Kiama Council have began a process of blame shifting to others over the impending financial loss they are about to incur for selling their Aged Care services significantly under market value.
In an extraordinary meeting last night (27/06) council moved a report that included a statement blaming the union and political opponents for the reputational damage to the organization impacting the sale of their aged care service.
This appears to be an attempt to lay the groundwork to have someone else to blame when they sell off a valuable ratepayer services at a significant loss.
"This is an attempt to blame others for their own incompetence, Kiama Council have deliberately run their aged care services into the ground and engaged in a process of economic vandalism that will see the serious short changing of their community, as well as selling off the largest public aged care provider in Southern NSW," said Graeme Kelly, United Services Union General Secretary.
The United Services Union represents workers at the council.
"The fact that the Mayor, Labor Councillors and Matt Brown oppose an amendment removing references to community opposition to the sale shows a complete abandonment of the values they allegedly stand for or have stood for in the past.
"In particular the sitting Labor Councillors should hang their head in shame, and be looking for the real culprits in the council's own management.
"The union believes that with this privatisation the community is at serious risk of a degradation of services particularly with it being bought by a for-profit provider, which were deemed the worst type of provider, in the aged care royal commission.
"This Council action at their extraordinary meeting was a disgrace and demonstrates to the entire Kiama Community that their interest is only their personal reputation, and not the interests of their community," said Graeme Kelly, United Services Union General Secretary.
