Thursday, 6 March 2025

 David LIMBRICK (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (09:51): If you watched the rowdy council meeting on the news recently, you might think the people of Casey are out of control, but you would have it the wrong way around. This is what happens when a council gets out of control. It is what happens when a council refuses to respect property rights. To be fair, the newly elected councillors of Casey were put in this predicament by administrators with an attitude problem. I first became aware of this problem a few years ago when they ignored calls by residents who just wanted to watch the meetings after work. Now, during a cost-of-living crisis, they are trying to impose a permit system to allow people to keep cars on their own properties. They took it a step further when they snatched cars from a resident’s backyard in Hampton Park. The good news is it is not too late for the new councillors to turn this around. The residents are not your enemies; you still have a window of opportunity to speak to them and restore relations with the people who voted for you. I am urging the state government to investigate these examples of council overreach, but in the meantime I urge councillors to listen to their constituents, respect their property rights and take back control of the council.