1-3-07
Media Release
Randwick City
Council Bluett Award based on Green Reforms in 2004
Randwick City
Council has won the prestigious A. R. Bluett Memorial Award that is given to
the Council that has made the greatest relative progress in that year.
Greens Councillor
Murray Matson attributes the win to the “both the excellent work of our staff
and to new framework set in place after the Greens seizure of the Mayorship in
April 2004.”
Cr Matson said,
“Randwick could
never have won the Bluett award under the previous Labor administration that
had prevailed up to the Council elections of March 2004.
Randwick never
even had a long term financial plan until the Greens took over the Mayorship.
Up until then
Labor had merely budgeted from year to year and avoided deficits by simply
selling off assets.
The Greens did
four crucial things after I took the Mayorship.
We found a new
General Manager and then we implemented Randwick’s first long term financial.
We also put into place an inclusive sharing arrangement to decide the
Mayorship, ensured stability in leadership. Finally we set up the Sustaining
our City Program that has won us many sustainability awards.
With out the
Greens pushing these initiatives through with Liberal support Randwick would
not have the necessary framework in place to win the Bluett Award three years
later.
I thank my Green
Colleagues Margaret Woodsmith and Bradley Hughes for their solidarity through
what were stressful and demanding times.”
CONTACT: Greens
Councillor Murray Matson 0409-984-587