LOCAL GOVERNANCE IN THE SPOTLIGHT

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EDITORIAL ||

Dorset mayor shows need for mergers

Updated January 19 2023 - 9:06am, first published 8:00am

Dorset mayor Greg Howard exemplifies the dysfunction of Tasmania's small rural councils and the public perception of these councils as privately run little fiefdoms in which ratepayers are well down the list of priorities.

In yesterday's Examiner he waved away the prospect of merging with any of his neighbouring councils because "bigger doesn't necessarily mean better" and "larger councils are the least efficient we've got".

He was more specific with the notion of a merger with George Town council next door, describing this as "ridiculous" because "..to join up with a left-wing industrial town like George Town would just create issues". If there weren't any issues before with George Town, Dorset certainly will have them now, once George Town's mayor Greg Kieser reads his Examiner.

Howard may dislike the thought of merging Dorset - population 6,600 - with one or more councils, but he fancies adding to his little empire a slice of Launceston City Council's area, specifically the Lilydale-Karoola-Nunamara triangle.

Howard's fractured and contradictory logic is symptomatic of the problems facing the State Government in dealing with the State's cash-strapped, inefficient, local government sector. Not that the government is in any rush to do anything given the drawn-out 18-month review into the future of local government has been extended another three months and isn't expected to be out 'til June.

With a population of 570,000, Tasmania has 29 councils. By comparison, Sydney with a population of six million has about the same number, 31.

Bigger does not necessarily mean better, but larger councils with populations of, say, 50,000-plus, tend to have more money and resources to deal with problems like road infrastructure, water and sewerage, planning, parks and waste collection.

The Examiner is concerned mainly about the ability of small councils like Dorset to properly maintain roads in their municipalities. Dorset has some of the worst roads in the State. The council clearly is incapable of maintaining and repairing them. The repairs to the Sideling have dragged on for three months now and this important road connection for the north east, the Tasman "highway", isn't expected to be finished before March. It is a fiasco.

The council review in a report on "stage one" of its protracted examination suggested three pathways forward - forcing significant sharing and consolidation of services between councils; cutting council numbers; and a mixture of these options. The Examiner expects the review will eventually come up with the obvious: a process of sharing and consolidation of services between neighbouring councils, followed by mergers.

Tasmania needs a maximum of 10 councils, but ideally fewer, eight would enable an average population of about 70,000. Again, if the review is an indication, the government will probably be in no hurry to implement this, maybe sometime after the next election due in 2025. It seems to be terrified of any electoral fall-out from these rural mayors and is reluctant to show some leadership on a reform that would provide clear benefits to ratepayers (like getting their roads repaired and made safer for a start). 

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Dorset mayor Greg Howard says he suspects "preconceived ideas" to reduce the number of Tasmanian councils are already in place as a review into local government continues. 

 The state's three-stage, 18-month review into the future of local government is set to be wrapped up in June, however, a lack of community responses has seen the review's second stage extended by three months to March. 

 After the first stage of the review, the Local Government Board suggested three pathways forward - forcing significant sharing and consolidation of services between councils; cutting council numbers; and a mixture of the other two options. Cr Howard said while he believed fewer councils could be on the cards, "bigger councils are not necessarily better". 

 "The larger councils in the state are the least efficient councils we've got - with large councils comes another level of bureaucracy and bureaucracy is what's costing the state hundreds of millions of dollars," he said.

 "Nearly everywhere where they have amalgamated councils in the past, it's never saved anyone any money." 

 Cr Howard said he could see little benefit for his ratepayers in a broader North-East council, but could understand the logic in 

 "To join up with Break O'Day would be ridiculous because the travel distance is too far and we've got that massive mountain range between us," Cr Howard said. 

 To join up with someone like George Town would also be ridiculous because [for] a conservative district like Dorset to join up with a left-wing industrial town like George Town would just create issues. 

 "My personal view is we should take in Lilydale, Karoola, all through Nunamara - the rural area of Launceston." 

 West Tamar mayor Christina Holmdahl said she was happy with her council's existing boundaries, and was eagerly awaiting the results of community feedback and the board's consequent recommendations. 

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