MAY 2, 2018 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
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‘Callous’ council slammed ‘‘
All of these matters have been finalised
’’
- Stephen Wall
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fine mess: Page 8
Get set for some unique talent to hit the stage at the Emerge in the West festival street party in Footscray this weekend. Rapper P-UniQue, otherwise known as Piath Mathiang (pictured), will be part of an eclectic line-up highlighting the best young performers of African heritage who call Melbourne’s west home. Born in north Sudan before moving to Melbourne at the age of five, Mathiang says she uses music to express her feelings. “I love music because it’s a better way to address issues and express yourself freely through rhythm,” she said. When not weaving fresh rhymes, Mathiang is busy undertaking international studies at Victoria University and acting. “I have done TV shows such as Sunshine, Romper Stomper and Nowhere Boys season 4,” she said. ■ Emerge in the West: Page 13 Benjamin Millar
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A great rap for west festival
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The report recommended the council update internal review guidelines, improve training and pay back five individuals whose cases the report specifically considered. The council accepted the first two recommendations, but refuses to budge on four of the five fines. Council chief executive Stephen Wall said while the council believes the report “oversimplifies and unfairly represents” its review procedures, it will implement the Ombudsman’s first two recommendations. But Mr Wall said there is no legal basis to follow the third recommendation to refund or compensate the individuals. “All of these matters have been finalised, either by payment of the original infringement or after being upheld in the Magistrates’ Court.”
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Victoria’s Ombudsman has released a scathing report calling on Maribyrnong council to show more heart in its “rigid” infringement system. The report, tabled in Parliament on Monday, details the council’s repeated refusal to overturn fines for people who hold valid disability parking permits but forget to put them on display. The Victorian Ombudsman’s office investigated claims the council has been “callous” for a number of years in its handling of fines and has an unfairly rigid review process. In one case, an elderly man whose wife was dying of lung cancer was fined after forgetting to display their permit. In another case, an elderly carer looking after a husband with Parkinson’s disease had accidentally displayed an out-of-date permit. In both instances they took their valid permits straight to the council and sought a review. Yet on these and thousands of other recent occasions, the council refused to overturn the fines. Ombudsman Deborah Glass said the council’s practices were lacking in fairness and discretion when compared with five other metropolitan councils. “A little compassion is needed when you are dealing with an 80-year-old whose wife is dying of cancer or a pensioner whose husband has Parkinson’s disease,” Ms Glass said. “Fair systems of public administration need thoughtful exercise of discretion, not blanket rules, rigidly applied.” While the Ombudsman’s report focused on parking infringements, the council has previously come under fire for its handling of $295 fines for late pet registration.
The damning report follows a decision by Maribyrnong council in 2015 to switch off all of its paid parking meters in central Footscray and Yarraville. The decision punched a $200,000 monthly hole in council coffers, with total foregone revenue approaching $6 million. The Ombudsman was not convinced by the council’s claims it was worried about misuse of disability parking permits, pointing out the people being fined for parking in disabled spots were entitled to park there.
(Joe Mastroianni)
By Benjamin Millar