The final question of our Special Armidale KORE Poll asked people to have their say on any issue they liked. See the results of Part 1 discussing the specific issues we asked about – housing, employment, shopping, hydrotherapy pool, rail trail, and high school merger.
This took a little time to analyse, in part because some of the answers looked like this:
“Why does our council insist on running this town into the ground? Why do they hate the Mall so much? Why do they overspend at a ridiculous rate and not get anything done? Why do they let the landlords get away with charging exorbitant rents, but not do any maintenance? Why is it that some businesses are giving special treatment, but not others? How can the uni get away with firing so many staff and refusing to put others on permanent positions? Why would a uni want only casual staff or short-term contracts? Is the uni dying quietly? What will happen to the town if it does? Why aren’t we discussing this? Why are new commercial premises being built with so many empty shops in town? Why are the rates so ridiculously high and we don’t even get a council clean up week like every other town? Why does it cost so much to take our stuff to the tip since council won’t pick it up? How is it legal for our water bills to almost double when we’re a dying town and for two years weren’t allowed to use water anyway? Is this a way of killing the town to bulldoze it for a highway?”
35-44 year old woman
The looming council election also resulted in more comments on council than would ordinarily be the case. But, we have done our best to collate it into a coherent list. It is, I believe, a fairly honest reflection of some priorities for a community that is, at the same time, skeptical but hopeful; bruised but eager to be a part of the solution. Armidale residents are not deluded about the significance and severity of the obstacles that face the town and the need for significant change, and their passion is reflective of their deep love of place. Even younger people and more recent arrivals demonstrated commitment to the concept of Armidale, cheered the good things while acknowledging the bad, and were wary of threats like the UNE Tamworth Campus.
(Fun note just for my entertainment, my favourite quote of the entire survey: “Marshall and, especially, Joyce are screwing the pooch wildly and we need change.”)
So as not to infer popularity or importance, the following list is in alphabetical order. Anything in italics is a direct quote from a local who responded to the poll.
Basic Amenity
Foot paths, street lights, parking, garbage collection, leaf sweeping, gutter cleaning, road maintenance, park maintenance, sporting field maintenance, and “just mow the damn lawns”. Many people commented that basic amenity – the stuff Council is supposed to be using our rates for – is neglected. Some of these are elaborated on below, but it was probably the single biggest theme across all the respondents. Amenity is a fun word to say, but those actually using the word amenity were consistently calling for amenity for young families, without describing exactly what they wanted (which usually indicates they are regurgitating someone else’s line and don’t actually know what they want). That’s not to say that their concerns aren’t valid, only that I am unable to elaborate on them.
Corruption
It is quite a thing to live in a regional town, know in your bones there is all kinds of corruption going on, and be utterly powerless to do anything about it. It is generally believed that corruption is the driving force behind multiple attempts to put a road in the middle of the mall, the forced merger of the town’s two high schools into one ‘super-school’ which is not going well, whatever happened to the Armidale Club, along with many other things. UNE has had two rounds at ICAC and seems to be angling for a third with the Tamworth Campus proposal. (For those unfamiliar, a proposal to build a new UNE Campus in Tamworth, pushed by the Tamworth Mayor Col Murray who just happens to be on the UNE Council – like the board of directors, and yes that’s the same guy Barnaby has made the chair of Infrastructure Australia – and a bunch of property developers/coalition donors, the leader of whom, Mitch Hanlon, made it clear from the get go he was quite happy to destroy Armidale for the benefit of Tamworth. The proposal is well advanced and is really troubling to many Armidale people). Frustrations expressed by many respondents included that they were never sure what forces they were dealing with or that good things seem to fail through no fault of their own. There were a number of references to the National Party and their “dodgy deals”.
Council mismanagement
High on people’s minds just before a local government election was the shambles of the last council which needed to be fired and the related mismanagement. Quite apart from the political shenanigans, there was a general belief that the Armidale Regional Council was wasteful, focused on the wrong things, and out of touch with the community. Council staff, more than elected councillors, were accused of corruption, being lazy, and running down the town. Concerns were raised about questionable outsourcing and contracting practices, poor culture in Council – notably a lack of a “can do” approach, and some believed there was an entrenched culture at Council that protects or benefits the dynasties of certain families. In the words of one respondent:
“The place is run by people who don’t listen to the little people. And they may have a great education but have no experience. It is run by the rich and people who are happy to fight each other rather than grow the town.”
Crime
Concern about crime is always a given when you let people comment on anything related to where they live, but there was an unusually specific and high concern around people stealing things from cars and home invasions. One respondent was particularly concerned about violent behaviour on public streets. Another commented that police were “slow to respond when called”. A number linked the lack of basic amenity like footpaths and street lighting to both feeling unsafe and there being a high rate of crime.
Exorbitant rents, rates and water rates
There were frequent complaints that rents, rates, and especially water rates, were far too high. “Ridiculous” was a commonly used word. This was not empty whinging, many raising the issue compared the rents and rates paid in other comparable areas to demonstrate they are double or more what they should be for a town the size of Armidale. Retail rents being prohibitive for business was also a significant concern. A number of respondents linked the high water rates to the lack of water security, saying that the Malpas Dam wall needs to be raised *and* water rates need to be lowered to be comparable with other similar sized centres. Some respondents also raised the need to upgrade or fix the water treatment plant. The combination of either high rents or rates and high water rates left many feeling that Armidale was far more expensive to live in than it should be.
Exorbitant tip fees and curbside large rubbish collection
Fees to dump things at the tip were considered by many to be extremely excessive. Linked to that was a strong argument there should be a regular curbside pickup of large or excessive rubbish as happens in other towns. Some pointed to other councils allowing households to book one large pickup free per year as an alternative model to, say, a quarterly pickup. Others also called for weekly green bin (garden waste) collection over spring and summer rather than fortnightly, or similar capacity to order a large waste pick up when you’ve had a busy weekend of gardening. The biggest argument for curbside pickup of large waste was one of accessibility: “Not everyone has a ute or trailer they can use to take stuff that has to go to waste centre” and from a different respondent “Plenty of people cannot afford to hire someone to take that old fridge, lounge, whatever out to the tip and not everyone has a Ute or trailer. Many older people simply don’t have anyone to help them.”
Green and family spaces including the Creeklands
Concerns were raised that the new residential developments lack green spaces and family playgrounds, and that these should have been insisted on in the plans. More generally there was concerns about parks, playgrounds and the Creeklands not being properly maintained and cared for, with lots of requests for mowing to happen more consistently. Numerous respondents raised the issue of the Creeklands improvement/development proposal which is approved and funded, but work does not appear to have begun, with a clear message of “get on with it”. Others argued that more shade or shelter and seating was required in parks.
Health Services
Unsurprisingly, and would be the case in any regional centre, there was a great deal of concern about the poor state of health services. A number of commen ts appeared to be from people inside the system (so we won’t quote verbatim) alleging there are not enough staff, the hospital is management heavy, and that the government is only interested in pretty buildings not people to actually work in them. The lack of specialists and the resulting need to travel, as well as the out-of-pocket costs to see the GP (very few bulk bill like most regional centres), were common and serious concerns.
Investment in town
People were very divided on investment in town. People like seeing the new residential developments, but are concerned there is not a comparable investment in affordable housing and town infrastructure. Some want business and industry encouraged; others want creative industries and retail; many want re-investment in what is already here, including the redevelopment of the old courthouse and greyhound track as facilities for community use, increased funding for the Library and other services, and protection and promotion of the many heritage buildings. While all had slightly different takes, there was a common message of wanting more activity, improvement and growth.
Kid’s activities
This is one of those issues that is a perpetual call in Armidale with no real idea of what is required and no addition of new resources or opportunities seems to sate the concern. But a number of people said we need more things for youths, teens, or older children to do. There is a belief that bored youths commit petty crime, and thus giving them something to do will fix the problem. Some referenced the PCYC services being under-utilised for this purpose. (My own take on this is that Armidale always has an unusually large number of youths, so no matter what you do they always seem to be hanging around… but there is actually plenty for them to do if their family can afford it. The challenge is to create things that don’t cost money to do.)
Mall, entertainment and events
Aside from the comments on the mall when asked specifically (covered in Part 1), there were a number of other mall related issues raised. Calls for more events, entertainment and life generally in the mall and around town were common, especially calls for live music and theatre (of which, for non-locals, Armidale has more than most, but less now than in the past). Also lots of calls for a more vibrant foodie scene. Nom nom.
Negative Nancy’s
Some of the more interesting comments received related to the general disposition of the community. We noted this a bit in Part 1 when reviewing the many comments related to Big W, and how K Mart ‘has to be’ their favourite store because there’s ‘nothing else left’. This negative disposition was noted by many as being unfair as Armidale is still a great town with a lot going for it. Here’s an example:
“I think that the current council is heading in the right direction, and our new GM seems to be doing a wonderful job. Armidale’s future looks bright with the expansion of Uniplan, the development of new estates at Cooke’s Hill and south hill and the new industrial park and service station already under construction. It is a great place to live, we just need to stop sabotaging ourselves and show others how wonderful it is to live and visit here.”
However, when so many people who live here are negative about what has happened to the town it is hard to get out of that rut to a more ‘can do’ attitude and achieve the necessary change. Or, quote, “get the Armidale community back to being confident and proud of our town itself.” Many believed that this negative sentiment was well established within Council staff who were described as “anti-everything” and obstructionist. Others pointed to the popular ‘Thumbs Up Thumbs Down’ groups on Facebook (a continuation of the equally popular TUTD column in a now defunct local paper) as the cause or central focus of the negativity.
Progress
Far less specific than other comments – and I hope the commenters will permit my use of the word progress to describe their comments – a number of respondents want Armidale to be more forward looking. They argued there are many people here who have never been anywhere else and appear not to want Armidale to change, or will obstruct new development and business. Many argued we should be better capitalising on our position of being half way between Brisbane and Sydney, our natural assets (a couple of references to not being hot like other rural towns!), and our younger and more educated population. Others argued for a vision and an inclusive, collaborative approach to achieving it, eg: “Consult with the people who understand how to make a place interesting…we are not short of people like Michelle and Roy in Reader’s Companion or Deborah & Yvonne in BooBooks or Beattie, Fiona and David in Granny Fi’s and a host of others. We need creative hearts, business minds and community goodwill that comes from being listened to and acted on.” Many argued we need significant population growth to overcome the stagnation of recent years.
Recycling Bins
Yes, I’ve been banging on about this a bit myself, but a number of respondents commented that they want ‘proper’ or larger recycling bins, and the small tubs weren’t useful as you couldn’t put enough in them. Whereas my personal concern about the recycling bins are about the challenges of disabled people like myself carrying them around, most concern was expressed about them being too small and a disincentive to recycle. To quote a 25-34 year old woman: “Recycling boxes are ridiculous. Get with the times and provide a bin with wheels that can hold a decent amount of recycling. Currently when a box gets full, people usually just put it in the general waste. It’s diverting tons of recycling to landfill.” Of course, Council’s argument for keeping the tub system that has been in place since 2006 is that they have cleaner recycling and therefore have less going to landfill (because there’s less ‘contamination’ as they say in the biz). To which I say, ok, fine, give us two recycling wheelie bins. None of the respondents complained about sorting paper and plastic.
Renewable energy
There were many comments about energy, mostly around making sure we maximise the benefit of being smack bang in the middle of the REZ (Renewable Energy Zone as designated by the NSW Government). Two people suggested we should have community grids so all residents can benefit from locally produced and very cheap energy. Another suggested it should be a requirement of all the new developments that every property has solar power.
Roads
Unsurprisingly, many people think Armidale roads are bad. Which of course anyone can see should they take a short drive around town, particularly after some rain when the roads just seem to melt and large potholes appear. Mention was also made of sewer covers not being level, roads being unfinished, lack of curb-and-gutter on some roads, as well as a lack of footpaths. The number one roads issue is the causeways that flood every time there’s a drop of rain, with many calls for more bridges or other measures to stop the town being so frequently cut in half. Special mention was made of the new Cookes Road bridge… that still floods. Also high on the concern list is that Armidale roads are seemingly intentionally built badly so they have to be fixed all the time.
Sporting facilities
Armidale is blessed with a great deal of sport facilities, but there is concern that they are not being maintained. There were a number of comments about needing services in town because UNE charges too much. Comments included:
- Touch football needs a winter playing field. Currently there is no option except to pay extravagant costs at UNE.
- Fix Rams playing field.
- The Malpas dam is an excellent community asset that attracts hundreds of locals and could attract many more people into town for fishing, sailing, rowing and paddling. The combined clubs are promoting new facilities that will replace the current ones when the dam wall is lifted.
- Build a new Skate Park with a bowl, and a fenced junior skate park for younger kids.
- New/upgrade basketball courts with lighting.
The University of New England
Similar concerns about mismanagement of council were expressed about the university. UNE is Armidale’s major employer and the single biggest contributor to the town’s GDP, so it affects everyone when the Uni doesn’t run as well as it should. The comments were fairly heated, including one who called for the entire upper management of the university to be fired and replaced with people who love our UNE, rather than people who want to destroy it. Many were extremely concerned about the proposed Tamworth Campus (mentioned above under Corruption) as a serious threat to the future of Armidale. Other concerns raised include:
- Why are they firing so many staff
- Why are most new hires only casuals or limited term contracts, rather than permanent staff
- Nepotism in hiring and promotion
- A general concern that the uni is “dying” or, more concerningly, that the Armidale campus is being “intentionally killed to move the university to Tamworth”
- What happens to Armidale if we lose the University
- The erosion of Armidale as a centre of excellence for Education/”no longer the Education City”
- The university and town not working together or not “seeing eye-to-eye”; UNE decisions made without concern as to how it will affect Armidale
Whatever happened to…?
There were a number of things that respondents noted had gone or had stopped happening and they wanted back.
- Big W, Target, Hanna’s and other long gone retail stores
- The Armidale Express and council communications printed (currently only online)
- Wool Expo
- Day on the Green
- Armidale Jazz and Blues Festival
- Major sporting carnivals and camps
- The pink pub should be pink again.
A few more things
These items were comments made by a few respondents that didn’t have the same prominence as other issues in the results, but are generally still worth noting. Again, in alphabetical order.
- All the local groups working with vulnerable young people (like Backtrack) should be considered for more support.
- Armidale should have a Botanic Garden
- Better public transport needed.
- Cheaper flights and direct flights to Canberra.
- Extended trading hours for restaurants, retail and foodie stores to encourage foodie culture and the hospitality sector. Particularly need to stop coffee shops closing at 2pm.
- Fly the Aboriginal flag at town hall so it is inclusive.
- Get behind the transport museum proposal.
- Need a bus service between Armidale and Guyra, similar to the service which runs between Armidale and Uralla.
- Need a hut to hut walking track around gorge instead of a bike rail trail.
- Need to fence the playgrounds in Armidale, especially Curtis Park.
- Poor to no mobile phone reception around our community.
- Racism is a ‘closet’ problem.
- There are too many roundabouts in Armidale.
- Woodsmoke is a concern but respondents were divided on how much of a concern, with some respondents critical of a councillor overstating the issue.
Well that’s a decent to-do list for the leaders of Armidale. Next year we’ll do a similar New England wide poll. Open to suggestions on what ‘only locals know this’ questions we can put in to stop the Barnaby haters spamming it!