Minister Gutwein finally coming out and proactively declaring the importance of local government reform is both welcomed and overdue.
Clearly the efficiencies that the minister alludes to are there and furthermore, a review of the Local Government Act is well and truly overdue.
Let us just get on with a review that will give us a 21st Century Local Government Act that fits the Tasmanian circumstance.
However, why wait?
We all know very well that we have too many councils costing too much with too many administrator achieving far too little.
The flagged “four regional council model” only has the conflicted interests of incumbent councilors, aldermen and bureaucrats to resist it.
The notion that such conflicted self interests should stand in the way of more effective, more equitable and more accountable local governance is unjustified.
Finding the way forward seems to be the inhibitor but bold and decisive action is called for.
In a matter of months four independent commissioners could be appointed and installed to oversea the transition from unsustainability to a new model devised in collaboration with the communities to be served by it.
What we need to do is begin to imagine the more effective service delivery and start work on it immediately.
Let the conversation begin immediately!
Ray Norman
Trevallyn
“A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody.” — Thomas Paine
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