KICKING THE BALL DOWN THE ROAD

THE state government’s foray into consensus politics has been as instructive as it has been short-lived. Like so many issues that vex our fair isle, local government reform is something that demands a steely determination and the expenditure of a fair amount of political capital. Which party would be brave enough to announce an intention to reduce the number of local councils? It would be a mission as brave as announcing the closure of a hospital, or a school or a police station. No matter how obvious the need, or how well well-canvassed the case is, it is going to be unpopular in some quarters.

It is smart politics for a government, or a Minister, to put some distance between themselves and policy. In this case, the pathway for reform has been set not by the government we elected, but by a committee it appointed. The Premier’s Economic and Social Recovery Advisory Council says that somebody should do something about local government. The committee’s final report points out that the sector employs 3500 Tasmanians and accounts for revenues of about $900m annually.

But the problem remains: “People understand that any government of the day would not want to burn its political capital on local government reform, however laudable if the issue will be turned into a political football.” The report calls for all parties to be involved in formulating structural reform to help ensure the sustainability of the sector – particularly small local councils struggling to attract talent.

The sticking point was PESRAC’s call for an expert panel to come up with recommendations and MPs “committing to implementing the recommendations without material modification”.

It is an unelected committee, demanding members of parliament be nothing more than a rubber stamp for an unelected panel, whose members are unknown and whose recommendations are unseen. It is not surprising non-government members declined.

Minister for Local Government and Planning Roger Jaensch says he has no number in mind when it comes to the number of councils Tasmania should have.

It is surprising that a government that has been in power since 2014 has no policy in this area. It is disappointing that an attempt to seek input from non-government MPs has been such an abject failure, as a multipartisan approach might have helped on other issues given the sparse numbers in parliament and the existing demands on ministers.

Local government elections are scheduled for October next year. Given the number of councils we have is central to the debate, it seems a tall order to consult, formulate policy and pass legislation by then.