Jan Davis: Local councils are vital to our lives – make sure you have your say

One of the things I get to do in my day job as CEO of TFGA is to speak with many groups of people all around the state. Not too many are lucky enough to get this chance to meet with such a diverse range of people and share experiences and views.

The conversations vary from group to group, and from place to place. However, there are always some common threads. Without exception, Tasmanians are passionate about Tasmania – and about ensuring a secure and sustainable future for their local community and for the state as a whole. Almost everyone agrees that we’re not travelling well at the moment, and that we have the potential to do – and be – so much more. However, there as many views as to what vision of the future should look like, and how we achieve it, as there are people!

Inevitably, the conversations move on to politics – and the comments about our political representation are almost invariably negative, no matter what the political leanings of the individual.

My usual response is to ask what they have done to change this – and I am generally met with a blank stare or shrugged shoulders. “I don’t want to be involved” they say; or “I don’t like politicians”. Even worse, some say they don’t vote because they don’t think it makes any difference.

If we all take that view, then we truly do get the representation we deserve. If you aren’t prepared to take some responsibility and participate in the process, you certainly don’t have the right to complain about the results or to cast aspersions about those who do take part.

Next week, most Tasmanians will have an important task to undertake. For two weeks, from Tuesday 14th to Tuesday 28th October, polling will be open in elections for the twenty nine local governments across Tasmania.

Local government elections in Tasmania are held on the last Tuesday in October. From this year, these elections will be held every four years.

Tasmania is one of only three states in which local government elections is not compulsory. The other states which have non-compulsory voting for council elections are South Australian and Western Australia.

Tasmania was the first state to introduce postal voting for local government elections when it was trialled in the 1994 and 1996 elections. All Tasmanian council elections are conducted with postal voting and the participation rate has been consistent, between 55-60 per cent at every election for the last decade.

That’s a disappointingly low participation rate.

If we don’t speak up and put forward our views, the space will be filled by people who have often narrow and non-mainstream agendas. We need political representatives at all levels who truly understand their constituencies, and can relate to the things they feel are important. From a TFGA point of view, of course, we need representatives who understand and support our vital farming sector. But whoever they are, our elected representatives need to have the capacity for clear and rational thinking and for putting the well-being of all Tasmanians ahead of their own sectional interests.

It is great to see that quite a few TFGA members and supporters have put themselves forward as candidates for these elections. We congratulate them on making this commitment and wish them well in the election.

If you haven’t yet voted, make sure that your voting paper doesn’t end up under the pile of bills on the kitchen table. Fill it in, and post it right away. Voting closes at 10 am on Tuesday 28th October.

A full list of all candidates for each local government area, together with a short election statement from each, can be viewed on the Tasmanian Electoral Commission’s website (www.tec.tas.gov.au).

Think carefully about how you place your vote – don’t just tick boxes. Ask yourself if you would employ a candidate, and if not why not. If you wouldn’t have them representing you in your business, why would you want them representing you in what are effectively some of the state’s largest and most important businesses where they make decisions that can impinge on almost every aspect of your day to day life?

Remember, you can’t win if you don’t play. Election outcomes are determined by those who participate. Voting does not guarantee that your preferences will prevail, but choosing not to vote denies you one of the key tools of having a say in a democracy.

The bottom line is that, if we don’t take elections like this seriously, we won’t get serious representatives – and that is a recipe for disaster.
TFGA chief executive Jan Davis