Yes, yes, yes the states's elected representatives in local governance actually do need access to a professional counselling service but Minister Street's late in the day response to the goings on at Launceston's Town Hall is so, so ONEdimensional. The first question that comes to mind is were was he all the time when he should have known that 'council chambers' are notoriously toxic work places? Since 'The Minister' was once in local government and he should know just how toxic local government is. As a workplace for both Councillors (the elected ones) and Council Officers (the appointed ones) Minister Street's belated and his sudden realisation of it, has a funny smell about it.Yes, this CIVICtoxicity is not evident at the same level in all 29 of Tasmania's councils but it is there, and it is apocryphal that it's there. For whatever reason Tasmania's political class is disinclined to address the issue. Indeed, the status quo that includes this toxicity, the BEARAUbullying that is a part of it, plus all the benefits all this seems to deliver to the status quoist is a worry – the outcomes the political class seem to cherish this.
Pun intended, local government in Tasmania is a 'Mare's Nest'. The system is broken!
If history plays itself out here, Minister Street will puff, blow and shout very loudly in the wake of Mayor Gibson's resignation. The outrageous personal attacks on his Mayoral integrity will be shouted down, and then he'll become quite silent relying on the electorate's short attention span as the status quo conveniently kicks back in.
In local governance there is this thing called 'the three factor'. It goes like this, if a noisy ratepayer comes along with a problem, do nothing for three days and it all go away. If not, it might just take three weeks. or even three months but given time it'll all be forgotten and nothing really needs to be done – or as it is said "do nothing, job done".
IF the Minister was in fact serious about all this he might think about levying councils a small percentage from their recurrent budgets, matching it from his own discretionary funding and asking councillors to chip in a small percentage of their stipends to fund a network of 'independent service providers and mentors' operating at arm's length from his department and most importantly well away from 'council management'. However, as is often said "good luck with that one cobber"!
Nevertheless, everyone is vulnerable to the stresses and strains they are exposed to no matter where they are ranked in the food chain. If anyone of us were to think about it there is a very good chance that we would know someone who is seriously struggling with stress – if not ourselves. Increasingly, adults face some form of mental illness in their lifetime. So why aren’t we talking about it?
We are not actually required to control our thoughts. However, we do need to stop letting them control us. To help us out in this the poet and singer, Leonard Cohen sings an anthem that goes ... "Ring the bells that still can ring, Forget your perfect offering, There is a crack, a crack in everything, That's how the light gets in ..." Thank goodness for all those cracks that are there and for the likes of Leonard Cohen who tell us that they are there!
Currently, these services are not in place for councillors.
Online harassment against local government councillors has been increasing in recent years, Local Government Association Tasmania chief officer Dion Lester said.
Mr Lester said the increase has been "very concerning".
"While being the closest level of government to the community has many advantages, it also means that councillors can be exposed to the sort of abuse that has forced the mayor of Launceston to resign," he said.
In 2022, LGAT reviewed the Workplace Health and Safety of Elected Representatives.
"We are currently working through the recommendations from this work that will support councillors in their role. This includes providing elected representatives access to councils' Employee Assistance Programs and establishing a mentoring program," Mr Lester said.
LGAT is working with the Tasmanian Government on a range of initiatives to support councillors. This includes a framework for managing challenging behaviour from community members.
During the 2022 October elections, candidates said one of the barriers around standing for local government was facing harassment, including online trolling and disrespect.
The Tasmanian Government has been working with the local government sector since 2019, when concerns around bullying and harassment of councillors via social media were raised and sparked a widespread conversation.
Local Government Minister Nic Street said everyone has a workplace where they are treated with respect, feel safe and where discrimination is not tolerated.
"We are working with the Local Government Association of Tasmania to implement appropriate recommendations from their recent Workplace Health and Safety Review of elected representatives," he said.
"In particular, I strongly support the recommendation of the review that Council Employee Assistance Programs are extended to include elected representatives. This will provide councillors access to a confidential counselling service and mental health support."
City of Launceston council offers a dedicated and independently operated Employee Assistance Program, which is a confidential counselling service.
The council's acting mayor Matthew Garwood said local government was a challenging space to work.
"Anyone who put's themselves into the public eye, whether it be as a councillor, athlete, musician or performer, can and most likely will experience some kind of commentary," he said.
"While most people engage with local councils in constructive ways, some choose to engage negatively with abuse and harassment, particularly with the accessibility of social media. Elected representatives and staff quite often deal with all sorts of pressures.
"The City of Launceston's organisational values also promote the well-being of staff, elected representatives, and the community, and our workplace culture is built on this foundation."
Launceston council will continue to participate in the Workplace Health and Safety Review and support any action to improve the situation for elected representatives and local government employees.
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| Video link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8-BT6y_wYg |
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Local government minister Nic Street has recommended a state mental health support and confidential counselling services be implemented for local government councillors.
Currently, these services are not in place for councillors.
Online harassment against local government councillors has been increasing in recent years, Local Government Association Tasmania chief officer Dion Lester said.
Mr Lester said the increase has been "very concerning".
"While being the closest level of government to the community has many advantages, it also means that councillors can be exposed to the sort of abuse that has forced the mayor of Launceston to resign," he said.
In 2022, LGAT reviewed the Workplace Health and Safety of Elected Representatives.
"We are currently working through the recommendations from this work that will support councillors in their role. This includes providing elected representatives access to councils' Employee Assistance Programs and establishing a mentoring program," Mr Lester said.
LGAT is working with the Tasmanian Government on a range of initiatives to support councillors. This includes a framework for managing challenging behaviour from community members.
During the 2022 October elections, candidates said one of the barriers around standing for local government was facing harassment, including online trolling and disrespect.
The Tasmanian Government has been working with the local government sector since 2019, when concerns around bullying and harassment of councillors via social media were raised and sparked a widespread conversation.
Local Government Minister Nic Street said everyone has a workplace where they are treated with respect, feel safe and where discrimination is not tolerated.
"We are working with the Local Government Association of Tasmania to implement appropriate recommendations from their recent Workplace Health and Safety Review of elected representatives," he said.
"In particular, I strongly support the recommendation of the review that Council Employee Assistance Programs are extended to include elected representatives. This will provide councillors access to a confidential counselling service and mental health support."
City of Launceston council offers a dedicated and independently operated Employee Assistance Program, which is a confidential counselling service.
The council's acting mayor Matthew Garwood said local government was a challenging space to work.
"Anyone who put's themselves into the public eye, whether it be as a councillor, athlete, musician or performer, can and most likely will experience some kind of commentary," he said.
"While most people engage with local councils in constructive ways, some choose to engage negatively with abuse and harassment, particularly with the accessibility of social media. Elected representatives and staff quite often deal with all sorts of pressures.
"The City of Launceston's organisational values also promote the well-being of staff, elected representatives, and the community, and our workplace culture is built on this foundation."
Launceston council will continue to participate in the Workplace Health and Safety Review and support any action to improve the situation for elected representatives and local government employees.
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