Tasmanians ‘stick up’ to reduce rates

The humble wheelie bin is set to become the frontline in a statewide campaign for local government reform this week.

Some 150,000 Tasmanians will be asked to show their support by putting a ‘reduce rates’ sticker on their wheelie bins, which they will receive in their letterboxes over the coming days. The move comes in the wake of further EMRS figures which show three quarters (74 per cent) of the community would give council amalgamations the thumbs up if rates were to go down just 10 per cent.

Tasmanians for Reform spokesperson Mary Massina said the figures were compelling across the State, with 77 per cent of Tasmanians in the south believing councils would save money if they merged, backed-up by 76 per cent in the north-west and 67 per cent in the north east.

“This figure, on top of the fact that 69 per cent of Tasmanians support council mergers, makes the case for local government reform simply too compelling to ignore,” Ms Massina said.

“We encourage anyone who would like to see better council services, better infrastructure and cheaper rates to join the campaign and display their stickers in full view on their wheelie bins.”

Ms Massina said the EMRS figures were not surprising, given the recent Deloitte Access Economics Report, which identified efficiencies of up to 35 per cent could be achieved from
local government reform.

“This equates to $110 million being wasted in the south of the State alone, which in today’s economic climate, with the spiralling cost of living, is simply rubbish.”