Snookered Coutts toys with Fire

The President of Cairns FM 89.1 Mr Rodney Coutts is playing Russian Roulette with 4CCR's radio station licence and in so doing is thumbing his nose at the Australian Communications and Media Authority(ACMA). As Mr Coutts is already skating on thin ice, ACMA will not take too kindly to Mr Coutts' inept and bungled attempt at changing the Constitution.

Members of Cairns Community Broadcasters Incorporated (CCBI) will remember that ACMA's decision to renew 4CCR's licence was a conditional decision. Issues of concern that stopped ACMA renewing the licence unconditionally were as follows;
* monitoring community interest,
* governance capacity - policies and procedures,
* membership capacity,
* encourage participation and
* technical capacity.

ACMA imposed a list of 7 conditions, titled AGREED MEASURES, a pre condition to the renewal of the licence. Condition No 5 of 7 reads as follows:

Amend its Constitution at Clause 5 to ensure the organisation has an open membership policy, removing the need for prospective members to be nominated and seconded by existing members.

Condition 7 requires Cairns FM 89.1 to report to ACMA by the 1st May 2010 on the progress of the implementation of the AGREED MEASURES. As of this date condition No 5 has not yet been met.

Members of CCBI will recall that on 22nd February 2010, Mr Coutts chaired the general meeting that amongst other business was to amend Clause 5 of the Constitution. The general meeting segment relating to the proposed amendment was unconstitutional as the advertising procedure required to hold such a meeting was not adhered to. If it was not for Cr. Linda Cooper highlighting the anomaly, the meeting may very well have altered the Constitution unlawfully.

Notwithstanding Cr. Linda Cooper's observations, Mr Coutts proceeded to put the amendment to the meeting for a vote.

Considering this ineptitude the question arises as to whether Mr Coutts has the personal attributes to be a professional administrator. If Mr Coutts can't get this right, then what else is he doing wrong?

I, as Chairperson of the Friends stand ready to assist Mr Coutts in facilitating this fundamental yet simple change. The Friends will not impede this ACMA required alteration to the Constitution.

It is interesting to note that since the election of Mr Coutts at the Annual General Meeting in September 2009, other than the above meeting, no further general meetings have been held. I ask,is this lack of accountability what the members of CCBI deserve? I ask, is this continued errant practice serving the radio station well in the eyes of ACMA?

My concern is that ACMA may have reason to view this lack of accountability in a poor light and if so may well adversely prejudice the continuity of the licence.

My recommendation to Mr Coutts is to call a Special Meeting to alter the Constitution as a matter of urgent priority. If Mr Coutts needs legal advice on procedural matters to facilitate such a general meeting then he needs to get such advice post haste.

For my part, I will guarantee on behalf of the Friends that the necessary protocols to ensure an orderly conducting of the special meeting will be adhered too.

Ross Parisi

Chairperson of Friends

Email pari...@yahoo.com.au
Office 40 381005
Mobile 0419645818