I hope every community group that requested funds from council in the past year and was rejected now lines up at the council chambers looking for a cheque. 

Just look at this decision objectively. The population of eastern grey kangaroos on or surrounding Mount Panorama - that is, Appleton Orchard, the harness racing club, the mountain bike club, the council tip, the Goldfields, the McPhillamy Park precinct, the gun club, the rifle club, Boundary Road Reserve and Charles Sturt University – would be 1200 to 1500 roos.

Plus there are hundreds more on privately owned rural land in the same precinct. 

So why do we have a problem with kangaroo populations around Mount Panorama? 

Essentially, council (the largest individual land owner) and private residents of the Mount have managed the issue by avoidance. Everyone knew the problem existed but no one did anything about it over the past 20 years for fear of a bit of bad publicity. 

So last week our councillors voted to continue to squander ratepayers’ money with no end to the problem in sight. 

The cost-effective solution is simple: the weapon of choice for professional kangaroo shooters is a .223 calibre rifle. So instead of $8000 being spent monthly on a temporary fence, this money could be spent on over 11,500 bullets in the first month. Problem solved. 

So each landowner takes responsibility for their land and obtains a permit to shoot roos annually.  Problem solved. 

To gain a little more perspective on this issue, roughly 100,000 permits were issued by NSW authorities in 2015/16 to legally shoot eastern grey kangaroos in NSW. 

I just hope all those involved in the Bathurst Kangaroo Project invest as much time in assisting humanity in need as they do in assisting animals with populations in plague proportions.

AND further on the kangaroos, may I ask mayor Gary Rush whether, in the unlikely event that the relocation is successful and the temporary fence is removed from around Appleton Orchard, he can guarantee the surrounding kangaroo populations will not skip on down the road to a new home? The answer is no.

So next year, ratepayers can look forward to more money being wasted. 

Just as well there is an election coming up.

IT will be an interesting few weeks in state politics. The big question is whether the new premier will continue with the reform of local government. 

Reform is needed, but how do we change the culture of inefficient work practices enshrined in local government?

THE Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour - a great spectacle well-supported by motorsport enthusiasts from near and far.

THE farcical waste of ratepayers’ money on the Kangaroo Relocation Project on the Mount. I still want to erect a grandstand to watch. As I said before, it’ll be more amusing than the Melbourne Comedy Festival.