TYRO MP Christine Couzens might think she’s landed a few free punches on Geelong’s high-profile mayor Darryn Lyons from the vantage of State Parliament’s coward’s castle but she’d be sadly mistaken.
What the honourable member for Geelong has in fact done is spell out, in a perfectly clear tone, that the Labor Party and the Labor State Government have no regard for Geelong or the causes its democractically-elected mayor has so vociferously championed.
Ms Couzens accuses Lyons of self-indulgent and erratic behaviour, saying two CEOs have now left the city because of chaos he caused. She describes him as a one-trick pony who cares more about selfies than he does about jobs and services. She says serious allegations of bullying continue to hang over city hall like a bad smell.
Her claims, however, are self-serving, intemperate driven by political panic almost and smell remarkably contrived.
Labor has been anxious to know if Lyons might stand for the federal seat of Corio – which it once held with a strangehold margin of some 14 per cent until the sitting member Richard Marles back-stabbed Gavan O’Connor and halved that margin.
Mr Marles, missing in action since the latest attempts to flush a response from Lyons, is close mates with federal opposition leader Bill Shorten, who can sense the rising fortunes of Tony Abbott and undoubtedly needs any high-profile populist contenders like, say, Cr Lyons nipped well and truly in the bud.
Today, it seems that task fell to the newest, most juvenile, most junior, of Labor’s parliamentary minions.
Ms Couzens fails to mention that CEO Gillian Miles left the City of Greater Geelong because of an offer too good to refuse – from her own Labor government. She neglects to mention the powerful working relationship and mutual professional regard she enjoyed with Cr Lyons.
Ms Couzens forgets that her own government was going to ensure the bullying at Geelong was eradicated. If it’s still there, why try to sheet blame to Cr Lyons? It’s an administrative matter – and if Miles could not eradicate it why offer her a new job?
Ms Couzens drops the ball and goes the man with personal attacks that ignore the 70 per cent support Cr Lyons enjoys across Geelong. She ignores the attention he’s brought Geelong, the political clout, the ears of industry and commerce, the investment interest …
Where Ms Couzens could be capitalising on the high profile and interest Geelong is drawing for its research, technological, manufacturing, education, health, social, tourism and other fronts she’s falling for the negative, self-serving political demands of her selfish, introspective colleagues.
Cr Lyons, meanwhile, is a canny political animal and will undoubtedly sense some valuable victim mileage in Ms Couzens’ attack. Don’t expect him to bite back.
Notwithstanding, make no mistake, none of this is helping Geelong. And Geelong deserves better from its democratically-elected politicians.
Maybe Ms Couzens could take a lesson or two from Cr Lyons about being positive.
— NOEL MURPHY
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WHAT CHRISTINE COUZENS TOLD PARLIAMENT
“The resignation of Gill Miles from the City of Greater Geelong is a disaster.
“She is the second CEO to leave council within 12 months, which exposes the turmoil and chaos plaguing city hall all because of mayor Darryn Lyons.
“If Mr Lyons put as much effort into standing up for the people of Geelong as he does promoting himself, our city would be much better off.
“Instead City Hall has become a shambles because of his self-indulgent and erratic behaviour. Under Darryn Lyons funding to Meals on Wheels has been cut, yet thousands of dollars have been spent on plastering his image on billboards.
“He trades on being outspoken, yet he remained silent when his Liberal mates in Canberra cut Geelong loose with the worst budget ever handed down.
“He says he stands up for the people of Geelong, yet he cannot even muster 140 characters to call on his Liberal mates to help workers at Alcoa.
“Now another CEO is leaving council because of the chaos he has caused.
“All the while serious allegations of bullying continue to hang over city hall like a bad smell, but we hear nothing from Darryn Lyons.
“The people of Geelong deserve better than a one-trick pony who cares more about selfies than he does about jobs and services.”
