Former Kiama Council General Manager, Michael Forsyth - who retired in early 2018 after 17 years in the role - strongly refutes there has been poor governance and financial failings at Council for decades.

“For many years Kiama Municipal Council has been a shining beacon in the region providing stable government and high quality services and facilities within tight budgets,” he says.

“There has been a long history of Councils and their staff who have acted with integrity and provided very good service.”

Regular IRIS community surveys of councils from across NSW and Queensland put Kiama Council in the top echelon for the delivery and maintenance of services and infrastructure.

“The many people who attended rallies and the amalgamation inquiry in 2016 in support of Kiama Municipal Council are a testament of this,” he says.

He says prior to his retirement, KMC met all statutory reporting requirements on time including financial and audit statements, with rare exception, and there were many changes that improved financial performance and efficiency. These included establishing an internal audit committee in 2016 to review internal governance.

Council was declared fit for the future by the NSW Government in 2017 by meeting the necessary financial health indicators.

“There is no doubt that KMC’S budget like many councils across NSW has been significantly affected by Covid and bushfires during the past couple of years,” says Mr Forsyth.

“KMC’s budget has been particularly affected as it is heavily reliant on commercial operations such as the holiday parks and leisure centre, and it operates an aged care facility.”

The President of the NSW Local Government Association has recently called on the NSW government to provide more financial assistance to councils, as they have missed out on much that has been provided to other sectors.

Former GM, Michael Forsyth

“Council will, in consultation with the community, have to make some hard decisions going forward and I support the action proposed,” says Mr Forsyth.

“There is always scope for continuous improvement.”

He notes that that Council has good reserves and is already in a position to meet the next Blue Haven loan repayment due in late 2023.

“I’ve been very clear that this is about moving forward,” says Council’s CEO, Jane Stroud.

“I want to acknowledge that over the years there have been many brilliant GMs, staff and Mayors, and elected representatives who worked tirelessly for this community and who did a great job. I want to thank them for that. 

“Much good work has been done in the past, and much good work continues to be delivered every day.

“I’m focused on making a difference and using our shared foundation to move on and become more sustainable.”