Councillor Chris Harris

The Sydney Morning Herald got it right – “Torch? Check. Maps? Check. Sense of impending doom? Check.”

Unfortunately it’s the final item in the list that is driving the ‘Go-Bag’ campaign as Clover Moore teams up with Attorney General Phillip Ruddock make sure we are now both alert and alarmed.

In the lead-up to APEC and a Federal Election, a terror scare campaign from the coalition government hardly comes as a surprise.

But what is surprising is Clover Moore’s unilateral decision to chip in $100,000 of public money not on producing Go-Bags but on advertising them.

There was no consultation with other Councillors, who first heard about it through the media. Meanwhile the Lord Mayor staged a photo op flanked by uniformed police and emergency personnel.

“I think it’s appalling that the Lord Mayor should consider, let alone commit the council to spending ratepayer’s money to support a Howard government fear campaign” says Chris Harris.

“Exactly what is the danger we’re supposed to be facing? Is it a tsunami, a biological attack, planes ploughing into the Town Hall? I’d suggest that sunblock, sticky tape and spare keys would offer little protection in any of these emergencies.

“What would be helpful would be to have a fast and efficient public transport system able to be mobilised to evacuate people quickly should a disaster occur.

“The council has and promotes safety campaigns that tell people to lock their houses when they leave, to install smoke alarms and not leave valuables in their cars. These are important messages that help people deal with a real threat – but a Go-Bag?

“The questions I want answered are, what are we fleeing from? Where are we going to? How are we going to going to get there? And what are we supposed to do when we arrive?

“What is more galling is that only a month ago I moved an amendment at council to reduce the entry fee for children at the new Ultimo pool from $4.50 to $3.00 .

“The Lord Mayor and her team voted against it. The Lord Mayor then used her casting vote to defeat my amendment. This initiative would have cost the council $64,000. And here we have the same Lord Mayor making a unilateral decision for council to spend $100,000 on advertising a Go-Bag that helps fund a Federal government fear campaign.

“I certainly do not support Go-Bags and I condemn the Lord Mayor for voting against the community one day and then the next day using their money to advertise a scare campaign with little reason other than an attempt to gain publicity.”