Time for the State Government to act on council mergers

With Hobart City Council joining a raft of other Tasmanian councils in supporting moves toward
mergers, it is time for Premier Lara Giddings to step in.

Tasmanians for Reform spokeswoman Mary Massina has welcomed the announcement by Hobart
City Council to support a move to merge, but said she was disappointed that unless the State
Government acted, nothing would come of it.

“Hobart City Council wants a buck each way – on the one hand they agree to the idea of a merger,
but on the other when a proposition such as the creation of a Greater Hobart Council is put in front
of them, they reject it,” Ms Massina said.

“Just like Kingborough and Brighton, Hobart mouths the words of wanting reform but never actually
comes up with a workable solution, and even though Sorell and Clarence appear to be genuine in
their merger talks nothing has come from them either.

“Premier Giddings has said she would be guided by local government on reform and in the South the
majority of urban councils have indicated they want to merge, so now is her chance to show
leadership and do something about it.”

Ms Massina said if the Premier was unwilling to act, she should explain to the Tasmanian community
why their rates and charges continued to spiral upwards at over eight per cent each year.

“Clearly local government has demonstrated that self-interest and self-preservation are more
important than actually helping the communities they represent and so it is up to the State
Government to act,” Ms Massina said.

“Even the southern councils’ own $300,000 taxpayer and ratepayer-funded report shows the
creation of a Greater Hobart Council could save 15 per cent in services alone, yet this has been
rejected.

“The Deloitte Access Economics report showed up to 35 per cent efficiency could be achieved
through mergers – that is one third of people’s rates being wasted by local government
inefficiency.”
Mary Massina, Tasmanians for Reform