Response from Wollongong Against Corruption to Jodie Minus
Your journalist Jodie Minus yet again repeats claims from ‘Vox insiders’ that a flood of new applications to join the radio station are “an attempt by the Wollongong Against Corruption (WAC) group to stack the station and overthrow the board” (Vox FM’s Fear of Overthrow 28 August 2008). At no stage did Ms. Minus contact me to respond to these ridiculous slurs. If she wants to repeat these claims, I request that Ms. Minus publish the name of the person(s) making these allegations rather than referring to unnamed “insiders.” I also request Ms. Minus to substantiate what these “insiders” mean by a stack and substantiate how WAC organized it.
I have been informed that the Chairperson and Secretary of Vox stated at the General Meeting of Vox on 26 August that they didn’t know where all the new applications for membership had come from. In the interests of truth and fairness, we propose that the Mercury contact these representatives of the Vox Board and ask them what they actually said at the Vox General Meeting and publish it rather than relying on unnamed “Vox insiders.”
In my view, these unnamed “insiders” are seeking to divert attention away from the corruption scandals in Wollongong. The revelations to date are only the tip of the iceberg. That is why we believe that a Royal Commission into Corruption is overdue. The unsubstantiated allegations by unnamed individual(s) are in fact the opposite of what WAC represents. Wollongong Against Corruption was established to fight corruption in Wollongong, restore our democratic rights, bring justice to victims of sexual harassment in Wollongong Council and to deepen community democracy in our city. The group is comprised of pensioners, workers, single parents, business people and academics who give up their time to work towards making Wollongong a city based on high ethical standards, honesty and integrity. Like most residents of Wollongong we are angry about the extent of corruption in Wollongong and the denial of our democratic rights to vote. All of our meetings are public forums with meeting times advertised on our website. They are open to everyone, including Ms. Minus.
Graham Larcombe
Secretary
Wollongong Against Corruption
PO Box 859
Thirroul 2515
www.wollongongagainstcorruption.org.au