One set of rules for Council staff (none), and another set of rules for the rest of us mugs

Some time last year, the boys up at the Shire depot decided the confines of their lunch room were a little too restricted, so they cut a hole in the wall, chopped down a nearby jarrah tree and went to work cutting it up (mostly during work hours) and building themselves a patio entertainment area.

Apparently its a fabulous place to enjoy all the free beers donated to the work crews by grateful members of the community who get their roads graded regularly or their verges cleared.

A few small problems with this, though...

1. It is illegal to chop down trees without a clearing permit
2. It is  illegal to erect a structure like this without a building permit
3. It is highly inappropriate to use Council-owned equipment and materials during work hours for an unbudgeted expense like this.
4. It is unethical for public servants to accept free cartons of beer for doing their job.

You would expect someone like Shire President Tony Pratico to be aware of the points outlined above and to take strong action if he was informed about something like this, but sadly, you would be wrong.

At last night's Council meeting I asked him what he did when he was told about the situation by a worker at the depot who didn't like what was going on.

The President's reply: "The Manager of Works told me he was aware of that being built, so I took no action."

I then asked whether a building permit had been sought or obtained for the structure.

Council CEO Tim Clynch replied: "I was told no building permit was required."

Wait a minute...  He was told?  As the CEO and a former town planner, surely he knows the rules regarding building permits?

So if you and I, fellow citizens and ratepayers, wanted to cut down a native tree for some timber, we'd need a permit and if we wished to extend our dwellings and build patios, we'd need a permit.

But in the Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes, if you are council employees the rules apparently do not apply.