PETER KEARNEY ON AMALGAMATION

 

West Tamar councillor has say on local government review interim ... EXAMINER .. Report By Luke Miller 

Councillor questions absence of amalgamation in review report .... Any mention of amalgamations was deliberately avoided during the first stage of Tasmania's local government review, but a councillor in the state's north has emphasised the need for in-depth discussion around the topic. .......................... The Local Government Board in its interim report said discussion of amalgamation tended to imply a blunt and simplistic approach to reform. .......................... West Tamar councillor Peter Kearney said the initial report made conclusions that were not new. "It said Local Government was highly valued and made a big economic contribution when working well, and that at such times the community was not in favour of amalgamations," he said. .......................... "But the review fails to determine that getting all councils to work well should be its first and primary goal, which it should aim to undertake straight away." .......................... Cr Kearney said the review should not put subjects like amalgamation, boundary adjustments, and getting rid of whole councils in the category of "he whose name must not be spoken". .......................... "Why? Because at least two larger councils put it on the agenda right at the start of the Review," he said. .......................... "Other councils have active plans to gobble up nearby, and usually smaller councils ... mayors and general managers are openly coveting their lands." .......................... The comments follow the City of Launceston, as well as Devonport's proposal to merge with nearby councils submitted in April. .......................... Georgetown mayor Greg Kieser - whose council discussed the possibility of amalgamating with West Tamar in 2028 - said, while 29 councils in one state was "a lot", there were benefits the increased number afforded. .......................... "All councils were established for a reason, so the real question is 'how do you equitably unbundle representation and economic benefit?' and to date, no one has tabled a feasible model," he said. "The harder it becomes for the community to make direct contact with their councils, the more bitter the pill will be for the general public to swallow."