Greens Back Constitutional Referendum
The Tasmanian Greens today welcomed the announcement of a referendum on constitutional recognition for local government.
Greens Local Government spokesperson Tim Morris MP said the Tasmanian Greens had long supported constitutional recognition for local government, with a motion tabled the House of Assembly earlier this year supporting the move and calling on the State Labor and Liberal parties to also back the move.
“Recognising local government in the constitution would help to clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each tier of government, improving things like service delivery and funding,” said Mr Morris.
“The Greens have been calling on the Labor and Liberal parties to back this move at the state level for some time, so we are pleased to see there’s finally action in the form of a national referendum.”
“Federal Minister Albanese has stressed the importance of state bipartisanship on this issue, yet both the Labor and Liberal parties have been dragging their feet and refusing to commit to supporting this move.”
“It has been clear for a long time that constitutional recognition is necessary to strengthen the role of local government, and create a more efficient framework for delivery of funding and services across all three tiers of government.”
“The states are often quick to devolve significant responsibilities to municipalities, which have a crucial role in delivering services to citizens, but the lack of constitutional recognition can create confusion and uncertainty.”
“Two expert committees have now supported this change to our Constitution and the Greens fully support the move to put the proposal to the Australian people through a referendum,” Mr Morris said.
Tim Morris MP Greens Local Government Spokesperson Thursday, 9 May 2013
