CITY COUNCIL COMMUNICATION

As a person who values old-fashioned communications which include newsletters and paper documents, I rue the fact the City of Darwin Council seems to undertake most of its communication with ratepayers by Facebook and online.

This means that people like me who don’t have Facebook accounts and a preference for print reading miss out on information we should be entitled to as ratepayers.

An example of that is that a recent survey conducted among ratepayers on the subject of whether we would or wouldn’t like the third (green) bin, was conducted online. People like myself did not even know that there was a survey!

It seems the only piece of paper we get as ratepayers these days is a copy in the post of our rates notice together with an accompanying brochure. The council advertises in the Northern Territory news from time to time but not everybody reads the paper.

In similar vein, various of the aldermen have promised they will do newsletters for ratepayers in the wards. I have yet to see an aldermanic newsletter.

Communication needs to be broad based and it needs to reach everybody who contributes their rates to the council.

One word describes the tree situation and much of Darwin and the suburbs – “overgrown”.

This applies to both natives and to palms and all species in between.

Cyclone Marcus in March 2018 taught us a lot about vulnerability created by “out of control” vegetation.

A lot of trees came down and caused immense hardship that in many cases are still ongoing. But I wonder whether or not the city fathers and government have learned the lesson!

A drive around our city and suburbs reveals Carpenteria palms and others that are hopelessly tall and increasingly spindly because their perspective and proportion are all out of kilter.

Without doubt, these giants are going to come down sometime and when they do damage to houses and other buildings will be immense.

Casual observation reveals that many trees are still far too close to powerlines and strong wins will create further blackouts in the suburbs where overhead power still prevails. That’s everywhere, because undergrounding has not started.

There’s a lot that needs to be done! Unfortunately, there is still complacency around this matter

There is one aspect of life about which I think we could learn a lot from indigenous Australians.

It relates to an area for which indigenous Australians are sometimes criticised. That criticism is based on an observation (correct or otherwise) that indigenous Australians pay more attention to the past than they do to the present and future. They are sometimes accused of being insufficiently forward-looking.

My concern is juxtapositional to that assertion. I worry about the fact that the governments and decision-makers take insufficient stock of what has happened in the past when planning from the present toward the future. This means they fail to learn lessons or take account of past mistakes when shaping policy. There is tomorrow, today and nothing happened before yesterday. This means of mistakes and policy direction and formulation are often repeated.

Oh how I wish we took more cognisance of the past and thinking about and shaping future directions

FOREVER IN ELECTION MODE

As a senior reflecting upon the times in which we live, it seems that we are never out of election mode. That is especially the case with federal politics, for the day after an election result is declared, campaigning for the next election begins. This constant direction of our gaze to the future and what futurist government will deliver, deflects our attention from the present. We are never quite sure what is being delivered here and now.

Quite apart from the deliberate nature of this deflection, is the fact that constant campaigning is a big time turn off. Many people become so saturated with the political wind-up that they shut off completely and join the droves of those considered to be apathetic. Disinterest in politics is both stimulated and promoted by the harping voices and often repetitive messages of politicans.

Meanwhile of course, many politicans make personal hay while the sun shines upon their electoral success. Base salary aside, the benefits that accrue while they are in office are humungus. Go online and look out the generous add on benefits and largesse they receive and you will see what I mean. Post office benefits they generate by way of pensionable recognition and other entitlements, ensure they are permanently rewarded.

AGE

Aging is a funny process. You may ‘look’ old but quite often don’t ‘feel’ that aged within your mind. You appear old to others and are often treated accordingly. That can range from derision and discounting to the according of appreciation and respect.

Age is something often beholden from without, but not necessarily felt within by the aging one.

Practically speaking, one has to know her or his physical limitations as she or he gets older. Without that caution, there can be unnecessary and hurtful consequences. Falling, accidents and other altogether avoidable setbacks may occur.

A strange phenomena about ‘age’ is that it is often anticipated with dread by those who are younger and considering the futures of life’s pathway. Yet on arrival, you wonder what the fuss and worry was all about.

Being prepared in terms of planning when young for financial security when older sure helps! Being old, poor and dependent on others for everything is NOT recommended.

From Henry at 73

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS ‘PRIVACY’

I am an old man and thankful that I have lived most of my life in a context of where PRIVACY WAS PRIVACY. Privacy wasn’t talked about like it is these days, but it was a quality or an entitlement that we had.

No longer. There is a lot of talk about ensuring and guaranteeing privacy, but that is all pie in the sky. Governments, agencies and instrumentalities know everything about everyone. Watching and listening devices are everywhere. From cameras, to drones to satellites, there is nothing about anyone that is not discoverable.

The latest quirk is that of the Brisbane City Council wanting CCTV cameras to be enhanced or supported by listening devices, so that passers by can be both seen and heard. If that intrusion is allowed, watch it proliferate into other cities and towns and centres which are under survelliance.

George Orwell got it wrong. He only imagined the half of what it would be like in his ‘1984’ Its much, much MUCH more intrusive than he ever prognosticate.

I praise the Lord that at least my thoughts are still private but fear the day will come when the innermost of human sanctums will be desecrated by intrusion.

WHITHER TO NT

There is a constant whinge in the Northern Territory about us not having the same rights and entitlements in legislating terms as the rest of Australia. The truth be known, the Territory is still growing up and some of the decisions that have been made are well wide of the mark.

That was NOT the case with our enlightened ‘right to die’ legislation of 1997. In my opinion that should have never been overturned by the Australian Parliament.

However in many respects we have acted injudiciously and even rashly at times.

It was probably fortuitous that in 1999, Territorians voted down the referendum seeking us to endorse the proposition that we push for statehood. We were not ready then and many would argue we are not ready now.

WOMEN ADD VALUE TO ORGANISATIONS.

Women are key players at all levels of organisations. I believe the following attributes to fit their character as ‘the invaluable group’.

1. Women are all seeing, all knowing and able to join in fifteen conversations at once.

2. Women are aware: They have 360 degree vision.

3. Women have clear goal orientation and crystal-like focus.

4. Women cut to the chase and don’t dither around the edges of issues.

5. Women are careful synthesisers and succinct summarisers of situations.

6. Women are adept at timetabling and planning; they are meticulous plan followers.

7. Women have awareness.

8. Women show empathy to those who are under the pump.

9. Women excel in engaging others in planning and organisation.

10. Women have excellent leadership and participative perspective. They are both on the organisational balcony with all-encompassing vision and on the dance floor with and among those engaged with endeavour.

11. Women make an extraordinary contribution in going forward.

12. Women contribute proactively to staff endeavour and leadership balance within systems.

REFLECTIONS ON LEADERSHIP

As a retired old man, I wanted to share these thoughts. Actions based on these reflections stood me in good stead over many years of organisational leadership.

* Be a listener.

* Lead by action.

* Walk the walk. (Walking the walk is more important than talking the talk when walking is not part of that talking.)

* Offer praise.

* Catch people doing something good so praise can be offered.

* Share celebrations with staff and associates.

* Take ownership of issues needing attention before molehills become mountains.

* Delegate decisions not just tasks.

* Know about each workplace associate and be known to them.

* Write notes of thanks.

* Let people know why you have to do what you do with regard to imposed system.

* Understand policy and direction.

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SCOTT MORRISON, 198 DAYS AS PM – IS HIS GOVERNMENT END-DATED?

TODAY March 9th is Scott Morrison’s 198 day as our Prime Minister. My personal feeling is that he deserves plaudits for trying hard and that his ‘going to the people’ is his strong suite. He rubs shoulders with ordinary people and speaks their language.

That counts, but is it too little too late to make any real difference when the next federal election is called?

Wentworth saw the Morrison Government become a minority government. That will not help the incumbents for the few months remaining until the next federal election takes place.

And politicans have been jumping ship at a rate of knots since then; either gone or going!

As a person who is apolitical, I forecast that it won’t be long until Bill Shorten is PM – and then, if propagandists have any forecasting credibility, the whole of Australia will enter into an ‘everlasting’ song of rejoicement.

The thinking seems to be that Bill Shorten, the panacea PM, will fix it for all Australians. Are we all citizens in waiting for him to lead us from dire mire into the figurative promised land of a new era.

”King Bill’, we are your faithful and waiting adherents’ is, I think, about which the majority of voting Australians are obsessing.