Council
5 May, 2026
Council ‘myth’ an ugly reality for Wingecarribee ratepayers
It seems Wingecarribee Shire Council has stolen a page out of the Donald Trump playbook when it comes to information that is considered unfavourable: pass it off as ‘myth’.
It seems Wingecarribee Shire Council has stolen a page out of the Donald Trump playbook when it comes to information that is considered unfavourable: pass it off as ‘myth’.
‘Myth’, of course, being Council’s equivalent to ‘fake news’.
Last week we had Mayor Jesse Fitzpatrick criticising “the narrative of some media outlets” over reporting on Council’s DA processing times.
He obviously didn’t mean The Southern Wire because Council still doesn’t recognise us as a legitimate media outlet. And he obviously didn’t mean ABC Illawarra because he used a chat with Nick Rheinberger to accuse Radio 2ST presenter Graeme Day of leading NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully “down the garden path” into making a political attack on him personally.
I would have thought Mr Scully has been around long enough – and has had enough media experience – to spot a leading question when he sees one and to answer it accordingly.
But what Mayor Fitzpatrick refers to as “the narrative of some media outlets” is the undeniable truth. Wingecarribee is consistently one of the worst performers in the state – if not the worst performer – when it comes to DA processing times. It’s on the Council League Table on www.nsw.gov.au for all to see.
Yes, there has been progress – the data shows that as well – but it doesn’t change the fact that it is still one of the slowest councils in the state when it comes to DA processing time.
It doesn’t change the fact that Council failed to deliver on one of its first promises – to assess 62 per cent of DAs within the Minister’s expected timeframe after it first year in office – and it doesn’t change the fact that Council is unlikely to reach its new goal (set in October last year) to exceed the NSW average percentage of DAs being determined within the Minister’s expected timeframe by September 2026.
This week council posted something on Facebook which – from a media perspective – can only be described as bizarre. For those who missed it:
“Myth: Council is in financial trouble. Fact: Council is financially stable overall. But the part of the budget that funds everyday community services is under pressure.”
Let’s backtrack a few weeks to Council’s April meeting, when we heard from Council’s independent financial consultant, AEC’s Graham Jarvis.
He was asked by Cr James Farrell – a man of few words in the Council Chamber but a member of Mayor Fitzpatrick’s voting bloc nevertheless – if Council was in financial trouble.
Mr Jarvis was brutally honest in his response. Council simply doesn’t have enough money in the kitty to address risks or to deliver on its commitments.
We were promised that Council would be the most liveable place in NSW for all generations to thrive by 2035, but now we’re being told that Council doesn’t have the financial capacity to achieve its Vision – even if it raises rates and cuts funding to core services, including libraries and aquatic facilities.
That doesn’t sound like financial trouble. It sounds more like financial disaster.
On Facebook, Council explains it this way.
It has three funds – a General Fund, a Water Fund and a Sewer Fund. The three funds are legally separate and cannot be used interchangeably.
Right now it is the General Fund – the one that pays for roads, buildings, libraries, community services “and lots more” that it is struggling.
Council admits that it is unable to keep up with the cost of maintaining and renewing local assets meaning that roads and buildings are wearing out faster than Council can fix them, maintenance gets delayed and what services can be sustained.
I’m no financial expert but if a council is under pressure or unable to deliver core services, that doesn’t sound very stable.
And here’s the kicker for anyone still thinking that ‘Council is financially stable overall’.
“Without change, future decisions become harder, including what gets fixed, what gets delayed and what services can be sustained.”
Change? What changes are we talking about here?
Here’s where Council’s ‘myth’ turns to ugly reality for Wingecarribee ratepayers.
Under the preferred option in Council’s Long Term Financial Plan there would be a 34.4 per cent rate increase achieved progressively over three years, including an 11.9 per cent increase in 2027/28, another 11.9 per cent increase in 2028/29 and a 7.35 per cent increase in 2029/30.
On top of that there will be massive increases in water access charges (15 per cent each year for all three financial years) and water consumption charges (26 per cent each year for all three financial years) as well as sewerage access charges, sewerage volumetric charges and trade waste charges (each of them 8.5 per cent each year for all three financial years).
And that’s not taking into account massive hikes in other fees and charges.
We’ve heard all about cost-shifting, increasing costs, rate-pegging and the spate of natural disasters which have left our road network in a mess.
We’ve also heard all about council’s roadmap to financial stability and the steps being taken to get ‘back on track’ financially.
If senior Council staff and elected representatives still want us to believe that Council is financially stable – and then expect us to swallow enormous increases in rates and charges – its own roadmap may also have been seriously undermined by severe weather events and be in need of some urgent repairs.
Only, of course, if those repairs are affordable.
· Stuart Carless has been a newspaper journalist and editor for more than 30 years. He has received numerous awards for his work. The Milton-Ulladulla Times was awarded the Country Press Association’s coveted EC Sommerlad Memorial Award for Editorial Leadership and Community Involvement during his tenure as Editor.
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