Crumbling Infrastructure and Growing Frustration
A Pattern of Mismanagement
Ratepayers are now sending direct appeals to councillors, complete with photographs of broken amenities and deteriorating infrastructure.
Frustration are familiar: why, when roads and facilities are visibly crumbling, is the SIG bloc committing $60,000 to yet another Review of Environmental Factors (REF) on Narrawallee Beach dog access—an issue already studied and paid for multiple times?
The question is not simply about dogs on beaches. It is about priorities. Each dollar spent rehashing a settled issue is a dollar not spent repairing a footpath, sealing a road, or fixing stormwater drains.
The Budgetary Contradictions
The SIG bloc has built a pattern of decision-making that contradicts its stated commitment to financial discipline:
Unfunded Reports and Motions – SIG councillors routinely call for new reports and investigations not identified in the annual budget, creating unplanned costs for staff time and consultancy fees.
Foregone Revenue – In several cases, council has forgone rent income on community buildings, effectively subsidising groups without transparent cost–benefit analysis.
Prestige Projects – Most notably, the bloc pushed through a $200,000 “coffee table book”—a glossy vanity project that does nothing to address core service delivery.
These choices are not incidental. They reflect a governing culture that prioritises symbolic wins and political comfort zones over practical service delivery.
Competence in Question
At council meetings, SIG’s approach has too often descended into confusion, posturing, and disorganisation. Viewers describe proceedings as ranging from “self-promotion and poor imitations of Churchillian speeches” to “outright confused” with “draconian overtures” .
This behaviour matters. Effective governance requires clarity, structure, and respect for process. When councillors pursue debates that are disconnected from the budget, delay decisions with repeated relitigation of settled matters, or prioritise political point-scoring over service delivery, the outcome is not just inefficiency—it is erosion of public trust.
Honesty and Transparency
SIG’s election slogan implied a return to honesty in council affairs—putting ratepayers first, removing unnecessary spending, and focusing on essentials. Instead, what has emerged is a pattern of opacity and selective decision-making:
Motions introduced late or without proper briefing.
Alleged closed-door “pre-meetings” that determine bloc voting before issues reach the chamber.
Observable selective enforcement of process and debate, depending on political advantage.
Such behaviour undermines transparency. It also raises the question: if honesty was promised, why is the practice so different from the pitch?
Roads, Rates, Rubbish — Still Waiting
The reality for Shoalhaven residents is stark. Rates have increased, debt remains a looming problem, and capital works budgets are increasingly stretched. Yet the most visible and tangible services—our roads, footpaths, parks, and amenities—are left languishing.
The council chamber has been consumed by distractions: glossy books, repeated reports, waived rents, and boutique policy diversions. Meanwhile, the basics are left to crumble.
Conclusion: A Pattern of Mismanagement
When councillors campaign on “roads, rates, and rubbish” but govern with costly distractions, unfunded motions, and eroded revenue, ratepayers are entitled to question their competence, honesty, and behaviour.
Shoalhaven deserves better. A council that is transparent, disciplined, and truly focused on the basics. Not one that uses rhetoric to mask mismanagement.
The SIG bloc promised to be guardians of the essentials. On the evidence so far, they have been anything but.
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Disclaimer: This article provides analysis and commentary based on publicly available information and council transcripts. It does not make allegations of misconduct by any individual. Readers should verify details independently before drawing conclusions.
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