Too many times both local government and Darwin has been swamped by Idea’s without taking into account the needs of the people.
Infrastructure has been planned, public consultation has been ignored and a basic risk assessment hasn’t been carried out and we are provided with a barely covered walk way on Smith Street that doesn’t provide the basic requirement of a covered walk way….Cover.
Some would say that the designers were going for the artistic appeal. But a positive expectation doesn’t fix the obvious problems that arise when public consultation processes are ignored and a basic public risk assessment isn’t carried out.
So how does the public stop that sort of crap slipping through the gaps of the local government approvals process. Well first up a requirement that items stipulated as public use meet basic Risk and safety assessment requirements. A reduction of cable’s, high maintenance and environmental assessments on the materials to ensure that there are no issues regarding future litigation.
This isn’t expensive it’s as easy as answering the following questions adequately –
Is the Idea progressive or regressive?
Does the idea meet a need or want from the Rate payers?
Has a risk assessment providing the positive and negative concerns of the project been provided to council for public consultation?
What will it cost now and the future?
We need to start looking at investments in the Darwin area like a Smart Investor. Most smart investors are in it for the long haul; they intend to hold their purchase for a minimum of ten years and usually for a lifetime.
“This is because their main motivation is to provide financial security for their retirement, not to become millionaires. Long term success is based on planning for the potential worst case scenario such as being forced to sell a property quickly due to unforseen circumstances.”
This means investors pay special attention to buying criteria which will maximise the security of their investment and minimise its risk.
This is exactly the type of criteria council needs to investigate prior to signing of on projects with the publics money.
Smart investors buy in what we call the investors "security bracket". To find out what the security bracket for your area is work out what sort of property or improvements are the most often sold or built in terms of age, style, construction, features and benefits and foot print.
A smart investor looks for investments that meet the greatest need of the market or the public he intends to provide a service to for a pro-longed period of time, to maximize their return and reduce their long term costs.
Public renovations and improvements should be based on
Style
Construction
Cost
Benefits
Features
Value
Long term maintenance requirements
Area/foot print
Continuity (long term aspects)
Environmental impact
Risk Assessment advice
Simple questions need to be asked when Council consults with the public on Public works.
Remember if you want to help me help you, please share your voice and vote for Sam Wilks this coming August.
Note :
Written and Authorized by Sam Wilks. The views included may not be those of others mentioned in the article but are those of Sam Wilks. If you have other idea’s feel free to comment below. Idea’s and differing opinion is recognition of a free and just democratic society. A Society I am happy to live in. Please however try not to be abusive or discriminative, you may be. But if I feel that your opinion may be harmful or is reported as being harmful, I will delete it.