For over a decade the council has made all its budget detail publicly available (including strategies with explanations) and invited anyone who wished, to provide feedback. Our Ratepayers Association has not made any submissions in that process and there is no public evidence that our local Liberal state member made any submissions.

The Ombudsman with access to council’s information over a decade, has just now reported, and made two recommendations – one for council and one for the state government.

The Ombudsman found the council “did not contravene the Local Government Act”. Three Councillors have suddenly had a bad case of amnesia regarding their first 18 months of council briefings, meetings and their own voting patterns.

The (Labor) Andrews government imposed rate-capping (Essential Service Commission) but failed to define their expectations specifically in regards to ‘waste charges’. The Andrews government, sagging in the polls, knows from experience that if your Minister of Local Government ‘kicks local government’, you increase your state vote. There are a majority of councils in Victoria with similar waste levies to Wodonga, so there are plenty to kick.

Our Ratepayers Association has called for another inquiry. They asked for a similar one about two to three years ago, got it, and were advised that their accusations were unfounded.

Sherlock Holmes would no doubt conclude, that this is an exercise of political opportunism for a handful of people, who had they made more constructive efforts, would no doubt have helped ensure the Local Government Act has greater clarity and thus community confidence, for the roles they seek local government to play.

It is a bloody deception that the Wodonga Council has committed upon its ratepayers, using our money without our permission.

How long did they do this for? Would they have told us about it? The answer is no.

The mayor had better stand down. You don't just spend money that's not yours.

You tell us about it first and make sure that a proper decision/investigation is conducted.

Will I trust the mayor again? No.

It’s been comical to see Financial Services Minister Kelly O’Dwyer backflip from her embarrassing recent interview where she absolutely refused to answer a queston – eight times – on whether the Turnbull government was wrong not to support a banking Royal Commission earlier.

Now she claims they did get the “timing” wrong, but she still wants to beat her chest about how good they are.

How can they be so blinded not just by their politics but by reality? I don’t doubt the Financial Services Minister is a smart woman so how could she not realise how transparent her feeble attempts to protect her party were. Politicians really do think we are quite stupid.