McMullin's mullings Avoidance and deception

Peter McMullin's Herald-Sun Live blog was uninspiring. Below highlghted extracts

Side Show Alley

12:14 [Comment From Side show ally]
The direct election model for Lord Mayor has failed to deliver good governance and has become a side show where only well healed multi-millionaires or celebrities can afford to run for office. What is your policy and what steps will you take to get rid of the direct election system and return Melbourne to a system where the Lord Mayor is elected and held accountable by the City Council?

McMullin failed to elicit on his position of support for the side show direct election circus by avoiding the question his pathetic

His reply was:

12:16 I am on the record as supporting a review of the election model and boundaries which needs to be independent. The City of Melbourne's model should be reviewed every two terms like every other council in Victoria

The question was what is his position? What action will he take to scrape the direct election system.

Car Parking at Queen Vic.

12:27 [Comment From Shayne]
It's impossible to get a park at the Vic Market on Saturdays especially. The last council did nothing about this. Will you do anything?

McMullin's reply

One of my proposals, Shayne, is to underground the car park to increase the level of parking and increase the parkland in that area. I propose that the underground car park be linked to Flagstaff station and a travelator installed to make it easier for shoppers and visitors to Melbourne to use public transport getting to our wonderful Queen Victoria Market.

Why would you build a carpark in the city and connect the car park via a travelator to the train!! Ummm...if they are travelling by public transport why would they want to visit a carpark? The main issue and problem with an underground carpark or shopping center at Vic Market is the graveyard. There has been a long standing proposal to construct a dry goods/supermarket on the carpark site. Never happens.

There were a number of Dorthy Dixers about the Green's policy on closing down Melbourne's elite schools and the like...

Accessible Council

12:55 [Comment From listening]
Steve Bracks has endorsed you and I always thought he listened to the people. But the council structure makes that quite difficult in my view because we don't get a local councillor we can talk to. What can you do to ensure the council is accessible?

Reply:

am quite humbled by the fact that the former premier Steve Bracks has endorsed me to be the next lord mayor. I have committed to supporting a review of the current representation arrangements.

Again McMullin avoided the question and failed to provide and solutions or policies.

Campiagn Cost and funding

1:04 [Comment From Accountability needed]
How much are you spending on your campaign and where is the money coming from?

Reply:

I am funding my own campaign. We have had a couple of fund-raising events which have been well supported. It is an expensive campaign because communicating with 100,000 voters is a big job. It's worth it because I'm passionate about Melbourne.

Missing was "How much was his campiagn costing him". Under Victoria''s electoral laws McMullin, Win or Lose, will be required to disclose in fill all campaign costs .


In closing Peter McMullin said

1:11 My blog time has come to an end. Sorry I didn't get to all your questions but thank you for them all. I hope to be an approachable and accessible lord mayor. If you would like more information please do not hesitate to contact me via our website www.petermcmullin.com.au Thank you. Peter.

Question unanswered

We submitted the following question early on the live blog buit the question was never published...

Peter, In 1996 you were elected to the City of Melbourne on a community platform
opposed to the development of the Museum in the Carlton Gardens. Within months
of being elected you capitulated, cow-tailed and backed down to the then Kennett
State Government (even going so far as refusing to call on the State Government
to subject the Museum development to a proper planning process - A once in a
life time opportunity lost to Melbourne)

What guarantees and commitment will you make that you will act independently and not cave in and back down to pressure by the State Government when push comes to shove and Melbourne's future is at risk?

Which brings into question the moderators policy of selective sensorship.

Under Pressure Doyle backs down and agrees to live blog

Robert Doyle, who earlier this week was criticised for running a half committed billboard 3AW only campaign has backed down under pressure. Having previously refused to participate in the Herald Sun live blog Robert Doyle will follow Peter McMullin in answering readers questions. Could it be that Doyle wanted to make sure he could chose his time slot as opposed to being subject to the luck of the draw?

Interested participants can logon to the Herald Sun live blog

Peter McMullin 12:00 to 13:00

Robert Doyle 14:00 to 15:00

Betting on the outcome Odds have swung on the expected results of the Lord Mayor's race

Sportingbet Australia have made a surprising change in the odds on offer for the outcome of the Lord Mayors Race, just as the Melbourne leader publishes a story on the Sportingbet's "A" list candidates.

Prior to today Sportingbet had Peter McMullin (3.25), Robert Doyle (3.5) and Catherine Ng (3.8) listed as the favourites to win the Melbourne Spring Carnival closing event.

For reasons unknown the "A" list of candidates has changed overnight. Racing identity, Nick Columb (4.2 up from 11.0) has come from behind and overtaken Catherine Ng (5.0 down from 3.8) who has lost ground. Robert Doyle remains steady on 3.5 with Peter McMullin (3.4 down from 3.25) dropping slightly in his lead as the gap narrows.

The reason for this change of odds is unexplained as are the positioning in the betting table.

Could Nick Columb and his mates down at the track know something we don't?

Sail me a river Gary Singer river cruising

Here is another example of the hypocrisy coming from the John So team looking to become Melbourne's Next Lord Mayor.

Singer wants to "engage the community" in consultation and feasibility studies to establish a River ferry service up the Yarra.

The idea of a Bayside ferry has been around before.It is not new, but always gets an airing come election time. Melbourne is not Sydney nor is it Brisbane. A Bayside ferry service from Frankston to Melbourne and Williamstown to Docklands has some merit But does it need to travel up the Yarra to Crown Casino?

The environmental and safety effects of a high speed river transportation service is prohibitive for a river the size of the Yarra. But hey Singer needs something to get his name out and about town.

Gary Singer's proposal for a river ferry service one the Yarra has not been well thought out or researched. Why has it taken him so long to come out and promote this issue? He has been on Council for four years. It's just another electoral pipe-dream to try and make Singer look good.



Singer is only interested in consulting when it suits his agenda and not the electorate.

Whilst Singer claims he is all for community consultation, like Catherine Ng, Singer thrice refused to allow the community the opportunity to consult and review Melbourne's representative model. Thrice he and his team voted against consultation and refused to calling on the State Government to include the City of Melbourne into the formal review process. Every other Municipal Council is required to undertake a review every second term. WHY NOT MELBOURNE?

This will be Singer's farewell swan song and I guess a bottom of the Yarra scheme is well suited to his professional experience. (See Singer trust 1 2 )

Singer is expected to attract no more then 5% of the vote. He is in effect a stooge candidate to collect preferences for Catherine Ng.

3AW - Media Player

Click here if media player does not play

Your vote is in the mail Calls for review of Victorian Municipal election system

Ongoing public concern has been expressed at Victoria's Municipal Postal voting system and its susceptibility to voter fraud. Herald Sun Ian Royall


Mayoral candidate Gary Morgan said the current system was open to manipulation.

Signatures, names and addresses on the back of ballot papers are checked by election officers, but there is no way of verifying signatures, he said.

Claims of people collecting bulk ballot papers dogged the city election in 2004, but nothing was proven.

Calls for an electoral review for the City of Melbourne fell on deaf ears this year. The council thrice rejected such motions, and the State Government was unmoved.

Cr Ng, who voted against a review, yesterday said she supported an inquiry into the current system.

The Melbourne Business Council has also said the city should return to attendance voting.


Melbourne City Councillors had thrice called for a review of the Council's electoral system and thrice John So and his team , including Lord Mayor candidates Catherine Ng and Gary Singer, rejected a review preferring to leave the system wide open to abuse.

A number of candidates have taken up the issue of Melbourne governance but many have been silent.

Governance is what the Council should be about. It is what prevents the Council from being corrupt. The electoral process is a fundamental part of governance,

There is no need for a Postal voting system. A vaste majority of electors live within the state of Victoria and with the implementation of a single "election day" it should be possible for every Victorian to cast a ballot for their Local Council.if they do not live in the municipality they should be entitled to cast an absentee vote anywhere in Victoria. Electoral officers should be able to verify the identity of the person claiming to vote and in the process prevent voter fraud. Those persons who reside outside of Victoria or who are unable to attend on election day should have the opportunity to either cast a pre-poll ballot or a postal vote.

Many voters will be disenfranchised as a result of the system put in place by the Victorian State Government

Voters are expected to attend a voting center expecting to cast an absentee vote only to discover that the ballot has already closed. Not enough has been done by the Victorian Electoral Commission to ensure that voters are made aware of the different closing dates.

Under the current system voting in Municipalities that have adopted a postal voting system will close on Friday, November 28 where Municipalities that maintain attendance voting will close on Saturday November 29. Australia normally goes the polls on a Saturday and the early closing of postal ballots will result in a significant number of Victorian being disnefranches and their vote not counted. the Victorian Electoral Commission should have advocated for postal votes to close on the Monday following the Saturday Election date not one day before.

The State Government have known of the potential problems that will arise on voting day but have done little to nothing to address the issues. Much more could have and should have been done.

Robert Doyle Coasting to victory

Is Robert Doyle serious about his campaign to be Melbourne's next Lord Mayor?

Doyle expects to win the race for the gold chains, robes and keys to the limo by laying low. He has a policy of non-engagement expecting that his name is well known that we will be able to win the election without doing a thing other then talk to 3AW Neil Mitchell.

The Herald Sun on Remembrance day published an article on Melbourne's missing Candidate in which Robert Doyle came under fire`for his blaze-affair approach to the City Council election. Robert Doyle is the only candidate for Lord Mayor to not participate in the Herald Sun Live blog. if he is not pout there campaigining then the voters will have no opportunity to evaluate his candidature.

Robert Doyle hopes that his name alone will see him secure enough preferences that he will skate across the line as other candidates fall by the wayside.

Lord Mayor Candidate Nick Columb came out and attacked Doyle for his grabby politics and false claims that the Age and Neil Mitchel were supporting his campaign. A claim that Neil Mitchell firmly denied.

Robert's campaign is a paste them up bill-board promotion. His campaign is being run by Doyle's Deputy Lord Mayor Candidate Susan Riley and "Jetset" Carl Jetter" both who are associated with John So's team. Susan Riley was John So's Deputy Lord Mayor between 2001 and 2004. She holds the record as being the most travelled non productive deputy Lord Mayors in the history of Melbourne. Carl Jetter's Qantas frequent flyer account is not far behind.

The fault lies in Melbourne's model of directly elected Lord Mayor. It does not provide effective good governance or accountability. It should have been reviewed but John So and his team refused to support a call for the City Council to be subjected to a representative review. WHY?

Columb Nics Doyle in the butt Neil Mitchell 3AW Interview

Colorful Nick Columb calls a spade a spade and a Doyle a dude. He correctly highlights the shortcomings of Doyle's campaign and his suggestion that Doyle is supported by Radio joke Neil Mitchell.

Doyle does not deserve the job of Melbourne Lord Mayor.

Herald Sun Live Blog - Nick Columb

12:33 [Comment From Robin]
Why didn't you honour your deal with Robert Doyle and why are you running him down when he's such a strong candidate? Are you jealous of his public support?

12:36 Hi Robin. Robert Doyle could not handle the fact that he was unable to obtain the preference deal he was seeking, and reacted inappropriately. He was informed more than 30 hours before preferences closed that he would not be getting our second preference, and then threatened to destroy our campaign on the Neil Mitchell show. By the way, he claims Mitchell is endorsing him which Mitchell publicly denies. I don't think people will forget that Robert Doyle led the Liberal Party in this state to what is historically its worst election result, in 2002.

3AW - Neil Mitchell Interview

Click here to hear Neil Mitchell with Robert Doyle


Extract of transcript from Columb's rebuttal and reply to Doyle's negative comments

[Nick Columb] Robert Doyle is on about nothing in particular, he wanted to get a preference deal which was to put him number two on my ticket. We decided not to put him number two on the ticket and my campaign manager spoke to him a day and a half before that, He ranted and raved and carried on like a spoilt brat and threatened that he would come on your [Neil Mitchell's] program and destroy my campaign and he was good to his promise, because he came on and attempted to do it.

I hope the people of Victoria can see through him this time like they did in 2002. because it is not on that he should do that.
...
I was very angry. It is no good for a candidate to personally attack another candidate without it being true. It's untrue. He just did not get his way, his petulant, he was abusive, he was threatening. He came on he claims that you [Neil Mitchell] are behind his campaign and he is using you to forward his message. In fact your the only message that he is distributing. [Reference to Herald Sun article] he is arrogant enough to not to bother talking to the electorate. He does not send out his policies, he does not talk to anybody. He is just going to put a big billboard up with his face on it.

[Neil Mitchell Comment] I am not part of his campaign.

[Nick Columb] He claims that you are and he claims that the Herald is and the Herald says they are not too. So he is wondering around and making claims attacking people like me. Hopefully people understand that he [Robert Doyle] is not the sort of person that ought to be in the town hall. In fact he is a great example why failed recycled politicians shouldn't be allowed to get into the Town Hall. In fact independents is what the town hall needs, not party political people.

Maze of interconnections Candidate's Affiliations

Oh what web they weave when at first they seek to ....

Shark fin inn Nick places a bet

Extract of the presentation speach by Lord Mayor candidate Nick Columb at the Precinct Dinner - Meet the Lord Mayor Candidates night - Source provided by Nicks Campaign team.


Melbourne encompasses many different neighbourhoods, issues, interests and priorities - and your attendance tonight is testimony to that.

So how are we doing? Well, for starters . . .

Rates have gone up, and services that you want have diminished, slowed down or disappeared.

Is Melbourne a better, safer place than it was four years ago?

As someone who lives and breathes Melbourne 24/7, I say NO, and that is because the voices of the local neighbourhoods have been ignored for the nonsensical and utopian dreams of Town Hall bureaucrats and a compliant Council.
John So, elected so overwhelmingly four years ago, with his deputy and three councillors, has presided over an administration of waste and wasted opportunity. They all stand condemned.

Instead of dealing with the many issues facing Melbourne and its ratepayers and residents, the Lord Mayor has curried favour with a state government that would rather sack the Council again than have someone stand up to it - would rather keep its hands in the city’s pockets than grant it the authority to pursue its destiny.
Melbourne needs a leader, not a cheerleader. The CBD needs police, the Docklands needs footpaths, Carlton needs better transport links, East Melbourne and Kensington need a stronger voice and more importantly, a sympathetic ear.

Yet here we are, as the ballot papers go out in the mail, with every one of John So’s team seeking another go-around, scattered on the various So Council tickets, with two of his team running for Lord Mayor. After their performance these past four years, all should have run alright – RUN AWAY!

My deputy Sue Calwell and I will deliver real change to the Town Hall. Passion for Melbourne will:

•establish a culture among councillors and bureaucrats where listening replaces preaching and restore the local representation we need;
•put accountability and transparency back into the Budget process, cutting waste and funding projects on the basis of need and not whim;
•make Melbourne safer by getting more police and more cameras on our streets, and persuading businesses to do more to help drive out the vandals and the violent;
•revitalise Swanston Street by opening it during the week; and
•conduct a thorough roads and traffic audit of the city and act to get Melbourne moving, by tram, bus, bicycle and car.

This city needs a fresh coat of paint. My team has the energy, enthusiasm and experience to do the job. We run because we are passionate about Melbourne, not because we want to revive stalled political careers.
We run because we want to serve, not because we would suffer separation pains if dragged away from the petty Town Hall politics that have cheated Melbourne for years.

I ask for your support. Nick Columb.

Wu.. who is telling porkies Catherine Ng in denial

IN today's Herald-Sun Live blog on the City Council Lord Mayors Race Catherine Ng (ng/Wu)claimed in response to a question on review of the City Council representative model

12:27 [Comment From Review denied]
You recently criticised the State Government for denying the City a voice? Why did you and John So oppose the City of Melbourne's electoral system being subjected to a review? Where you trying to deny citizens a voice?

Catherine replied

12:29 I support a comprehensive review of the electoral system, structure, voting methods to ensure we have a fair representation on council. I am independent with no political agenda. I will represent the local community without favour nor fear.

Yet when the question of a review was before the City Council earlier this year she and her factional colleagues voted it down every time. Was she polly speaking and lying to the electorate? She most certainly provided a false and misleading answer to the question asked.

Many questions where not published and many go unanswered.