Defining role first step for local councils

BEFORE jumping straight to amalgamation, the future role of councils needs to be defined and it might not be in rates, roads and rubbish, says the head of the local government association.

With a total population of about 515,000 and 29 councils in Tasmania, 75 per cent of respondents in the Mer

cury’s Future Tasmania survey said there should be fewer councils.

In comparison, with a population of more than 560,000, the Gold Coast has one council with several divisions within.

With a population of more than 440,000, Newcastle has one council with four wards within.

Local Government Association of Tasmania chief executive officer Katrena Stephenson said the sector was under continuous pressure to reform and simply merging councils was not always the answer.

“In Tasmania, we always go straight to amalgamations without thinking about what we’re trying to achieve,” she said.

“Recent history shows us this is harder than it looks and a one size does not fit all.

“Councils operate within increasingly diverse social, economic and environmental contexts. Appropriate reform and structural solutions will differ considerably both within and between municipal regions.”

Dr Stephenson said LGAT was currently working with its members to establish how councils could best serve their communities in the future.

“The key question we want to answer is ‘ what outcomes do we want to achieve’,” she said.

“Does it make sense for councils to be doing roads – maybe it doesn’t, maybe that’s a statewide role.”

Local government has long been considered the level of government closest to the people, a factor that needs to be considered, Dr Stephenson said.

“Urban and rural communities have different needs and expectations,” she said.

“In urban communities, there are usually alternative service providers whereas in rural communities the council becomes the service provider of last resort.

“Even in urban communities we’re seeing a rising interest in councils being the voice of the community on many varied topics.

“In an era where there’s a lot of disengagement with politics at all levels, the fact that communities are still wanting councils to carry that voice I think shows there’s an important role there going forward.”

Property Council Tasmania executive director Brian Wightman said the council had advocated for local government reform in the state for more than 20 years.

“Since the last round of amalgamations in 1993, most Tasmanians have understood the need to reduce duplication and streamline processes,” he said.

“Unfortunately, successive parliaments have lacked the intestinal fortitude to progress much-needed reforms.

“A state government with political capital to spend will need to act. With a drastically improving economic outlook, supported by the latest CommSec State of the States figures, that time is now.”

While survey findings on reducing the number of councils was clear cut, responses on increasing the number of MPs in the Lower House of state parliament from 25 to 35 were less so – with 51 per cent backing the increase and 49 per cent against the idea.