Editorial: What matters most…

RECENTLY I received news that a family member has a serious health issue and I have made the decision to apply for leave from Council.

As I type, I am in Sydney to be with my family, as our loved one prepares for surgery and I will be available to provide care and support to them in the coming months.

It is completely at the discretion of my fellow Councillors if they grant the leave, and I am conscious of Mayor Collison’s words when former Councillor Sue Abbott wanted to attend a meeting via Zoom, which he voted against; saying Cr Abbott must have “a reasonable excuse I don’t believe just family is; but that’s only my decision.” Cr Allison McPhee and Cr Ron Campbell also voted against.

I have made my decision that family is important in the coming months and the other Councillors can make whatever decision they choose.

In the lead-up to this decision, I have published a series of editorials to ensure residents are informed of some key Council decisions and developments. The most concerning to me is the proposed sale of the Childcare Centre, as it has an associated time frame. I don’t believe Council has been accountable and transparent with residents on resolutions they have recently made regarding the potential sale. I have shared with the community all I can at this stage, under the constraints of current confidentiality. However, these matters all reach a point where they are no longer confidential and at that stage I will do everything to ensure all Council decisions and discussions pertaining to this matter are properly placed in the public domain.

So for now it’s not “over and out”, it’s “time out”, to prioritise family.

Kind Regards,

Cr Elizabeth Flaherty

All of the above are my perspectives, opinions and beliefs as a Councillor on the Upper Hunter Shire Council, are my own, which may not (in fact probably don’t) reflect Council’s position, but which as an elected representative I am supported in law to freely express.