Imagine this: you're running a household, and your power bill jumps from $400 to $3,000 in just three years. Wouldn't you be asking questions? Wouldn't you want answers? That's exactly where Kiama Council finds itself with its legal expenses - spiraling out of control and leaving ratepayers in the dark.

Here’s the hard truth: in 2020/21, Kiama spent $204,000 on “Other Legal Expenses.” By 2023/24, that figure ballooned to $3.3 million—a 1,515% increase. Total legal expenses have risen from $416 thousand to $3.37 million over the same period. And if that’s not eye-watering enough, recent reports suggest the costs are actually closer to $5 million in 2024. 

But here’s the deeper problem: when your largest legal cost sits in a nebulous category like “Other,” it’s more than a red flag, it’s a governance crisis. Imagine trying to manage your household finances with such a vague expense. Wouldn’t you demand to know what’s driving those costs? The same principle applies here. It goes without saying that a category of this size must move out of the ambiguous “Other” and be thoroughly broken down. Each expense needs to be categorised to pinpoint what’s driving these astronomical increases. This isn’t just an exercise in accounting, it’s a pathway to accountability.

This isn’t just a story about numbers; it’s about priorities. Every dollar spent on avoidable legal fees is a dollar not spent on parks, libraries, or road repairs. It's money taken from the community to plug holes in a system that seems broken.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Other councils have faced similar challenges and found ways to fix them. For example Eurobodalla Shire began providing councillors with quarterly expense reports, creating transparency and accountability. Blue Mountains introduced mediation-first policies for disputes, reducing court cases by 35%.

And what about Kiama? Councillors elected by us, must have more oversight. They must be part of the process, asking tough questions and ensuring that every dollar spent

reflects the community’s priorities.

This isn’t just about tightening the purse strings; it’s about trust. Ratepayers deserve to know how their money is being spent. We deserve a council that’s proactive, not reactive, a council that doesn’t just react to problems but prevents them in the first place.

Kiama Council has started the road to commit to transparency. It now needs to conduct an external review of its legal spending and explore preventative measures, like mediation, to resolve disputes more affordably. A model of accountability at every level of governance.

Because when you’re entrusted with public funds, the question isn’t just how much you spend, it’s how wisely you spend it.