Thursday, October 29, 2009

Coercion- Labors grand legacy to planning

Tony Robinson congratulates himself on creating 40 new tough guy jobs (cost =) to ensure the planning rules are applied to the nightclubs in town - making him the coercion king? Some misplaced pride here , I suggest !
Planning has become anything but planning under Labors influence and while Brumby may rail against the decision in NEVERLANDS case , he doesn't know why this sort of highly reactive and ineffective form of government "planning" will not go away with mere review of that case.
Despite my offer below , I am not publishing "the solution" because someone other than the reactionaries in power need to ACT.

The missing Policy Framework

Neil Mitchell, or anyone watching the circus, doesn't need to dig very deep to find that nobody is home on decision making where it counts( plenty of decisions that aren't decisions) .
Noone thinks the decision to allow a big new nightspot on the Docklands is a good idea .Probably not even the Premier himself. Councils even opposed it ---as do the Police.
Brumby, the ever pleasant face of his wandering and faceless crew is called to account only to say - "he's not responsible ---VCAT are" .
Which is really the same as saying as the lawyers are in charge. Must be a good job you have Brumby?
The silly and shallow worship of VCAT is dealt with below . The woosy nature of this copout is dealt with above .

As for the PS on the end of the line on Mitchells show (Licencing authority) . " the problem as she sees it is " there is no policy framework on this matter" . PServants no longer make decisions, they are controlled by a myriad of policy documents.
Tis a good job if you can get one - you don't make decisions you just process the policy framework.

Have a look at the Planning schemes. Shock ablock with documents that transfer responsibility for decisions from those WE put in charge to some misplaced concreteness called the P&E act .

Councils are no longer in a position to make decisions. Even when they try, they risk being dragged into court to defend themselves (you heard it) against, not a person , not a body responsible( the greatest degraded idea in these completely distracted schemes) but A POLICY FRAMEWORK .

We are ruled not by People , but policy frameworks - the new self imposed prison of the non decsionmakers who occupy seats of power.