There has been a lot of talk about Local Government Reform lately. Many comments have been around the topics of combining Councils and boundary changes.
The background to all this is that the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) is examining the way that Australia is governed. The model that was built at Federation in 1901 was a mash- up of six separate colonies. There is reason to think that we can do it better today.
Every other State has undergone significant changes in recent years, with Councils becoming larger and the balances of State and Local responsibility being re- assessed. Key measures have been around our ability to sustain our society- socially, economically and environmentally. A vital question is what role Local Government has in the way that we operate this State and country. There are basic questions of how we are represented in government and how services are delivered.
In WA the Minister for Local Government, John Castrilli, has set a timetable with deadlines for Councils to examine and report on their financial sustainability. Last year's report by WALGA already showed that 80% of Councils were not financially viable. These Councils were not able to provide their future expected level of services from their expected income flow. South Perth was one of the few bodies shown to be sustainable.
This matter clearly means that across WA Councils must find ways of matching services and revenue. One of the options is to find economies by combining or sharing resources with nearby Councils. This is especially true of smaller administrations.
In the local sense, Melville has a population of 100 thousand, South Perth 42 thousand. It has been suggested that the City could combine with Victoria Park and Belmont create a new administration with 100 thousand residents. Comparisons of rates paid by land owners seems to indicate that those in larger Councils pay less rates, reflecting efficiencies of scale.
In recent months we have had visiting consultants with experience of recent changes in Australian States and in New Zealand, who have indicated that although initial costs of amalgamations are high, there are long term benefits to be had from larger Councils.
There would be a number of practical difficulties including the diversity of admin systems, IT matters, Town Planning Schemes, EBAs and other staffing matters, buildings, rates and so on, but none of these would stop the process.
There is also the thought that there are overarching issues such as waste management which can be much better managed on a regional scale in a sustainable way. Other major issues include
those around climate change, economic development, the Swan River and coastal plain management.
The time available is very short, with the Minister's deadlines rapidly approaching. Over the next few weeks you might hear of community forums, to have you say in these questions. To make sure that your voice is heard you can click on 'Comments' below and add your wisdom to our City's future.
