By NOEL MURPHY
DISASTER, frustrating, secretive but positive.
That’s the assessment of Geelong’s former mayors 20 years after their councils were controversially merged to form City of Greater Geelong.
Then-Premier Jeff Kennett’s amalgamations trimmed the region’s 11 councils to five in May 1993, with the new council absorbing municipalities for Geelong, Corio, Geelong West, Newtown, Bellarine and parts of South Barwon and Barrabool.
Surf Coast Shire was also created but Borough of Queenscliffe remained untouched.
Seven mayors of the former councils and the chair of Geelong’s foremost inquiry into amalgamation at the time labelled the merger both forward-thinking and vital to Geelong’s subsequent growth.
But they also slammed the City as expensive, lacking in ratepayer representation, closed to the public, pandering to the top end of town and for failing to deliver on promises.
Former Geelong mayors Hayden Spurling, Brian Fowler and Des Podbury said the new system created a single, meaningful voice for the city and assisted its growth and infrastructure over the past decades.
Four-term South Barwon mayor Ross Stephens said the region’s big-picture initiatives would never have been achieved with the fragmented previous structure.
Patricia Heath, who chaired the inquiry that supported amalgamation, said the right outcome was achieved but its implementation was frustrating and disappointing.
“Geelong has moved ahead enormously and I don’t think it could ever have happened without amalgamation but I’m not necessarily confident all possibilities have been looked at with the most vision.
“There have been so many pictures, programs and announcements that haven’t come to anything.
“It’s disappointing. It lifts people’s expectations and when they’re not delivered people get cynical.”
Former Geelong mayor Jim Fidge attacked the new system as “all wrong”.
“The criticism you hear is that people can’t get approvals and anything that’s a bit controversial is sent to VCAT,” he said.
Former Bellarine shire president Mick Robinson said commissioners who oversaw the new City before the election of councillors sold off too many assets.
Ratepayers also paid “a fortune” in salaries and allowances for councillors and staff who left expectations unfulfilled.
He was also concerned about councillors making too many decisions behind closed doors instead of in open council.
“I thought it would be a great thing but it’s been a disaster.
“The most disadvantaged are the little people. The officers now run the show, not the councillors.
“In our day we had nothing to hide. We’d debate issues in front of people.”
Mr Fowler said Geelong now had a “more-meaningful voice’’ at the cost of “personal contact”.
“People complain bitterly about the way they’re treated at City Hall. They need to get their act together and become more helpful.
“That’s the challenge – to get a can-do culture rather than the can’t-because culture.”
Former Geelong West mayor Rod Charles said a disconnect between ratepayers and city bureaucrats had undermined what had been great community involvement in Geelong West’s decision-making.
