Council Group Thinking Becoming Nauseating

by Rod Mitchell | 9 March 2024

Recently Campbell Spence wrote an article on What is Woke in response to a recent open question by a Councillor on the Cook Statue debate. The woke concept of dividing by race, gender and sexuality as opposed to the commonality that unites us, all also seeks an extension of uniformity through group think.

“Groupthink occurs when a group of well-intentioned people make irrational or non-optimal decisions that are spurred by the urge to conform or the discouragement of dissent.” – Psychology Today

Group think in its worst form leads to poor decision making, lack of creativity, resistance to ideas, and believing only facts that support existing opinions.
Group think occurs more frequently in government organisations (including our Councils) due in part through monopoly or market power. When an organisation does not transact in a competitive environment, behavioural change that focuses on group think, uniformity and internal as opposed to external focus tend to dominate.

Decisions made in these environments do not bare the same consequences as the “consumer”, read rate payer cannot seek Council services elsewhere.
Lack of market competitiveness in the context of a Council, will more than likely lead to inefficiencies, greater emphasis on internal staff needs and demands, as opposed to client service (rate paper) outcomes and overpayment for goods and services. Contractors and service providers also see them coming!

In the City of Port Phillip, average salary rates and conditions are higher on average than those in the private sector. Over staffing and working from home appears to also be out of control. The result is a sluggish inefficient workforce that remains internally focused. To exacerbate and consolidate the group think, senior appointments are like a round robin of employment offers from other Councils, where similar thinking is entrenched with staff with little exposure to market forces and the private sector.

Nothing could be more evident in the group think culture of the City of Port Phillip than a recent “self-promoting” LinkedIn conversation while shameless in its public display, is to many, also nauseating.
This conversation of senior Council employees and heads of trading associations talk about the $65 million brought into the CoPP through various events neatly packaged on a Council film promotion entitled “City of Port Phillip – Reflections in 2023”. Incidentally, the price of the film clip and the reason for the film clip beyond unnecessary self-promotion, are not disclosed. Neither does there appear to be much rigour in the film clip with lack of benchmarks and no previous year’s data for comparison.
“Huge thanks to you, your team and the CoPP for the efforts and focus on returning the vibrancy back into our high streets and communities”. The praise goes back and forth and yet it takes little time to work through the fog of low-level sophistry with a dose of unmentioned reality.

• Acland Street with the worst rental vacancy in Victoria,
• Unsettled traders in Carlise Street which made the news throughout 2023,
• The problems within Clarendon Street with homelessness and drugs (along with Fitzroy and Acland streets) and the
• Myth of the rejuvenation of Fitzroy Street- Its more spin than reality.

In relation to Fitzroy Street, a recent walk through and discussion with a local retailer was met with derision on the “vibrancy” of this high street. The self-assessed praise by some on Fitzroy Street is comparable to the Hans Christian Andersen folktale of “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”

Our high streets which are our life blood, remain in various states of anaemia and frankly embarrassing. No master plan, just more playing around the edges with thought bubbles.

What does get discussed in the film is only part of the CoPP story which includes some achievements not driven by Council and cosy non-bread and butter issues (yes, it’s nice that the library is being used.)

Major issues that created a lot of unrest among the rate payers – the Rubbish Collection contract including service standards and the Current Affair expose on street cleaning staff at the CoPP were not touched on. There has been no audit review of the allegations pertaining to the street cleaning staff, and many would argue a breach of Council governance in not having a full independent audit with findings made public. Do not hold your breath on anything happening there. And when rate payers are crying for a return to the traditional Council remit of rates, rubbish and roads, we get poorly maintained infrastructure, graffiti filled streets, litter and rubbish. My home, St Kilda is a disgrace and a testimony to this council failure. A proper plan for rejuvenation of our urban centres and high streets including a focus on the basic remit, sells itself. It would not need a self-promotional film clip to gloss over the reality we currently face.

Under group think, if there is something to see, we the rate payers should not need worry. Just keep paying your rates and please keep the noise down – alternative facts go against the culture!