Category: Quirky

Why councils confuse consultation with engagement

Community engagement vs community consultation are often treated as the same thing in local government, but they operate very differently in practice.

The difference shapes who holds power, when decisions crystallise, and why trust either grows or collapses.

Communities know the difference, even when councils pretend not to.

What community consultation actually does in practice

Community consultation usually begins after key decisions have already taken shape.

A proposal exists.

Timelines are set.

Constraints are fixed.

Institutions then ask for feedback within those boundaries. People respond through surveys, drop in sessions, or submissions. The process records participation. As a result, the project proceeds, sometimes with small adjustments.

Consultation can be genuine. Even so, it remains narrow by design. It collects opinion rather than shared understanding. Because of that, disagreement often gets framed as resistance. Frustration follows, on both sides.

Community consultation answers one question, what do people think about this?

What community engagement looks like in practice

Community engagement starts earlier and runs deeper.

Engagement involves listening before options are fixed. It brings people into defining the problem, not simply reacting to a solution. It recognises local knowledge and lived experience, including impacts that reports often miss.

Because engagement unfolds over time, it requires continuity and trust. At the same time, it demands that institutions accept discomfort. Engagement does not promise agreement. Instead, it builds legitimacy.

Community engagement answers a different question, how do we understand this together?

Why the two keep getting blurred

Institutions often default to consultation because it feels safer. It fits legal requirements, procurement cycles, and delivery schedules.

In contrast, engagement shifts control. It exposes assumptions. It slows momentum. It makes power visible.

So consultation gets relabelled as engagement, even when nothing structural changes.

What good engagement shows on the ground

Strong engagement appears in ordinary, practical ways.

Early conversations.

Clear explanation of limits.

Feedback that explains what changed and why.

Ongoing presence rather than one off events.

People may still disagree. However, they understand the process, the trade offs, and their place within it.

Consultation seeks permission. Engagement earns confidence.

Communities know the difference immediately.

Links

NSW Department of Planning guidance on community engagement

IAP2 Australasia Core Values for Public Participation

 

 

 

 

 

When the question is bigger than blame. Let’s invite our Kiama community to be part of the solution

If you have been following my recent blog posts, you will know how we arrived at this moment. It began with a simple and reasonable question about what will happen to Kiama’s CBD once construction begins on the Akuna Street site. The more people asked the same question, the clearer it became that this is a conversation the whole community wants and deserves to have.

So I set out to explore what good planning looks like, drawing on world leading models such as Singapore where community involvement and long term vision guide every decision.

That work was never about debating the past. It was about understanding the situation we are now facing, because hindsight alone will not solve this. Akuna Street is going ahead, and the CBD will be disrupted for years.

The real question, the one that matters now, is this.

What can we do together to learn from places that have faced similar challenges and come out stronger?

Kiama is not the first town to lose its central parking.
We are not the first community to face a long construction period in the heart of the CBD.
We are not the first to feel let down by decisions made without clear long term planning.

So instead of sitting in frustration, let us shift the conversation to the shared work in front of us. Let us ask what other towns and councils have already learned, and how we can apply that knowledge here.

If we were sitting around the table together, where would we start

If I were a local councillor facing this situation, the first thing I would do is invite the community into the problem solving. Not as a gesture, but as a genuine partnership. Kiama is full of smart, resourceful people who care deeply about this town. We do not need to wait for a single expert to hand down answers. We can build them together.

Here are a few places we could start.

Identify examples of towns that have survived CBD shutdowns
Regional centres, coastal towns and small cities have all faced similar situations. Some handled the disruption well. Others did not. We can learn from both.

Look at temporary parking solutions that actually work
Examples include park and ride systems, business priority spaces, off site options, shuttle loops and temporary decks on cleared land. These solutions already exist. We do not need to invent them from scratch.

Keep the CBD alive during construction
Other towns have protected their small businesses with coordinated activation programs, weekend events, pop up markets and targeted support. Kiama’s traders deserve the same level of care.

Advocate for staged or sequenced construction
Councils elsewhere have negotiated construction conditions that avoid full closures or allow parking to be phased. Could we secure something similar.

Design a communication plan that treats residents as partners
Timely information, plain language updates and clear explanations are not optional. They are essential for keeping frustration down and confidence up.

Build a shared, forward looking vision
Instead of reacting only to the disruption in front of us, we can also ask what Kiama will need in ten years. What will traffic look like. What will our population need. What will businesses need. We can plan for that now.

Why this matters now

The CBD disruption is coming. That is a fact. How we respond as a community is the part still within our control.

We can choose frustration or collaboration.
We can choose blame or solutions.
We can choose to repeat the mistakes of others or learn from the places that got it right.

Kiama deserves a plan that draws on global best practice and local wisdom. It deserves leaders who look outward, learn widely and plan with courage. And it deserves a community that has a genuine voice in shaping what comes next.

Your turn

So I am asking you, as neighbours, ratepayers and people who love this town.

Where would you start.
Which ideas do you want on the table.
Which towns should we study.
Which solutions could work here.

I am listening. I know you are too. And judging by the speed of recent media releases, Council is watching this page just as closely as the rest of us.

#KiamaCBD #CommunityFirst #AkunaStreet #KiamaFuture #SmartLeadership #LearningFromOthers #FuturePlanning #LocalGovernment #CommunityVoice #PublicTrust

When Your Wallet Gets Ozempic-ed

Reading the Sydney Morning Herald today, I discovered that our appetite for spending is about to be Ozempic-ed.

It’s official: Ozempic isn’t just a drug anymore — it’s a verb. 🗣️

The diabetes medication that’s become a global phenomenon has now slimmed its way into the language. Our wallets, it seems, are next in line for treatment.

And you have to hand it to the drug company — they must be clapping with delight. Few products make it this far. When your brand name becomes a verb, you’ve hit cultural gold.

But Ozempic isn’t the first to make the leap. We’ve been verb-ing brands for decades:

  • Google – to look something up.

  • Photoshop – to edit reality.

  • Hoover – to vacuum anything, anywhere.

  • Uber – to get home when you shouldn’t be driving.

  • Zoom – to talk to people you used to see in person.

Language, like fashion, gets carried away. One day it’s just a product name, the next it’s front and centre in a sentence. A bit like photo-bombing — a word that muscled its way in and never left.

So yes, our spending might soon be Ozempic-ed — slimmer, tighter, and slightly out of reach.


 #Ozempic #LanguageLovers #WordPlay #ModernSlang #PopCulture #SMH

 

From Piano to Powerhouse: Glenn Amer Brings Opera Magic Back to Jamberoo

Tickets are nearly sold out for the 27th annual Opera in the Valley, to be held on Saturday, November 1 at 8pm in the Jamberoo School of Arts, Allowrie Street. Tickets are $65, available from Elders Real Estate, Jamberoo. The evening begins with wine and cheese at interval and ends with the famous CWA supper, a tradition that keeps audiences coming back year after year.

Opera in the Valley began in 1997 when Val Cummings and her daughter, soprano Karen Cummings, gathered a group of singers to perform in the Jamberoo School of Arts. Their vision to bring opera to the village has since blossomed into one of the South Coast’s most loved cultural events.

Two years later, pianist Glenn Amer joined the company. At first, he simply played the piano, but over time his artistry and leadership shaped the event’s distinctive identity. Today, Opera in the Valley and Glenn Amer are inseparable.

Now in its 27th year, Glenn is once again lifting the bar. The first half of this year’s program features Mozart’s comic opera Lo Sposo Deluso (The Deluded Bridegroom), performed in English for the first time in Jamberoo. The second half brings the signature blend audiences adore, a joyful mix of operatic favourites and classic musical numbers performed by the full cast.

What makes Opera in the Valley so special is its intimacy. The hall fills to capacity every year, and performers often join the audience for supper after the show. “It’s seeing the joy on everybody’s faces at the end of the concert,” says Glenn. “That’s what makes it all worthwhile.”

From the creative spark of Val and Karen Cummings to the enduring magic of Glenn Amer’s direction, Opera in the Valley has become much more than a concert. It is a Jamberoo tradition, blending world-class music with the warmth of country hospitality.

🎟️Not many tickets left!

Jamberoo’s much-loved Opera in the Valley returns for its 27th performance on Saturday, November 1 at 8pm, featuring maestro Glenn Amer and an extraordinary cast of singers.

The first half of the night features Mozart’s comic opera Lo Sposo Deluso, performed in English for the first time in Jamberoo. The second half brings the signature mix audiences love, a joyful blend of favourite operatic pieces and musical theatre classics.

Enjoy wine and cheese at interval and the famous CWA supper after the performance, where singers and audience come together in true country style.

📍 Jamberoo School of Arts, Allowrie Street
🎟 Tickets $65 from Elders Real Estate, Jamberoo
⏰ Saturday, November 1, 8pm start

Don’t miss Jamberoo’s musical event of the year. Tickets are almost gone!

#GlennAmer #OperaInTheValley #Jamberoo #CWANSW #Mozart #LoSposoDeluso #SouthCoastEvents #RegionalArts #CommunityCulture #AustralianOpera #LiveMusicAustralia #JamberooEvents #ClassicalMusicAustralia #GrassrootsOpera #CreativeCommunities

Walking Through History: How Our Gait Tells the Story of Where We’ve Come From

I have always noticed the way people walk. Maybe it is because I was born with club feet. My parents were relieved when, after twelve months in plaster, the specialists announced my legs were fixed and I could walk straight.

Growing up on a farm, you were taught to look closely at legs. When Dad was buying horses or cattle, he studied the way they stood and moved. Sound legs meant sound stock. He would point out faults as people walked by. “Lady-toed,” ( the medical term is “Out-toeing) he would say, or “bow-legged.” It was never said unkindly. It was a way of teaching me what to look for, and I think a quiet reminder of how lucky we were that medicine could fix mine.

Now, travelling in Europe, I have noticed something curious. So many people seem to be lady-toed or bow-legged, far more than I ever see in Australia. It made me wonder why.

The Science Behind the Way We Walk

How we walk, our gait, is shaped by a mix of biology, lifestyle, and environment. Orthopaedic specialists and physiologists agree that posture and leg alignment are not random. They reflect the forces our bones and muscles have adapted to since childhood.

Genetics and early development
Our bone structure is partly inherited. Some families naturally have a degree of varus (bow-legged) or valgus (knock-kneed) alignment. In babies and toddlers, these angles are normal stages of growth. Legs usually straighten by around age seven. If nutrition or muscle development is interrupted, those angles can persist into adulthood.

Vitamin D and bone health
Historically, bow-legs were common in northern Europe because of rickets, a condition caused by lack of sunlight and therefore vitamin D. Without enough vitamin D, bones do not harden properly and bend under the body’s weight. Australia’s abundant sunshine almost eliminated rickets early in the 20th century, whereas in cloudier climates it lingered longer, possibly contributing to more curved leg alignment in older generations.

Footwear and walking surfaces
Podiatrists point out that shoes influence how we use our feet. In cities with cobblestones or uneven streets, people walk differently: shorter steps, feet turned slightly outward for balance, what farmers once called being lady-toed, or what doctors now call out-toeing. In Australia, soft surfaces like grass and sand encourage a longer, straighter stride and stronger foot muscles.

Exercise and body mechanics
Regular movement, especially barefoot play and outdoor activity in childhood, strengthens the small stabilising muscles in the feet and lower legs. Where children spend more time indoors, sitting, or wearing rigid shoes, those muscles can remain weaker, subtly changing gait and posture over time.

Cultural posture habits
Anthropologists note that regional postures, such as how people sit, rest, or carry weight, also shape leg alignment. Years of cycling, hill walking, or sitting cross-legged can influence muscle balance around the knees and hips.

The lady-toed, pigeon-toed  or bow-legged look is not simply genetic. It is a visible record of how our bones, muscles, shoes, sunlight, and habits have worked together since childhood. The way we walk, quite literally, tells the story of where we have come from.

And for me, each step is a quiet reminder of how fortunate I am to have been straightened out, to walk without pain, and to keep walking all these years.

#WalkingThroughHistory #GaitScience #EveryStepTellsAStory #HumanMovement #ObservationAndMemory

Clover Hill Dairies Time Capsule

Back in 2010, our family dairy farm had just been named National Primary Producer of the Year, and we were invited to put in a Banksia Award application.

I’ve just rediscovered that application, both in print and tucked away in Dropbox, and it’s a monster. Almost 200 pages long. The actual award entry? Seven pages. The rest? Ten appendices that somehow stretched to 192 pages.

As someone who now judges awards, I can say with confidence this is the last thing a judge wants to see.

But I’m delighted I still have it. Flicking through, it’s the most extraordinary time capsule of that chapter in our farm’s history ,  the productivity gains, the conservation work, the community projects, even the early stirrings of what would become national agri-education programs.

What at the time felt like an exercise in paperwork overload now feels like a gift. A thick, overstuffed reminder of what we were doing, why we were doing it, and how much of it still matters.

#BanksiaAwards #DairyFarming #TimeCapsule #FarmingHistory #CloverHillDairies #SustainableAg #FromPaddockToPlate #AgriEducation #Landcare #PrimaryProducer

Why I’ve Become an Advocate for Shining a Light on Abuse of Power

What hill are you standing on for your community?

I didn’t set out to become “that person” who keeps calling out the wrongs. But over time, I’ve seen too many examples of how silence enables harm. Whether it’s in local government, community organisations, or the workplace, abuse of power doesn’t arrive with a fanfare. It seeps in quietly. It hides in closed-door decisions, half-truths, and carefully managed narratives.

At first, it’s tempting to tell yourself it’s not worth the trouble. That someone else will speak up. That surely, if the problem was as bad as it looks, the system would correct itself. But time after time, I’ve seen the opposite. The people with the courage to speak are often punished, while those in positions of power close ranks.

I’ve also learned that abuse of power is rarely a single, dramatic event. More often, it’s a pattern of behaviour: bending rules for friends, silencing critics, hiding information the public has a right to know. It’s intimidation dressed up as “process,” and retaliation disguised as “policy.” And while these tactics might be effective in the short term, they corrode trust and weaken the very institutions they claim to protect.

My decision to speak out comes down to this: silence isn’t neutral. It’s a choice that helps the powerful, not the vulnerable. By shining a light on these behaviours, I’m defending the principle that power should serve the public good, not personal interest.

It’s uncomfortable work. It can make you a target. But it also builds solidarity. I’ve met others who share this belief that truth-telling is worth the cost. Together, we’re creating a record. We’re showing that people are paying attention. We’re reminding those in power that their actions matter, and that accountability is not optional.

Abuse of power thrives in the dark. My job, as I see it now, is to make sure the light stays on.

#CommunityAdvocacy #StandForChange #AbuseOfPower #SpeakUp #LocalLeadership #CivicCourage #CommunityMatters #AccountabilityNow #DefendDemocracy #TogetherWeRise

How a 2000 Fix for One MP Is Now Protecting Gareth Ward from Expulsion

In recent weeks, many people have asked why the NSW Constitution allows a convicted Member of Parliament to stay in office while they appeal their case. The short answer is: because of a law change in the year 2000.

And here’s the story behind it.

The change was triggered by the case of Phillip Smiles, a former NSW Liberal MP and Assistant Treasurer who was convicted of tax evasion in the 1990s. Smiles resigned from Parliament after being found guilty of falsely claiming his nanny as a tax deduction. But on appeal, his conviction was overturned.

By the time that happened, his political career was over. His seat had been vacated. A by-election had been held. And he had lost his pension and entitlements.

That outcome caused a major stir. It felt unfair, both to Smiles, who had been legally cleared, and to his electorate, which had lost its elected representative over a conviction that didn’t stick.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) looked into the case and found no evidence of corruption, but did highlight a serious problem: the law wasn’t clear on what exactly “conviction” meant under section 13A of the Constitution Act. Was it the jury verdict? Was it after sentencing? Or did it only count once all appeals were exhausted?

ICAC and a Parliamentary Committee both recommended change. They called for a clearer, more precise definition that would protect MPs and voters from being punished for convictions that might not stand.

So in 2000, the NSW Government amended the Constitution. The change meant that a conviction would only count, for the purpose of disqualifying an MP, once the appeals process had concluded. This would stop someone from being wrongly removed if their conviction was later overturned.

It was, at the time, seen as a fix. A safeguard against what happened to Phillip Smiles.

But now we are seeing the downside.

Because of that 2000 amendment, a person found guilty of serious criminal offences, remanded in custody, and serving time in jail, can still hold office, draw a salary, and access entitlements, all while appealing their case.

It’s a loophole that was meant to protect fairness. But now, it’s protecting power.

And that’s why so many of us are calling for reform again. It’s time to respect the original intent of the law, to preserve justice, while ensuring Parliament isn’t held hostage by someone who has been convicted of serious crimes and remanded in custody.

The law was changed for good reasons. But the unintended consequences now demand action.

Further Reading

You can download and review the official “Constitution Amendment Bill 2000 — Explanatory Note” for the Constitution Amendment Bill 2000, which clearly outlines the reasons for the change and how it redefined “conviction” in the Constitution

 Why Gareth Ward’s challenge to the power to expel him from the NSW parliament failed

#NSWPolitics #ConstitutionReform #PhillipSmilesCase #Section13A #PublicAccountability #DemocracyMatters #AppealLoophole #IntegrityInOffice #DisqualificationDelay

Gareth Ward Wants Taxpayers to Fund His Appeal – This Is Unconscionable Conduct

Lawyers for convicted rapist MP Gareth Ward have sought an injunction to stop him being expelled from Parliament.

As a result, he remains, for now,  the sitting Member for Kiama, while held in custody at Silverwater Jail.

This is not a technicality. This is not a procedural hiccup. This is unconscionable conduct.

A man convicted of serious sexual offences should not be representing any community from behind bars. And yet, here we are.

Let’s be honest about what’s happening. I do not believe Gareth Ward is doing this because he thinks he can carry out the duties of a Member of Parliament from a maximum-security prison. I believe his entire reason for holding on to his seat is so that he can access public funding to cover the cost of his appeal.

It is about protecting his entitlements. It is about staying on the payroll. It is about using the system, not serving the people.

If I am wrong, then let him explain how he plans to do the job. Let him show us how he will meet with constituents, attend community events, vote in Parliament, and represent the people of Kiama, all while being held in custody.

There’s a name for what we’re seeing. It’s a kind of dissociative denial. The ability to disconnect from what you’ve done and still see yourself as the victim. Gareth Ward has been convicted of serious crimes, and yet he’s fighting to stay in Parliament. Not to represent his community, but to preserve his power and entitlements. That isn’t leadership. It’s delusion.

This situation should not be up for debate. It should not require legal games or political hesitation. A man who has been found guilty of sexual violence should not be sitting in Parliament , whether or not he plans to appeal. Being in jail and being in Parliament are not compatible roles.

The people of Kiama deserve representation. Real representation. Not a legal fiction.

 This is about the integrity of our institutions. It is about the message we send when we allow someone convicted of predatory crimes to retain a position of power, status, and influence.

Gareth Ward cannot represent this community from gaol.

And the fact that he is trying to do so should be a wake-up call to every voter, every politician, and every journalist watching this unfold.

It is time for Parliament to act.

#GarethWard #NSWPolitics #UnconscionableConduct #PublicAccountability #JusticeAndIntegrity #MPInCustody #NoRepresentationFromJail #TaxpayerMoneyMatters #KiamaDeservesBetter