Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Constituency allowances???

This may or may not put the fox in the hen house, none the less.

The elected assembly members of NG receive [among other allowances] a constituency allowance. I believe it is in the three thousand dollar range but I can be corrected on that.
I’m not sure what the NG had in mind as to how the members would spend the constituency allowance, and what on, but in most jurisdictions I am aware of it is used to travel to and from your district, maybe set up an office and hire an assistant and the like.
I would think the whole idea of that type of allowance was intended to help the members keep public informed of goings on in the government, intended legislation, maybe even seek advice from the public as to what stand to take on certain bills before the house, stuff like that.

So it is a puzzle that the two members for Nain are for all intents and purposes non existent as fare as the constituents are concerned.
Since the inception of the NG not one public meeting has been held by these members. Our house and no others I am aware of have received a friendly knock at the door with the members informing one of the operations of government. No flyers in the mail box with briefings of the goings on of government, or to sit and have a chat about the goings on of government. No information briefings on the local radio station, no phone ins that would allow the constituents public access to the members.

So it would be a fair question to ask would it not? What do these two gentlemen actually do with this constituency allowance?

They have no members office expenses, both have a short couple minutes walk to the NG office [when they are actually in town], no constituency office staff.
It is puzzle and I hope people start asking this question plus many others that are in dire need of asking and answered.

1 comment:

Shammickite said...

That's a very musical dingo. I thought I caught a few strains of Waltaing Matilda in there but he was a bit flat on some of the notes.
More practice required.
I bet Sitiuk can't sing like that.

And as for the constituency allowances, perhaps you should ask the pollies what they actually do with the money.