Roger Jaensch,Minister for Local Government and Planning
The Tasmanian Government is pleased to announce the members of the Local Government Board that will oversee the review of local government in Tasmania that will ensure the sector is ready for the challenges and opportunities in the future.
The Board will be chaired by Ms Sue Smith, who is a distinguished community leader, the first female President of the Legislative Council, a Member of Parliament for 16 years, a past Mayor of the Central Coast Council, a councillor for 14 years, and also Commissioner of Glenorchy during the 2017 Board of Inquiry.
Ms Smith will be ably supported by Ms Kym Goodes, Mr Paul West, Ms Pam Allen, Mr Rick De Santi and the Director of Local Government, all of whom have extensive experience and knowledge of local government in Tasmania and are highly regarded by the sector.
The objective of the Review is to ready local government in Tasmania for the challenges and opportunities of the future and to create a more robust and capable system of local government.
The Terms of Reference for the review, which were also released today, outline a collaborative, three-stage, 18-month review program, where the Board will consider the full range of council roles, responsibilities and functions.
The first stage of the Review, which will commence in January 2022, will focus on community level consultation, where everyone will be given the opportunity to describe the services they expect from councils to meet current and future needs, access opportunities and meet challenges.
The second stage will involve the development and testing of reform opportunities, while during the third stage the Board will develop recommendations for Government, along with practical transition plans.
We recognise the importance of local government as an independent, accountable and representative sphere of government, which is vital to the future of the Tasmanian economy and the well-being of Tasmanian communities.
Collaboration will be critical to the success of this review, and I thank Local Government Association of Tasmania and our councils for the constructive way that they have engaged so far.
The Government looks forward to continuing to work with the sector to develop a suite of meaningful reforms that will deliver genuine, positive outcomes for Tasmania.
The Terms of Reference are available at: https://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/divisions/local_government/local_government_board_review_-_the_future_of_local_government_in_tasmania
