" If it 'aint broke - don't fix it !
That would be good advice for Wollongong City Council.
Personal trainers and the good citizens of this city seeking fitness have been training in the city parks, reserves and beaches for many years without any problems.
Suddenly the council is proposing to implement a licensing system and allocate areas of land under it's control for that purpose. The only reason this is being considered - is the relentless search for new ways of raising money.
Some Sydney councils have tapped into charging for training on council land and our council is eyeing off a new cash cow !
This is not solving a problem. All it is doing is creating a problem that otherwise does not exist.
The moment someone pays money for a right it becomes a whole new ball game. The licensee of that right would claim the power to deny this space to others and we face the prospect of picnickers and tourists being sent packing from the city's parks and beaches.
This licensing system also creates monopolies. Those with the deepest pockets gain the best spots - and when all the available spaces are taken anyone wanting to enter the training fitness industry is locked out.
It also raises some interesting questions of jurisdiction. What happens when a kid's football team trainer wants to take his lads for a training run to prepare them for a match ?
Will be be pounced on by a ranger - demanding to see a license ? Will the kid's football club be fined for breaking a council ordinance ?
It seems that this new regime is just one more step along the road of selling the rights of the citizens in the unholy quest for civic income.
And we have the cheek to call it " the city of innovation ! "
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