Dr Jennifer Bolton and I are organising a forum in the Ross Town Hall for Saturday 2 July. We hope this event will be a wake for democracy in the rural south of the northern midlands, or the celebration of a new dawn with a country council.
In 2018 there were 3 councillors from the rural south, but after the election, there was one left standing. After the next election in October, there is the haunting prospect that the rural south will lack a single councillor on the Northern Midlands Council.
Why is this happening?
The urban north of the northern midlands has become a growth area, with suburban overflow from Launceston, which is only going to increase, which means an increasing number of votes for local councillors in the urban north.
I support the introduction of compulsory voting, but also appreciate that it will further advantage local candidates in the urban north.
Why is the Tasmanian Government allowing a democratic vacuum to emerge in the rural south of the northern midlands?
The only solution that I see to this problem, is to create a country council with the rural south of the northern midlands. I fear that there are good country candidates who will not bother running in the coming election, because they can look at the numbers and see that they stand little to zilch chance of being elected.
As the Tasmanian Government moves to introduce compulsory voting, will they also consider the democratic vacuum in the rural south of the northern midlands?
A similar democratic vacuum could be created in Kentish (Sheffield), if the Devonport City Council is allowed to expand over those rural lands, as by the numbers most councillors, if not all, would be drawn from the urban areas of Devonport.
There needs to be a clear divide between city and country councils. Country councils are always smaller in population, but much larger in land area. Urban-based councils should not be applying city solutions on country people; country councils should be making decisions for country people.
The Southern Midlands Council is a country council, with councillors from across their municipality, but is smaller in land area than the rural lands of the northern midlands.
We have a right to democratic representation, but in the rural regions of the northern midlands we are trapped in a democratic vacuum.
We call on Premier Rockliff to end the tyranny of urban based councillors in the urban north of the northern midlands forcing their ideas and demands onto the rural south, such as selling the Campbell Town Hall, which would be needed for a country council.
Re: A Democratic Vacuum in the Northern Midlands
Dear Premier Rockliff,
As you approach the matter of compulsory voting for council candidates, you could also consider the current situation of a growing democratic vacuum in the rural lands of the northern midlands.
The northern midlands is a large municipal land area, and the rural area of the municipality is larger than the southern midlands.
When the Northern Midlands Council was formed in 1993, it was a rural municipality, but over the three decades since there has been growth in the north, making an urban area with overflow housing from Launceston.
In 2018 there were three councillors representing the rural south, and now there is one.
After the next election there could be no councillors to represent the rural south, the farmers and residents of the country towns. This is because there are simply more voters in the urban north who are more likely to vote for a local candidate, making it increasingly harder for rural candidates to win a seat on the Northern Midlands Council. See the map below.
I support the move to compulsory voting, but must also face the facts of the numbers, that there would be more voters in the urban north, giving further advantage to candidates in the urban north.
The outcome now is that 8 of the 9 councillors live in the urban north, so that we have urban based councillors determining what happens in the country districts of the municipality. How can urban councillors properly appreciate the needs and aspirations of farmers and residents of country towns?
The outcome is really bad planning outcomes, along with a suppression of local initiatives. It is quite amazing that every proposal that I have presented to the council since moving to Ross in 2015, has been ignored or crushed. Why would a council organisation do that?
In 2004 I organised a Tasmanian Bicentenary event in Ross on the theme of Jorgen Jorgenson, believed to be the king on the Ross Bridge, and present as First Mate on the Lady Nelson with the founding of British settlement at Risdon Cove in 1803, and then at Sullivans Cove in 1804. In 2016 I applied for the Ross Bridge to be included on the National Heritage List, unsuccessfully. In 2018 the council made a similar application, engaging a heritage consultant, but were also unsuccessful.
In my submission to the Local Government Review, I have included a list of the council roadblocks that I have encountered. [1] Why would the council organisation do that? They seem unable to properly manage the urban south, and this is a huge problem in the way of community well-being and progress in this part of Tasmania.
The problem is, when freedom of expression is actively suppressed in a community and increasingly over a period of three decades, because the council seeks to manage rather than enable, then a democratic vacuum is created. To maintain control of the urban south, the council is using District Committees, which make decisions on behalf of the community without any consultation. Such decisions are faulty, and lead to really bad planning outcomes, that are destructive for a heritage town like Ross.
I am shocked to read in the council submission, that they view the unelected and council managed District Committees as democratic, where I read: “Local Democracy: Quality of local presentation and the increasing difficulties of undertaking this effectively in larger councils. A range of approaches to enhance local democracy exist through mechanism such as community councils or boards, precincts or ward committees, our examples are Local District Committees.” [2]
When community consultation is held by the council, it is after the decisions have been made, not part of the decision-making process. Is that democracy?
So, there is a dual problem, with the loss of local representation on council from the rural districts, and the use of District Committees to suppress a free democratic voice, as well as any activity that the council system does not wish to discuss, or consider. This is the recipe for dictatorship, not democracy.
But, what is the solution?
I suggest that there is a principle to consider, that you should never have a pack of urban councillors running a large rural country area. I suggest that the rural parts of the northern midlands need to become a country council, separated from the urban north. This would then allow local representation for farmers and residents of country towns on their council. Is that too mush to ask for? I explore a method for how to define the boundary between urban and rural in my submission, in the last section. [1]
How soon should a country council be established for the rural south of the northern midlands? The sooner the better. The longer the current situation drags on, the more the damage done, disempowering the community, as residents become increasingly accustomed to be told what to do, and what they get. Faced with this brick wall of council, many people just give up, and may move away.
We nearly moved to Sheffield, but have decided to stay in Ross, and run in the next council election. What are our percentage chances with the current demographic, and then with compulsory voting? Many may do the sums, and decide that they have no chance of successfully running in the council election, if they live in the rural south. That is not a good outcome for democracy, and will further worsen the problems that I speak of.
If the Launceston City Council proposal for a metropolitan council model is adopted, then would the urban north of the northern midlands be part of Launceston? [3] That would appear to be what happens, if the city councils take in their surrounding suburbs.
Country councils have a smaller population, but there is a larger land area to manage, with working farms producing food and fleece. Farmers need a healthy supportive community, especially if we want youth to stay on the farm.
When I look at the Southern Midlands Council, I see a rural council where the councillors come from across the municipality. It is a country council.
I have read that the City of Devonport would like to expand into Kentish (Sheffield). I suggest that this would be a really negative move, as it would see the loss of local representation on the council for the rural community and bush places, where it would be inevitable that most councillors, if not all, would live in the urban areas of Devonport. I suggest that a metropolitan city along the coast could include Devonport and Burnie, but should not be allowed to expand into the rural regions.
Jennifer and I are organising a forum on Saturday 2 July to consider the issues leading up to the next council election, including the implications of compulsory voting, and the loss of rural representation in the northern midlands. We would welcome any report on these matters, and any suggestion on items that should be considered.
If you wish to attend and announce the creation of a country council for the rural lands of the northern midlands, we would welcome that, as it may be the only way that we could hope to win a seat on the council in the next election. The numbers are quite clear on the most likely outcome with the present municipal boundary for residents living in Ross.
Yours sincerely,
Kim Peart
REFERENCES
[1] FUTURE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN TASMANIA
Kim Peart, 19 May 2022, ASP Forum
https://australianspaceparty.discussion.community/post/media-future-of-local-government-in-tasmania-…-northern-midlands-council-19-may-2022-12356096
[2] SUBMISSION TO STATE GOVERNMENT LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD REVIEW – Draft
Northern Midlands Council, 10 May 2022
https://northernmidlands.tas.gov.au/source-assets/files/2022-Council-Agenda-and-Attachments/2022-05-16_Open-Council-Attachments-p1-117.pdf
[3] City of Launceston meeting agenda, 5 May 2022
Page 354 – 379, obtained as a download
https://www.launceston.tas.gov.au/Agendas-Minutes
Kim Peart and Jennifer Bolton are residents of Ross, and candidates for Northern Midlands Council Mayor and Deputy Mayor respectively in the 2022 local government elections.
