Wyndham residents have accused the state government of mishandling the registration process for last week’s community forum.
About 100 people attended the 90-minute question-and-answer session at the civic centre on October 7. About 30 attendees were taxi industry representatives, including many from outside the city.
People whose registrations were accepted were asked to provide a one-to-two sentence summary of the questions they intended to ask. But a government spokesman said because the event was a public forum, it was unable to restrict who attended.
PICTURE GALLERY: Community Cabinet in Werribee
There were also dozens of empty seats, angering those who tried to register but were told the event was booked out.
BayWest Bicycle User Group member Allan Williams tried to register for the forum two weeks ago but was advised it was full and that he could place his name on a waiting list. Mr Williams had wanted to ask the government about its plans for the Federation Trail.
“From my experience, it really seemed that the government just didn’t want people to turn up,” he said.
Ratepayers of Werribee South president Marisa Berton and vice-president Joe Garra tried to register, expressing their interest when the event was announced on September 12. Their registration was never confirmed.
“I registered online and at the end of the form there was a message saying they would let you know if you get in,” Dr Garra said. “I never heard back. It wasn’t until I heard it was on [last] Monday that I discovered I missed out.”
The group had wanted to hear about the government’s plan to increase tourism in Werribee South.
Dr Garra said he felt ignored.
“I am very disappointed about the forum,’’ he said. ‘‘How did taxi drivers from Keilor manage to register? The way it was organised is disappointing.”
The government spokesman said there had been a lot of interest in the forum, and some people who pre-registered did not attend. He would not say how many.
