HOBARTIAN ACCOUNTABILITY

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"Acting Lord Mayor Ron Christie said stallholders had now received a reconciled rep­ort of all their transactions throughout the seven-day festival. About 20,000 fewer people attended this year’s Taste compared with last year, with about 240,000 visitations .... A secondary audit of the new cashless system examining the processes, reconciliations and final payments will be undertaken by Wise Lord and Ferguson, and overseen by the council’s independent audit panel .... The Taste was the first large-scale event in Australia which has used the Commonwealth Bank’s Albert system."

Click here for information about THE TASTE OF TASMANIA ... AND here for some marketing ... AND here too ... AND here too ... AND here too

As for the numbers, they look like this :
• About 240,000 people attended the The Taste  over the seven days;
• There was $5.15 million in stall turnover at the event.
• There were 330,461 'cashless' transactions processed.
• Council raised $440,000 in gross income by Council taking 10% of sales at The Taste.

Put another way, about half the state's population turned out for The Taste – that's made up of residents and tourists.   

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Moreover, Aldermen were up front and accountable for their 'policy decision' to go cashless. Council had put in place a secondary audit system to examine the processes, oversee reconciliations and provide an independent assessment of final payments ... The Taste was the first large-scale event in Australia which has used the Commonwealth Bank’s Albert system ... So there have been glitch  or two?

Whatever, the Council's  FREE ENTRY and entrepreneurship policies still looks like they are winners!

Now there is to be a consultation process "to be completed in the coming months" involving stallholders. 

However, Alderman Marti Zucco has supported calls for Council to 'of load' The Taste. ....with Zucco saying “[he agreed that] politicians, including [himself,] should take a back seat with the Taste.” That we are yet to see .... but perhaps so.

So there has been some spoofing, and however many glitches, but the 'accountability hallmark' has been that 'THE ALDERMEN' – well a few of them – have been there and accountable. What has been pleasantly missing is some high flying 'Council Functionary' telling all who'd listen that "all is well ... or ... and any perception that there are problems is an illusion ... or ... we actually got it right its just that you cannot see that ... etc."

One has to agree with Arnold Schwarzenegger when he says "When the people become involved in their government, government becomes more accountable, and our society is stronger, more compassionate, and better prepared for the challenges of the future."