Wollongong City Council - Platform for Change 2011
On 3rd September 2011 the residents of the City of Wollongong had the opportunity to vote for a popularly-elected, representative Cou ncil and Lord Mayor. This was an important moment in the history of the city , for W ollongong had been without civic leadership and direction since the corruption scandals of 2006-7 brought about the Council's sacking on 5 March 2008. Prior to that, a "development at any cost" mentality, corruption of individuals and process, and political inertia over more than a decade stripped the city of its vitality, damaged the environment and marked it as a cultural backwater. Since 2008 the ALP-appointed administrators and Council bureaucracy had exacerbated the problem by shutting down community engagement and depriving the people of the City of their legitimate right to inclusive local government. On 3 September 2011 there was an opportunity for change. Wollongong needed to be kick-started, and Council opened up to new ideas, new energy and a ne...