In recent times, the City of Casey has navigated through a challenging period marked by corruption scandals, casting a shadow over the trust and confidence of its residents in their council. It was this very situation that propelled me, an ordinary citizen who cherishes this beautiful city, to step into the realm of public service and run for election. Never had I imagined embarking on such a journey, yet the opportunity to contribute to the betterment of Casey was too significant to pass by.
I am genuinely humbled to stand among a group of remarkable individuals who share a similar vision for our city. As I campaign, I encounter numerous well-qualified candidates, each with their own unique contributions to offer, and I find myself inspired by their dedication. It’s a testament to the collective desire for positive change and the restoration of integrity within our council.
The sense of optimism among the community is palpable. Everywhere I go, I meet residents who express a genuine hope for a revitalised council, one that embodies honesty and transparency. This shared aspiration is a powerful reminder of what we can achieve together.
I am optimistic that, through our collective efforts, we can rebuild the trust that has been eroded. It will require a commitment to openness, a dedication to serving the best interests of our community, and a relentless pursuit of integrity in all our actions. But I believe that, together, we can turn a new page for the City of Casey, fostering a relationship between the people and their councilors that is rooted in trust and mutual respect. This is not just my campaign promise; it’s my commitment to our community.
Skimming through the Annual Review 2022/2023
Take a quick look at Table 4, Land, works, services or facilities delivered in 2022/2023, page 128 - 131 in the annual report, we can see that most projects have been lagged for 10+ years and were not fully delivered.
I can’t help but thinking that the operating surplus which is “highlighted” on the front Financial Overview, in my opinion, hides away a much bigger underwater iceberg, which are under-delivered projects.
The longer it takes to deliver a project, the more expensive it will be.
Take another quick look at page 172 and 173, I highlighted a few outstanding budget variances in my opinion. The highlighted points tell us about unaturally higher “spent” than “budgeted”, in the range of $Millions.
Let us look at the explanations provided, less than 2 sentences with repeated keyword “write offs” were used to “explain” $Millions of deficits. There is no where else in the document where “write offs” is mentioned.
I have tried to search for more information about what are the “disposal assets” which cost in total more than $10 millions deficit, unfortunately, I couldn’t find any published information on those.
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