themselves. In those small towns you meet people and there is a real sense of cyclical responsibility; a hand up, not a hand out.”
Mallard brought that ethic to Sydney, joining the Young Liberals and becoming State President in 1993. Previous Liberal State presidents include Joe Hockey and Philip Ruddock. He was involved with the Fight Back John Hewson Campaign, worked closely with Peter Debnam and currently is a key confidante of Malcolm Fraser (Shayne adds later - this should be Malcolm Turnbull!).
“I love Sydney and I want to create a greater sense of ownership amongst the residents, similar to what happened during the Olympics. We have a real mix of people here. I want to highlight what we have and why we are so special. I would love to deck out some big buses with audiovisual equipment and get tours conducted all around Sydney. The buses would not just go to the major tourist spots but through the suburbs of Newtown and Ultimo. I am also a cycling fanatic and I have a dream to make all parking underground in the Kings Cross area and then widen the footpaths for cyclists and pedestrians.”
On his website, Mallard describes himself as a progressive Liberal. He is conservative in terms of finance and welfare but he feels he is progressive in the areas of social issues like discrimination, women, refugees and same-sex couples. He also maintains a facebook and a blog to keep up with the information super-highway – to “keep a finger on the pulse.”
So why did Mallard get involved in politics? Quite simply, “I love helping solve problems for people. That is why it motivates me as a vocation.” Mallard muses when I ask him what he doesn’t like. “The personal attacks, but unfortunately that comes with the territory.”
Source: South Sydney Herald www.southsydneyherald.com.au/

ALP Leaderless for Sydney City Council Election

Endorsed Labor candidate for Sydney Lord Mayor, Councillor Tony Pooley announced today that he would no longer lead the ALP ticket for the Council elections in September.
Councillor Pooley said that he was stepping down because of ' work issues ', but it is more likely that he does not want to spend another four years on the margins of power in a Clover Moore party dominated Council.
Liberal Councillor Shayne Mallard said that the 11th hour withdrawal of the former Labor Mayor raised several important questions;
"Did Tony see confidential Sussex Street polling that showed a landslide victory for Clover Moore at the election?
"Did Tony realise that his bid for the Lord Mayoralty was doomed from the start?" Shayne said.
"Tony must have seen that Clover Moore was going to trounce the ALP following the endless scandals and failures of Labor in Macquarie Street. Everyone knows that the ALP has that
unpleasant, decaying smell about it nowadays.
"Labor may now turn to retired upper house politician, Dr Meredith Bergman to lead an already defeated team to the polls. It seems that Labor are throwing in the towel before the first round. They have given up the fight before it has even begun.
Shayne who has been a Councillor alongside Tony Pooley for the past 8 years acknowledges the contribution that Tony has made.
"I would like to put on record my appreciation of Councillor Pooley's service to the local community on the City of Sydney Council and prior service on the South Sydney Council as mayor. Tony has been a dedicated local representative who has worked very effectively on behalf of residents. It is a shame that we will lose his experience after September.
"As leader of the Liberal team for this September's Council elections, I can assure all voters that the Liberal Party will not be throwing in the towel. We believe that Clover Moore's party must be held to public account by having a balance on the Council.
"The out-of-control spending and massive misuse of ratepayer money to promote Clover Moore's picture and words on everything the Council publishes must stop. Ratepayers deserve a City Council that represents all community views -- residents, businesses and leaseholders.
"Council needs to ensure that its basic services are its highest priority. It must ensure that the cash reserves are not eaten away by irresponsible and unaccountable spending. It must keep costs down and rates affordable.
"We offer the voters a real choice in September. And while it may be true that the ALP secret polling shows Clover Moore will be easily re-elected as Lord Mayor, we believe that voters will want balanced representation on the next council," Councillor Shayne Mallard concluded.

Daily Telegraph reports 'Clover Moore tipped to win against Meredith Bergman'