Cessnock, tonight is the night. Just 13 months into office, our new Mayor and Council are poised to apply to IPART for a Special Rate Variation, potentially sending your rates soaring well above the standard increase. This isn’t theory — it’s happening, and it’s happening before residents have had a proper say. Let’s be blunt: Council has already spent $90,000 of your money on an independent advisor to justify the rise — before consulting the community. That’s not transparency; it’s a box-ticking exercise to make a predetermined decision look legitimate. Residents weren’t asked, and now the so-called consultation comes after the...