Mayor Phil Vickers & the West Coast Council have treated Gormanston with contempt for far too long. Council claims not enough people live here to warrant investment of council funds. In saying this, Council would appear to claim our lives & our historic township do not matter!

Gormanston has a rich history in the development of the West Coast of Tasmania. A town that once boasted over 2,000 residents & was the fastest growing town in the mineral rich West Coast region. Today the population is less than a handful, it is listed as a ghost town, & visitors are appalled to see nothing but a run down patch of land with virtually no reminders of its historic past

The West Coast Council has wilfully neglected its duty of care to the current residents of Gormanston as stipulated in the Local Government Act (1993) Sec 20 : (1) In addition to any functions of a council in this or any other Act, a council has the following functions:(a) to provide for the health, safety and welfare of the community;

Our health has been put at risk through the refusal of Council to take action on the numerous buildings in a state of ruin. Loose sheets of corrugated iron can & have become missiles when gathered up by the winds that frequently hit  this town in excess of 160 km/h. These building further serve as a breeding ground for vermin.

Our safety has been neglected through the huge potential for fire that exists within the town. Tassle Cordrush (Baloskion tetraphyllum) dominates the undergrowth of this town. This plant is also known as "kerosene bush" due to the highly flammable nature of the dead stalks that exist in dense clumps around each plant. A single careless incident on a windy day would spell catastrophe for the town. Very few homes would survive another bushfire, such as those that struck in January 2000. The next bushfire will be far more ferocious, yet council has refused to undertake any fire mitigation responsibilities or actions.

Our welfare appears to be immaterial to West Coast Council as is evidenced by the extent of urban decay that has been allowed to befall this once thriving town. As stated by one recent visitor "We were there a couple of days ago and its an overgrown mess", a sentiment echoed by many other visitors to this town. As a result our real estate values continue to tumble, & the current residents of the town are left with a sense of hopelessness.

Mayor Vickers & the West Coast Council have failed to addres the duty of care that they are legally & morally obliged to uphold under the terms of the Local Government Act (1993). We call on them to take action to save this town and recognise its rich history, before it is too late & everything is lost forever.

We demand that Council attend to the derelict buildings, the huge fire risk, & the vanishing historical aspects of this town. We further demand that Council undertake to work with the residents & many supporters of this town to develop a future plan for the rebuilding of the town into something that we can be proud of once more & that would appeal to the growing historical tourism market. It is in the best interests of everyone, Council included, that the past is recognised & the town is shown the respect it deserves once more.

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