BE AWARE OF WHAT YOUR COUNCIL IS UP TO

In regard to dysfunctional Local Government there are some issues that must be given some thought, that is serious thought.

The problems have been there and identified years ago and still the State Government just will not act. Tasmania has way too many Councils and the Act, a Labor Act in fact, is well past it use-by date.

In Tasmania, there’s been a procession of Councils, Mayors, elected representatives and civic managers that have created an unconscionable paradigm of civic delinquency that has already cost, and if unaddressed, will cost ratepayer far too much well into the future. 

As for service delivery, most of the elected representatives are there for the allowance pay-out. Worryingly, all too many see representation as an ‘income opportunity’– and some quite possibly see opportunities for the creative fringe benefits.

To say the least, it is deplorable that Australian law does not allow citizens to take class action against elected representatives for their governance failures and backroom dealing. It would have an influence on who stood for council if that were the case.

The threat of accountability outcomes we can see currently with the banks’ corporate accountability under scrutiny and for a little while at least Australians are likely see a change in ‘the banks’ behaviours patterns and service delivery.

Curtailing expenditure on the activities that are peripheral to ‘roads, rates and rubbish’ needs to be considered very carefully. When Local Government does it the lazy representatives, by default, assume that ‘cost centre’ means do-and-charge. Just look at salary levels and ask if the same people could survive in the real world with shareholders on their case.

Until councils publish detailed budgets based on:

• cost centres with straight forward line item accounting;

• the provision of details relative staffing levels and staff qualifications;

• the criteria for delegated authorities and the expertise attached to them;

ratepayers will never be in a position to initiate informed critical assessments of council governance and council operations. That seems to be the way too many of the elected representatives like it.

When representatives stand for election, promises of ‘transparency and accountability’ are bandied about like lollies at a children’s party but Tasmanians are yet to see anything of the like after the elections. 

The bigger the council the less likely ratepayers are to see it in action by way of:

• Full public disclosure of the current budget;
• Full accountability and disclosure of the immediate past budget; and
• An estimate of the projected budgets requirement looking ahead.

Local government is in the business of ‘placemaking’ which implies that the planning component of budgeting and service delivery touches every resident in every way. 

Increasingly councils are behaving as if accountability is discretionary. Arguably if councils had their constituency’s needs front of mind and there was an alternative competitive means getting your services, in Tasmania you would be looking to the competitor on almost every occasion.

VOTE VERY VERY CAREFULLY THIS YEAR