Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Councillor Jim Soorley, described managers as the ‘intellectual horsepower of Local Government’. Speaking on the topic, ‘Local Government in the Context of an Australian Republic’, he challenged managers to display their leadership in the reform agenda as Australia seeks out the best form of governance to lead us into the next millennium.
“As advisors to your Council you can influence the outcome,” he said. “You are under pressure to review your own organisational design, but are you also looking at the big picture, so that coming into the next century we will have the form of governance that will serve us best,”
Calling for devolved decision making, so real decisions can be made at the local level, Jim Soorley said that under our present system the big decisions that impact on communities are being made by the other two spheres, with Local Government often left out of the equation.
Questioning whether the States have any further relevance, he called for their abolition, leaving stronger Local Government units to provide the bulk of services, with the Commonwealth Government dealing with national issues.
Again, returning to the leadership role of managers, the Lord Mayor moved on to the impending release of Peter Costello’s tax package.
“This will soon be presented to voters,” he said. “Are you aware of the implications and equipped to provide advice to your Council and community on the various options?
“Any adverse cost to the community through changes to the tax system is not likely to be returned to Local Government. The States will be protected because they will be at the negotiating table but Local Government will not, and rest assured, the Federal Government will end up much better off.”
