Editorial Viewpoint
Editorial Viewpoint
December 18, 2008
Section: Opinion
Surrounded by the words of the writers, philosophers and historians who have orchestrated society’s evolution and documented its failings, Wollongong’s iconic bookstore, Perey’s Old Books, was the ideal location for the announcement of the first ever John Hatton Award last Friday.
“The bookstore of knowledge” as one speaker called it, is the antithesis of a seedy kebab shop, and the goal of those who gathered there was the antithesis of corruption and cowardice.
As young Danielle Chiaverini accepted her prize in the youth category from legendary anti-corruption fighter John Hatton, there was a sense of a “passing of the torch”.
Mr Hatton spoke of the way in which community disempowerment had created a fertile ground for corruption in Wollongong, emphasising that the only way to safeguard a repeat of the ICAC scandal was to ensure the people have a voice.
The work of Wollongong Against Corruption (WAC) has had a two-fold effect; on one hand helping to expose corruption, while also revealing a vibrant, visionary component that exists at a grass roots level throughout the Illawarra.
It is clear that our community has the integrity, the creativity and the collective “fire in the belly” that is needed to rebuild our city’s fractured image.
The people have shown that whatever is thrown at them, however entrenched the dodgy dealings and however high up the chain the rot has climbed, they will fight to reclaim Wollongong’s future and restore the democratic process at the local level.
It is time they were listened to.
