More than 20 percent of Kiama’s adult population now reads this blog. That tells me one thing loud and clear, people want to know what’s going on. They want facts, context, and the confidence to ask questions that matter.
Which brings me to what’s happening now.
On 28 May, I wrote to Kiama Council to raise a formal complaint about a public statement titled “Bugle article correction” that remains live on their website. That statement discredits a piece of reporting I wrote about developer contributions, reporting that was based entirely on public documents, and which no one has ever asked me to correct.
I’m speaking as someone who has spent over a year digging into Council reports, explaining how local decisions are made, and making civic processes easier to understand.
Council told me I’d receive a response to my complaint within ten days. It’s approaching three weeks. Nothing.
What makes this harder to ignore is that the article Council tried to discredit contained facts that the Mayor found concerning enough to launch an internal investigation. The Deputy Mayor also backed the call. In fact, both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor formally asked for the correction notice to be taken down. It’s still there.
Which raises a question, not just for the public, but for every councillor.
How does it feel to be elected to represent your community, and then discover you have no power to correct a public statement you believe is misleading?
How does it feel to know your request can be ignored, even when it’s clear the original article was accurate?
Since then, Council has added its Media Policy (April 2025) as a reference under the statement. If that’s meant to justify keeping it online, it misses the point. I’m not a Council official. I’m not bound by internal media rules. And if the policy really does promote “accuracy and professionalism,” Council should be asking itself why it’s still hosting content that undermines both.
This is not just about process. This is about power. Someone is using their position to silence voices that challenge them, and they are sending a strong message to others, including councillors, that getting in the way will have consequences. That is not leadership. It is bullying.
The best way to shut that down is not to wait for external bodies to act. It is for councillors to step up. The community is watching. So are others in the media.
If this can’t be resolved properly within Council, I’ll take it further, through the union, through formal complaints, through national media. But we all know that everyone’s time is better spent improving transparency, not justifying the unjustifiable on ABC radio.
I have a voice. Let’s make sure the community has one too.
#Kiama #KiamaCouncil #LocalGovernment #PressFreedom #CivicEngagement #TheBugle #RegionalMedia #PublicInterestJournalism