Tango for Two… or More

02 Sep Tango for Two… or More

Dear Here to Help,

I was going for my morning walk recently and noticed a big hole in the path. I was quite concerned that somebody may come to grief tripping on it.

I wasn’t sure what to do and eventually someone suggested that I contact the Council. I noticed that, after I contacted Council, the hole was quickly repaired and the path was made safe again.

I would have thought Council had its own system for discovering issues – is it usual that I had to notify them?

Thanks for your query.

I guess the easiest way to answer your question is to say that it is impossible for anyone – be it a government agency, a corporation or an individual – to know everything.

Just like in your family, people work together to ensure that things that need doing are done, our community works much the same way. This doesn’t mean that the load is spread evenly. But we do work together, with our individual skills and abilities, to make sure that things happen, like having food on the table.

Government does not – and cannot – know everything. Even in dystopian writing, such as Catch-22, things happen that government doesn’t see. And that is the way it should be.

That does mean that if you notice something dangerous, or not okay, the issues will be resolved much more quickly if you report them to the relevant authorities – often local Council or even the police. This might be a hole that could hurt people, or an abandoned vehicles in your street, or even a piece of legislation that makes no sense or creates counterproductive outcomes.

People have also asked me how to check what dangers/works might be happening in an area before they go there. Your local Council should be able to tell you about road closure – Newcastle City Council has this online resource https://newcastle.nsw.gov.au/about-us/news-and-updates/road-closures. Similarly, National Parks has an online page that tells you about closures – https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/alerts/alerts-list

It takes a community to make our community safe. When we work together as a community, and together with the authorities, safety happens more quickly and easily.

And, as you might have noticed, it’s satisfying to play a part, even if it’s small, in making your community a better place. A bit like dancing, it’s more fun in a group.

This article comes from my column entitled “Here to Help” in the Local, September 2022. If you have an everyday problem just begging for a simple, real world solution, send it to “Here to Help” and let’s see what we can achieve.

Elaine Abery has a closet full of great ideas and empowering solutions. She’s also the Director of Unravelling Red Tape, a company dedicated to helping everyday people, not-for-profits and companies change the world through improved decision-making and legislation.