From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 10 July

The distinction between criticism and carping is tricky; however, the consequences are more clearly defined. One action advances the narrative. The other serves only to undermine; to create discontent.

RECENTLY, an incident put me in mind of the English poet and satirist, Alexander Pope, who wrote in his, An Essay On Criticism, “A little learning is a dang’rous thing,” and “For fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”

They are two of life’s most challenging axioms. It is easier to stand on the sidelines, sniping and complaining, than to put your shoulder to the wheel and to bring about a change in the status quo. Today, the mire is exacerbated by social media and the internet, both of which provide an international megaphone for the malcontents, and a platform for myriad absurdist, conspiracy theories.

Personal fiscal vicissitudes notwithstanding, and these are deeply trying times, the City of Ballarat councillor’s decision to increase annual rates and taxes is not unwarranted; nor could it be, by any rational standard, deemed excessive. The City’s costly infrastructure requires constant maintenance. It would be reasonable to assume the council officers responsible for delivering the financial figures leading to the decision are both qualified, and diligent in their workplace application.

The truth, however unpalatable, should be tempered with kindness and regard. Accepting strident criticism is difficult. It takes determination to develop a thick skin while, at the same time, listening to opposing points of view, however galling. Conversely, none of us has a monopoly on good ideas. It would be hubristic to imagine otherwise.

Recently, Cr Mark Harris was quoted as saying the narrative you will always get in the papers is that council is stupid, wasteful, and possibly corrupt. If the attribution is accurate, and with respect, I disagree.

It is not unreasonable for concerned residents to question and stridently oppose dubious council schemes. Absolutely, categorically, and resoundingly – the decision to install around Lake Wendouree 225 5.5-metre-tall aluminium lampposts, set into a concrete block the size of a small refrigerator, is profoundly, P-R-O-F-O-U-N-D-L-Y, stupid, and environmentally reckless! Council documentation serves only to substantiate a growing public disquiet. The criticism is of the decision, not the incumbents – in whom most would have faint personal interest.

The council is not a pseudo parliament. There is an unease that councillors involve themselves in matters which are not strictly their purview. The Australia Day celebration is highly sensitive, and any resolution should be left to State or Federal government. It is not a decision for local council.

Let us not forget, past and present councillors voted to raze the Civic Hall, and to create a bicycle track down the centre of the Sturt Street Boulevard. Both decisions were reversed as a consequence of ferocious public involvement.

In fair defence, the problem lies in a system of local government which is no longer fit-for-purpose. Local and world affairs evolve at a rate which no baby-boomer could have imagined, ever. In the 77-years since the end of World War Two, the facial and social topography of the world has been so dramatically transformed, today it would be, to a returning Australian soldier felled in battle in the European theatre of war, totally unrecognisable.

Consensus is impossible. A strong and vibrant democracy must be able to weather the fiercest storms of factionalism.

In the interest of good governance, acceptable outcomes, and an absence of acrimony, we, all of us, councillors included, need to listen only to the content, and not the intent!

Roland can be heard with Brett Macdonald Mondays at 10.45am on 3BA and contacted via [email protected].