It is not a surprise that another Tasmanian council has rejected Jeremy Rockliff’s forced Council mergers.
Northern Midlands Council on behalf of its residents says it will fight Rockliff’s mergers because of a loss of local voice, loss of local identity and increased rates for locals and farmers.
The Rockliff-Ferguson Government is spending more than $3 million trying to come up with a plan for forced mergers but the process is in chaos.
Rockliff’s review was supposed to define the role of local government but has ended up as a scramble over lines on a map.
Liberal MLC Jane Howlett says she will cross the floor to vote against amalgamations. She is obviously getting the same feedback as Labor from local communities that are worried about losing their local voice, local jobs and local services and paying more in rates*.
It is clear that Mr Rockliff has the wrong priorities for our state and has stopped listening to Tasmanians.
No wonder his MPs are quitting or talking about voting against their own party. No wonder his office has seen a mass departure of staff.
Labor is listening to local government about the substantive issues it faces and does not think that redrawing maps and hiking up rates will solve those challenges.
Labor agrees with comments made in 2019 by former Premier Peter Gutwein who said: “We believe amalgamations stand the best chance of success when processes are voluntary and have support of their communities.”
*Local Government Minister Nic Street on Leon Compton on ABC radio on April 20: “The one thing you will not hear me promise, Leon, is that amalgamations will reduce rates for ratepayers because that simply is not the case. And it’s not been the experience anywhere. We’re not talking about reducing rates … for me this has never been about cost cutting for ratepayers.”
Luke Edmunds MLC
Shadow Minister for Local Government
