A new Central Goldfields ratepayers group has been formed in bid to "get some answers" for a community that has been "left in the dark for years".
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The Central Goldfields Shire Council has experienced significant turmoil in recent times, culminating in the state government sacking all seven councillors in August last year.
The council is currently overseen by three administrators – Noel Harvey, Hugh Delahunty and Karen Douglas – handpicked by the government following its decision.
The move to sack the council stemmed from an explosive investigation into the shire by the local government inspectorate, which detailed extensive losses from the sale of council assets, misuse of government grants and corporate credit cards, among others.
The three administrators will be in place until the next round of council elections in 2020, despite calls from the Greens to fast track elections for the shire for this year.
Maryborough residents Wayne and Judi McKail hold the respective positions of president and secretary of the group, officially known as the Central Goldfields Ratepayers and Residents Association Incorporated.
Ms McKail said the community had not directly heard from the state government as to why they decided to sack the council.
"We don't know the exact reason why it was done. We want to know why, people need to know," she said.
She also suggested that there was a great deal of scepticism in the community that decisions were being made on the future of the shire by "non locals".
Despite this, Ms McKail said the administrators were doing a decent job of rebuilding community confidence in the shire.
Read more: Central Goldfields Shire begins rebuild
Mr McKail said the group was not set up to ruffle feathers among the shire's administration.
"We want people to feel that it's okay for them to speak up - we are not a rebellion group," he said.
Former Central Goldfields Shire CEO Mark Johnston last week agreed to plead guilty to five charges relating to the alleged misuse of a corporate credit card between August 2009 and September 2013, as well as obtaining financial advantage by deception, and false accounting.
Chair of the shire’s administrators, Noel Harvey, recently said: “I'm acting as if I'm the mayor as an elected representative. It's a little bit strange because we aren't going to stand for election but it’s also quite liberating because we can make those decisions that need to be made without worrying about popularity.”
“If we do our job well I firmly believe the community will feel they are getting good representation, even if it's not democratically-appointed representation.”
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