Response to Katanning Submission from Gnowangerup

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

The President of Gnowangerup Shire, Cr Ken Pech, has issued a media statement in response to the Shire of Katanning's aggressive approach to reform. To read more about the Shire of Katanning's submission, click here and scroll down.

Below is Cr Pech's statement:

'The Shire of Gnowangerup is incredulous at the reported outpourings (ABC Radio and Great Southern Herald) that have been emanating from the President of the Shire of Katanning and Mayor of the Town of Narrogin, regarding Local Government Reform.


Surely, Katanning Council must realise that this type of behaviour and attitude to its surrounding Shires has contributed to them not having many “Local Government Friends” – they just don’t get it. They may class themselves as a regional centre, but they certainly don’t behave as such. They enjoy regional advantages such as big business, high schools and health services, all of which create considerable activity that doesn’t cost their Local Government one red cent. The services that their Council maintain are no different to those of outlying councils such as ours; to suggest they need a bigger mass of broad acre agricultural land to remain viable, suggests that they should review their financial and asset management. If they rated these regional businesses appropriately, perhaps they wouldn’t be on a land grab. We will deal with the State Government in our way; not be dictated to by a council that clearly has difficulty managing its own affairs.


The Shire of Gnowangerup is going through its Reform process with like minded councils who we know understand the requirements of their people and will look after their small towns. For the Katanning Council to berate other Shires because they don’t agree with our approach smacks of dictatorship such as we see in third world countries. We can and will work with like minded shires.


I am not sure who the Katanning Shire President thinks runs small councils but, in our case, it’s the elected members; maybe other attitudes exist in regional centres such as Katanning. To imply that Chief Executive Officers are manipulating reform for their own self interest is tantamount to slander.


We suggest Katanning improves its own performance: we will continue to run our Council in a way that suits our electors and community.'

I say, "Hear, hear!"