Monday 13 September 2010

'The entire community radio committee should resign' - Ross Parisi

The resignation of the entire committee governing Cairns Community Radio – 4CCR / 89.1FM, following four new investigations launched by the Australian Media and Communication watchdog, ACMA, chair of Friends of 4CCR Ross Parisi said this morning.


“Last October, it was decided to proceed with a forensic audit, following the suspicious financial management of the former committee over a long period,” Ross Parisi, chair of Friends of 4CCR said. “This has been totally ignored by an incompetent president Rodney Coutts. This is but one of their many serious failings.”

“In the last 12 months, they have failed the community – and have terminated and blocked over 30 people from becoming involved,” Ross Parisi says.

“In the last 12 months, they have not made any progress to the ACMA’s ‘Agreed Measures’ following previous serious breaches of their license conditions. There were four ACMA investigations during the year, and on Friday the ACMA launched another four new complaint investigations.”

“Tonight’s AGM is also attempting to rail-road a totally new and undemocratic constitution, to further block and restrict access to community radio in Cairns,” Parisi says. “No member has been advised in writing these changes.”

“The hallmarks of the community radio under Rodney Coutts’ leadership, is maladministration, nepotism, secrecy, lack of any financial transparency, blocking out the community, and serious incompetence,” Ross Parisi says.

“They have used an estimated $30,000 of their taxpayer-funded income of about $150,000, to ward off any new members, that will question their secret behaviour,” Ross Parisi says. “It’s likely that at least $30,000 has been spent with their lawyer to silence and block the community getting involved. This is scandalous and repugnant of Mr Coutts to carry on as he is.”
Last year the station had financial reserves of over $300,000, which were intended to be used for essential and overdue technical upgrades, but that much of this has been wasted in unnecessary legal costs.

“It an abhorrent waste of public monies and has to stop,” Ross Parisi says. “And on top of all this, our community is not served with a community radio station that reflects and represents our community.”

"I call for Mr Coutts and his committee, to do the right thing and stand aside for the sake of Cairns community radio. It's clear he has no mandate now that there are yet another four Federal ACMA investigations underway about his mis-management."

1 comment:

:Kevin-John: Morgan. said...

I totally agree with you Ross.
I do believe that the lack of transparency in the way Mr Coutts runs 4CCR's politics and finances, is the main reason they don't want an audit.
I do believe also, that there should and will be a stack of prosecutions coming out of this event as it unfolds.
I would love to witness the re-introduction of community-savvy and friendly people once again at 4CCR.
Come on everyone, the sound quality alone of 4CCR has ALWAYS been far above that of ANY FM stations up here, it's the lazy management that sucks!