In particular, a most disturbing sight was to see councillors texting or fiddling on their devices and paying scant or no attention to speakers engaged in important discussion on the vital matter of office centralisation to Biripi Way (the former Masters Building) in Taree. Our elected representatives looking like teenage schoolkids! One might reasonably assume that some came with their minds made up, had possibly already colluded and arrogantly ignored the considered arguments being presented by ratepayers.

This is a call to Mayor David West and general manager Adrian Panuccio to display the leadership expected and implement meeting procedures which ban the use of devices by councillors during meetings. If there is a need for information relevant to the agenda to be sourced then councillors can request that designated executives at the top table do this while proceedings continue.

A further call is that councillor seating arrangements be changed and rotated from meeting to meeting as there is a glaring impression that certain alliances exist. This move and banning of devices will overcome collusion by blatant whispering and texting each other.