Peter Coad: ‘Politicians Must Act on Local Government Reform’

Media release – Peter Coad, Former Mayor Huon Valley Council, 4 August 2023

Calls for Immediate Local Government Reform

Former sacked Huon Valley Council Mayor Peter Coad said he has sympathy for Dorset councillors after the Minister’s decision to suspend all councillors.

The Minister has stated “my decision to suspend the council does not imply any wrong doing on behalf of any Councillor.”

Mr Coad said councillors have every right to be upset if they have not been involved in any wrong doing. It is however unbelievable that the General Manager hasn’t also been suspended given the allegations of governance failings within the Dorset Council.

The Local Government Act provides supreme powers to the General Manager who is complicit in the governance of a council.

The General Manager is required by law to give professional advice to councillors and only an independent inquiry will determine if that advice was within the law. The GM plays a critical role in advising and managing governance issues and why Dorset councillors have been singled out, and why the GM continues in the role, must be answered.

He said when the Huon Valley Council was sacked in 2016, the Board of Inquiry found no criminality within the Huon Valley Council. It was alleged by the Minister at the time that the council had failed to comply with at least one of the Ministerial Directions.

Mr Coad said, if Dorset councillors have not been involved in any wrong doing as stated by the Minister, then their suspension is just shooting the messenger.

In 2014 the current state government promised reform of local government in Tasmania, but now all we have to show is a state-wide planning scheme in tatters, ongoing confusion over proposed amalgamations, and suspended and sacked councils. We have a government that keeps asking for the community input and then basically ignoring it.

Tasmania needs strong leadership and local government reform is urgently needed. With 29 councils and the many bureaucratic and inefficient structures, reform must happen immediately.

The Huon Valley Council recent rate increase of 12 percent amidst extremely high cost of living pressures is a typical example of the need for reform. Our politicians must act, said Mr Coad.

This lack of local government reform and political style propaganda by the Government on reform does nothing to inspire the community that we have an efficient and effective local government system in Tasmania.

“Which we don’t,” said Mr Coad

I am sure we will have more situations like the Dorset and Huon Valley Councils in the future if councils do not comply with the political agenda of the government of the day.

Mr Coad said, the unfortunate thing about the Dorset Council suspension are the implications for the wider community. When we don’t have strong leadership within local and state governments it is clear we will all continue to suffer poor services amidst ongoing cost of living pressures.