AS the 15-minute/SMART city scam is exposed by Australians like Brian Venten, many are also waking up to the reality that their co-called local councils are in reality business corporations – and businesses that can be sued if they cause you loss or harm.

While there is some debate over the lawful status of councils related to their lack of constitutional recognition and standing under state government Local Government Acts, what is undeniable is that councils operate as business corporations with ABNs, GST registration and private indemnity insurers.

South Australian Tim Dwyer is leading a national campaign urging ratepayers to challenge the authority of their councils based upon similar understanding of how councils and other government bodies lack proper constitutional authority. “The Great Seal of Australia granted 19th September of 1912 was unlawfully removed in 1973 in breach of Act or the Crown Office Act 1877,” he says. “Notice Quo Warranto, we are entitled to request proof of authority from anyone claiming it over the people at any time.”

In Geelong, a Cairns News supporter has long been urging local businesses that were facing losses from the idiotic “Smart City” bike lanes to issue the council with commercial notices of liability for losses. The council did not respond to a notice sent by our supporter but “co-incidentally” dropped the bike lane plan.

The $2.7 million final stage of the Building Better Bike Connections bike lane project was supported by the State Government’s Transport Accident Commission and was to supposedly connection suburban centres. Strangely enough, very few if any councilors, state politicians or bureaucrats ride bikes to work – especially in Victoria’s cold, wet or hot weather extremes.

Bike lanes are being universally pushed by councils to the detriment of small business because they take away parking spaces from small businesses along older-style shopping strips or strip malls. Similar destruction of small retail businesses is experienced when councils and state governments install Smart City light rail projects, that provide dubious benefits except for the global corporations selling them.

“Your local councils are commercial operations, businesses, and are not government, as they do not have the required Constitutional recognition to make them a lawful tier of government,” our supporter wrote in an email.

He notes that JLT insures all councils in Victoria, NSW and Queensland, and possibly the rest of Australia “as councils, being the businesses I claim they are (see ABN Lookup for your local council’s ABN Number and GST registration) they cannot trade legally unless they have an indemnity insurer.”

“Your council will also have a DUNS – Dun and Bradstreet-number – and is legally required to be fully audited every year,” he adds.

JLT is the appointed “Scheme Manager” of Statewide Mutual. “JLT is the market leader in the provision of insurance services to the Local Government industry administering self-insurance schemes across all states which comprise over 450 entities Australia wide,” the company states on its website. Note the use of “industry”.

In an email to concerned business people in Melbourne, our Geelong supporter wrote: “Of utmost interest to you wil be that you and your members will be able to make claims against Melbourne Council and their insurer, should they cause your members any financial losses, as no company can cause another any loss, harm or injury without having to pay compensation.”

Source – https://cairnsnews.org/2023/05/18/local-government-game-is-up-councils-are-businesses/