Hobart puts policy shake-up on agenda

THE city of Hobart wants councils to have more power over policy, as a review into local government is undertaken.

It is one of many suggestions in the council’s submission to the Local Government Board Review into the Future of Local Government, commissioned by the Tasmanian government.

Another proposal put forward was around caretaker provisions to restrict the activity of councils in the lead-up to elections to ensure incoming elected members were not burdened.

In its submission, endorsed last month, Hobart City Council said a framework for elected members’ conduct was needed.

“There is nothing in the Act which directly prohibits dangerous behaviours, such as bullying and sexual harassment,” the council said.

The submission also outlined a number of changes to strengthen the framework for dealing with the conduct of elected members.

The council suggested incidents of misconduct were handled based on whether they fell into one of four categories: misconduct, serious misconduct, gross misconduct and criminal offences

Under the Act, every code of conduct breach by an elected member is referred to a panel.

“This process is expensive and cumbersome, and is unsuited to lower levels of misconduct by elected members,” the council submission said.

It suggested lower-level misconduct be handled by a more informal process.

For more serious breaches, such as an elected member using their position to gain an advantage or to influence others, or using council resources for private use, the council suggested the member be prosecuted as an offence.

There are presently no provisions under the Act to do so.

The council said it lacked a clear mandate to act and respond to policy.

“As councils’ communities evolve, councils are called on more frequently to take the lead in matters of policy – housing is a good example of this,” Hobart City Council said. “Councils are well placed to perform a policy role as they are the closest to their communities and understand their unique needs.

“The functions and powers of council in the Act do not lend themselves to this broader role that councils play.”

The council said a set of overarching principles was needed to reflect the role of councils.

“This approach has been adopted in Victoria and Queensland,” it said.