Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors are being shown as Jekyll and Hyde. On the one hand, local residents were kept in the dark about Warner Brothers’ plans to stage Harry Potter light shows in our beloved wildlife sanctuary at The Briars because councillors signed non-disclosure agreements (NDA). There was a complete lack of transparency and no community consultation.
On the other hand, the shire has plans for an accessible online “transparency and integrity hub”.
The shenanigans in council would make a good script for the next season of ABC’s Utopia.
The strong local backlash towards staging the Harry Potter event in a precious wildlife sanctuary resulted in more than 16,000 people signing a change.org petition within a fortnight.
As the opposition to this foolhardy decision grows, the councillors will be forced to explain not only why they signed an NDA but also why the event was kept top secret until Warner Brothers had begun selling tickets.
First published as a letter to MP News on 16 January 2024