Three councils and a restored parliament

LETTERS and opinion pieces regarding government of Tasmania have ranged from the need to increase the numbers in the parliament, the difficulty in applying planning principles due to the need to engage numerous local councils; and the vague notion that council amalgamations are not in the best interest of the broader community. One party rightly identified Tasmania as being the most over-governed state in the Commonwealth. We have a population less than the ACT where one tier of government, the Legislative Assembly, deals with all matters. The cost must be significantly higher than that of the ACT. We have 29 councils, with in excess of 250 elected members, each with general managers and senior staff supporting elected members in the delivery of services.

In this day of efficient communication, distance is no barrier to providing services. Reported problems in Glenorchy, Kingborough and Huon Valley would suggest the local government system cannot deliver services to their communities at an acceptable standard nor at an optimal price, resulting in unequal service provision across the state. We need elected members to consider reducing councils to no more than three: South, North and North-West. If people need the comfort of being close to their local member, a ward system would ensure each area has an elected representative. This coupled with an increase in the size of the Lower House of parliament back to 35 members would ensure the community would be adequately represented at a local and state level.