Mount Barker Courier - 2 July 2025
Temporal anomaly detected — adjusting for drift
Ground Control to... well, anyone still receiving
After drifting off comms for a few weeks, we’re back in orbit and sifting through Courier telemetry. Turns out South Australia didn’t pause while we were away — it just kept pretending the wheels aren’t falling off.
First up:
Classroom Chaos — No Consequences, No Control
P1,3: School Violence | P2: Opinion - Classroom chaos
This is what happens when there are no consequences for bad behaviour.
The piece highlights something most of us already know instinctively: discipline is no longer the backbone of the classroom — and this is the natural outcome. When teachers are powerless and students face no real consequences, chaos wins. But this isn’t just a school problem. It's the same broken logic behind lenient bail conditions, light sentencing, and the broader culture of excusing misconduct in the name of compassion.
Soft on crime — whether in schools or society — always equals more crime. And when accountability disappears, so does respect.
👉 Let’s be clear: This is a fixable issue. But it will take a return to previous values — and strength in leadership.
Tourism Plan — All Sizzle, No Carpark
P5: Tourism plan aims to increase revenue
It's ironic to see the State Government spruiking its grand 2030 tourism vision while continuing to neglect the very basics — like roads and parking — in the regions it’s banking on.
The Adelaide Hills is promoted as a "resilient, sustainable" tourism hotspot, and yet visitors and locals alike are forced to navigate bottlenecks, crumbling infrastructure, and inadequate parking.
You can’t build a national tourism strategy while main streets are gridlocked on weekends and visitors can’t find a park.
It’s one thing to count day-trippers and hotel bookings — it’s another to plan for them properly. The State’s message rings hollow when local councils are left scrambling to fund basic services from shrinking budgets.
If the Hills is the “place to be,” then start treating it like it matters — with the funding and infrastructure to match.
Your View
Page 6
Result not cause: → Once again Mr G. Inkster is bringing some common sense to the climate debate. 🙏
Taxing the unreal: → A letter from yours truly, included below. Go here to read the full post on Ground Control.
Council Rates: Up, up and away
P8: Councillors endorse 6.2% rate increase
Ratepayers in the Hills are being told to swallow a 6.2% increase — nearly triple CPI — in the name of “a financially sustainable future.” Translation: we’re paying extra to fix the last round of budget bungles, missed IT costs, and creative accounting that counted salaries as capital expenditure.
And while the council pats itself on the back for apparent fiscal responsibility, residents are left wondering what exactly we're sustaining — besides bureaucracy.
Turns out the Councillors being “unified in support” just means no one had the guts to call out the BS.
No Consequences — That’s the Problem
P10: Suspended jail term for theft of machinery
A man steals $12,000 worth of equipment, leaves tracks leading straight to his shed, confesses, and walks free with a suspended sentence — because life was hard and he felt bad. The court agreed it was serious. They just didn’t think it needed consequences.
👉 It’s the same story we saw on page one — just written for grown-ups.
Control Tower
Same frequency next week.
Seen In Print
A condensed version of my Taxing the Unreal post was included.
Disclaimer:
All views expressed are the personal views of Darren Kelly and reflect ongoing community engagement. They do not represent the views of any official role or organisation.