What is the government? - definition (20)

Some people did take a council to court over the outrageous council rates in one of the Melbourne suburbs. Unfortunately they lost. The council was able to prove that they did not misuse the money.....had legitimate rights over the expenditure....Poor people had to pay all court costs. Far to difficult and expensive to fight them.

I'm quite happy here in the West Torrens council .Although they seem to always be fixing up the paving on the footpaths from the trees they planted .While the trees look awesome must cost a fortune to fix . Mind you they do a lot of their "gardening work" early am when I'm driving to work along Sir Donald Bradman drive!
Now when I lived in the Port Adelaide Enfield council that's another matter .My Ex'es brother in law works for them . I learnt some from him and some from seeing the same council truck parked in the same spot every day . The spots where the guys would sit and wait for their shift to be over .
And talk about pavements the wooden walkways and asphalt paths along the beach .When the council vehicles get bogged on the paths tells you something .And they weren't big trucks !!
Now the Charles Sturt council were putting in solar powered lights along the path along the torrens river . Took them 3 months !! Holdfast council put lights around the pat lake took them 3 weeks lmao !!

Don't get me started on higher up govts federal govt pays chemsists big dollars to sell drugs they have on their subsidised list!!

Waste Services (now billed separate from General Rates) covers the 3 bins we put out each fortnight. Okay, we do have to pay for some of the garbos being able to have shopping time thrown in but some Councils have now put in GPS trackers to try to improve efficiencies on the routes. So much double-backing occuring.

Unfortunately, the unions have seen this as an invasion of privacy when the garbos want to have a bit of shopping time during their paid time.

I work in Local Govt where I spend a lot of time trying to get State and Federal grants so the ratepayers do not have as much a burden. Why should a dairy farmer, beef farmer, timber industry or a quarry expect the ratepayers to provide a decent road for them to make a profit without them contributing?

Council rates are there to provide the quality of services that the ratepayers demand. Councils are not always to be able to deliver the expectations of the ratepayers but the Council workers are doing the best that they can deliver for the money they have available.

Being a bit under the pump with so many grants on offer to "improve energy efficient whatever" and realising what the real costs are to the community, little wonder that so many are knocked back by local councils.

But when the Federal Govt says "We will give you 75% of the cost of installation if you put up the 25% of the cost" no wonder some financially viable councils are talking up the offers. What hasn't been realised is the actual maintenance costs for some of these "brilliant" projects.

As an example. We had grants for some "walking trails" which were State/Federal funded to be provided the public usage. Guess who ahs tomaintain them?



Great, the Govt is so genereous

Look what they have provided for us.















































Sorry, mate, we have to increase you council rates to maintain all those things the grants have so generously provided for you.

Terrible isn't it, when we have a 3 tier government....council, state & Federal. Compulsory voting still exists in all 3 governments.......all ripping us off in as many ways as possible.

However in saying this I am glad of gov. subsidies on medicine....lots of us would not be able to afford the cost of the special medicines that many of us have to take daily, which cost an enormous amount of money. Also government subsidies on health care and schools/uni.and other areas also. THANK YOU AUSTRALIA

ive always wondered why the govt props up private schools u want your kids to have a private education u pay for it end of story!!
Good to see my public education worked well in enlgish with my punctuations

Good point Wash, I agree with you about the garbos/roads. But surely a portion of the rates, goes to retirement packages of council workers etc. some of these packages are very large depending on how much money some councillors are earning...especially eg. Mayor. Also insurance, and legal costs when councils lose court cases over building permits that they reject. Councillor told me rates are reviewed every 2 years. When a housing boom occurs.....rates will definitely rise steeply.

The parents do pay.....in some schools quite a lot of money. However without the gov. subsidies many would collapse. A couple of private schools around Melbourne, recently closed down even with gov. pumping money into these schools.

Nothing wrong with a public educ. Many still retain their jobs....good indication that the system works/worked well for many people.

I opened up my old faithful dictionary about the definition of government:
(1) system of governing,form of organization of State.
(2) body of successive bodies of persons governing a State; the State as an agent;an administrative or ministry; Form a G.. of government(of Prime Minister selecting colleagues).
(3) (Gram.)relation between governing and governed word
(4) act,manner, or fact, of governing.

(the Australian concise oxford dictionary,1982,1987 p.459)