Reading the comments section and letters to the editor recently has hammered home something widely known but worth repeating. The voting public is tired of all three levels of government using public money like Monopoly cash.

Subscribe now for unlimited access.

Login or signup to continue reading

Budgets are tight, costs on public projects are blowing out, and there seems to be an unwillingness to find innovative ways to reduce debt without cutting services.

Our elected representatives, at the federal, state, and local levels, have become risk-averse, with a single-election-cycle vision whose default response to any complex problem is to blame another level of government or do the same old things. Governing is difficult; most voters understand that, but now more than ever, the public is crying out for innovative thinkers to make decisions.

Look at what almost happened at the City of Launceston with the mould-riddled, abandoned cottage at Gorge Road in Trevallyn. The council's initial solution was to spend $10,000 just scoping out how to smash it down, and then a further $80,000 to bulldoze the property into landfill.

When councillors said, the best option was to pull the building down and move on, not many people blinked. Our politicians have become too ready to throw problems into the "it's too hard, just burn money" basket. That's a throwaway mindset that is crippling government budgets across Australia.

But another idea emerged.

Instead of lining up with the wrecking ball crew, Councillor........

© The Examiner