TERRY AULICH, Mercury September 7, 2017 12:05am
LOCAL Government Minister Peter Gutwein has seven hot potatoes in his hands and some of them are from a fire he lit.
And, if elected, a Labor government would face the same smouldering problem.
Both mainstream political parties must draw a line in the sand — southern councils must co-operate or be amalgamated.??
It is not just the dithering about the appalling Fragrance skyscraper or the ugly pylons across the face of the mountain that will carry the proposed cable car, it is the total lack of co-ordination between the local councils that leaves ratepayers on edge.
In the Greater Hobart region of about 250,000 people there are seven councils — Brisbane, with over a million people, has one, maybe two if you count Logan City.
Of those seven southern local councils, two have been suspended by the minister for being reduced to stalemates due to bickering and indecision.
Suspension of Glenorchy (population 45,000) and Huon (population 16,000) will cost their ratepayers more than $1 million in fees for the minister's inquiries and for the high salaries of the administrators he appointed.
Meanwhile, Kingborough (population 35,000) is experiencing serious financial difficulties and Derwent Valley (population 10,000) has been lending money to its own councillors.
Lest I be described as white, male and stale in the choice words of Hobart Lord Mayor Sue Hickey, Hobart City Council (population only 50,000 would you believe) also has its share of issues that need a good shake-up.
The war on graffiti as promised by the Lord Mayor seems to have petered out, the Carols by Candlelight fiasco has disappointed thousands, and the Battery Point walkway has been replaced by the gold-plated paving of Sandy Bay Rd, while Macquarie Point seems to be a deserted quandary for local government.
In a tourism-driven state, Hobart city's roads are badly marked, necessitating frequent last-minute driving changes, especially in the rain. Pity the one million tourists, many of whom must navigate the unreadable lines.
Clarence has yet to work out whether it actually wants to have a major sporting venue at Bellerive if the road signage and transport arrangements are anything to go by.
Then there is the Great Water Fiasco that has set Minister Gutwein against local government and TasWater.
My thesis is straightforward — from the date of the next election, the minister give southern councils a two-year deadline to plan for the future in three key areas.
The first is clearly defining where development areas are, so that the Greater Hobart area has growth that can be properly supported by water, sewage and transport infrastructure.
The second is to ensure there is agreement about the type of city we want Greater Hobart to be.
Let's take advantage of Hobart's spectacular scenery and intimate, low-rise historic building precincts.
Let's all enjoy river, mountain and heritage buildings and encourage sympathetic, low-rise construction of fixed maximum height so that everyone, including developers, know what is permitted.
This should then be backed up by an integrated transport system that services the growth areas and overcomes the transport issues that bedevil Hobart's peak hours.
By integration, I mean light rail supported by feeder buses and ferries, preferably electric powered.
This will not happen overnight but other cities are already going down that path. Sydney is trialling dial-up feeder buses so commuters do not need to drive their cars to mainline train stations.
An integrated transport system will guarantee work and business for local manufacturers led by companies like Incat.
Given that countries like Germany and France and car companies like Peugeot and Volvo are phasing out diesels, shouldn't we join the electricity race?
The third must is openness and honesty in approving projects that could possibly detract from Hobart's unique natural and built environment.
Many people choose to live in Hobart because it is one of the most beautiful and liveable cities in the world.
If I wanted a city like Singapore, I would live in Singapore.
Greater Hobart is growing precisely because it is liveable and beautiful.
That is why so many Hobartians are concerned that, in the name of progress, there is a culture developing of wink and nudge when it comes to planning things like cable cars across the face of the mountain or massive high-rise buildings overshadowing Sullivans Cove or the university moving into the city.
In the interest of openness, I wrote to all Hobart aldermen about their views on the mammoth Fragrance building proposed for Sullivans Cove.
All but the Lord Mayor and Marti Zucco responded with a considered answer. Enough said? Perhaps they were too busy arguing about the Taste of Tasmania's future direction.
The minister needs to set a deadline for local government to draw up plans for a regional planning scheme, integrated transport system and rules for development in sensitive areas. At the heart of his demand has to be co-operation.
For example, the Taste of Tasmania is an example of a regional festival supported primarily by the ratepayers of the Hobart City Council.
Does that mean no ratepayer of Kingborough, Clarence or Glenorchy attends or enjoys this premier event or that tourists do not come to the Taste?
The minister could test the water by asking other councils to contribute to the Taste as the first practical step toward this regional co-operation.
In all other matters, he should give them two years and financial resources to help them agree on an overall policy and an implantation plan with timetables.
He should also back off from interference through any overriding powers he seems to be seeking.
At the end of two years, it is job well done or amalgamation.
Terry Aulich is a former Labor state minister and senator for Tasmania. He was also a Latrobe councillor.
NOTES: It's about time local governance in Tasmania was taken much more seriously than it has been. As the state's economy reconfigures itself the old model – the Local Govt. Act 1993!! – needs to be put aside and a new one constructed in consultation with ratepayers and residents – and sooner rather than later.
Also, for a population of just over half a million, and stagnant, and ageing, it needs to be realised that wherewithal – intellectual, fiscal, technological, etc. – to maintain 29 stand-alone local government operations is just not there. Plus, there are much better ways to spend the $2Billion currently spent on behalf of ratepayers and residents.
The current Act grants General Managers way too much powers under SECTIONS 65 & 62 and when taken to their extreme, and they are increasingly, renders the elected representative functionally redundant. All too often this means that the elected representative's allowances are simply 'attendance money' or at the very worst, 'compliance money'.
The model is broken and seriously so! Tasmania needs to abandon it an construct a 'fit-for-purpose' 21st Century version. That cannot, indeed should not, happen and whatever form it takes needs to be something that's achieved beyond politics with residents, ratepayers and taxpayer participating in the process in a meaningful way.
Let's have a three-year transition period to convert the redundant into the relevant!!
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