Accountability in Local Govt.is being talked about more and more but it is not being delivered on because it is believed that Sections 62 and 65 in LOCAL GOVT ACT provide a let-off for General Managers and others.
Around Tasmania quite a few GMs have been playing the '62/65 line' and it is starting get just a little tedious, and expensive, for ratepayers.
Far too many decisions are made behind closed doors well away from public scrutiny and that needs to stop.
It is often going on it seems against the provisions of the Act as it is currently drafted and the aldermen who let it happen sooner or later become complicit.
It seems that at Launceston Town Hall there is currently a 'cabal operatives and representatives' playing both ends off against the middle and ratepayers look like they are the least of their considerations.
So, against this background and the spurious way the city raised the loans for the current civic works – and therefore built upon the ratepayers' debt – Council now finds itself in debt to the tune of $20Million. That is bound to add to individual rate demands and quite soon.
On top of the debt brought on by loans taken from the State Govt. the hurried works program in Civic Square and the Brisbane Street Mall there is every prospect that the 'works budget will blow out, and in a big way' consequent to the project being rushed in order to have work finished "for the elections".
Given that the expenditure does not, will not and is not designed to generated income, the growing cost of what are beginning to be called 'monumental stuff ups' falls to the ratepayers almost to the very last cent. There is nowhere else to go unless you have fairies at the bottom of your garden waiting to help out.
So, what to do? Accountability and transparency demands that:
- The extent of these 'project issues' are identified and promptly;
- The total cost of any 'project budget overruns' needs to be identified and promptly;
- The contractual arrangements relevant to the sourcing of materials and design work needs to be investigated and promptly; and
- The root cause/s of problems need to be identified and made public.
There is no credible way to do these things other by initiating an 'independent forensic audit'. Once such an audit's outcomes are known the tools to deal with 'the issues' will at least be to hand. The appointment of a suitably qualified independent auditor needs to be made outside Council and Tasmania.
In the short term this issue must be an election issue with the current alderpeople being front and centre in regard to accountability in line with Minister Gutwein's 'GOOD GOVERNANCE GUIDE' ... CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Beyond that, candidates for council need to be apprised of the situation that is presenting itself as soon as possible.
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