The Rockliff Liberal Government has today invited the community to have their say on the Final Report of the Future of Local Government Review.
Minister for Local Government, Nic Street, said that there are a number of key recommendations made in the Final Report and feedback from the community will ensure the best possible outcomes for Tasmanians.
"The Rockliff Liberal Government set the Board with a very ambitious task – to design a more robust and capable system of local government to meet the contemporary and emerging needs of the Tasmanian community," Minister Street said.
"The Board has now completed that task, producing a package of 37 recommendations covering all aspects of the local government system, from voluntary amalgamations through to councillor performance and council management of local infrastructure.
"It's now time for councils and the community to let the Government know what they think of these recommendations, as this will inform the Government's response.
"From the beginning, this Review has highlighted councils' role in supporting strong local communities. The Government will maintain a focus on the community as we consider the Report and prepare a Government response.
"We have been clear that this Review will not result in forced amalgamations of councils, and that has not changed. There will be no change to council boundaries unless both the councils and communities want them.
"My sincere thanks to the Independent Board Chair, the Hon Sue Smith and her Board members, together with staff in the Office of Local Government, for their incredibly hard work on the Review over the past nearly two years."
Some of the key recommendations in the Report include:
- Redefining the role of local government to focus on community wellbeing;
- Exploring voluntary council amalgamation in five areas initially:
- West Coast, Waratah-Wynyard and Circular Head Councils;
- Kentish and Latrobe Councils;
- Break O'Day, Glamorgan-Spring Bay and Sorell Councils;
- City of Hobart and Glenorchy City Councils;
- Kingborough and Huon Valley Councils.
- Requiring all councils to migrate to a common IT system over time, and share their key professional staff, such as environmental health officers;
- Providing an ongoing professional development program for all councillors; and
- Ensuring council rate notices provide more useful information that improves public transparency, accountability, and confidence in council financial management decisions.
The Final Report is open for comment until 29 February 2024. The report is available at www.futurelocal.tas.gov.au.
