Herald Sun Editorial: Councils road challenge just ‘bizarre’. 22 July 2014
Yarra and Moreland city councils deserve to be sacked for committing several hundred thousand dollars of ratepayers money to a purely political agenda.
Planning Minister Matthew Guy rightly describes some of the councillors as “odd-bods and crazies”, and their decision to fund a challenge to the multi-billion-dollar East West Link is just as bizarre.
Replacing the councils with administrators would save the estimated $350,000 it will cost to bring the case to court.
Socialist councillors would be better placed to stand for election to state government. That is where the argument lies, not with councils that should concern themselves with roads, kindergartens and libraries.
Moonee Valley is still to decide whether to join the legal challenge to the East West Link, which will join Melbourne’s freeway and tollway systems.
Yarra councillor Stephen Jolly says the council’s strategy is to “put every hurdle possible in front of the Government”. Cr Jolly may be a frustrated politician but he has not been elected to council to pursue a personal agenda at the expense of ratepayers.
