Each edition we feature the views of a Local Government Association President. The following is from Councillor Margaret Vigants, Local Government Association Northern Territory.
Election Time
In the Northern Territory nominations have now closed for the election of members to Municipal Councils with Saturday 27 May being the day of the vote. There are six Municipal Councils and they are responsible for the provision of Local Government services to approximately 75 percent of the Territory population. In total, 50 Council members will be elected to serve a four year term of office.
The number of nominations indicates a strong interest by local people in serving on the respective Councils, and I regard this as a very healthy sign for Local Government and local democracy in the NT.
One current Mayor well known to many interstate readers who has decided not to throw his hat in the ring again is Mayor Andy McNeill of the Alice Springs Council. In addition to his major contribution to the Alice Springs community, Andy has attended all the National General Assemblies of Local Government held to date and has also been a strong contributor to LGANT. He will be missed and we all wish him well for the future.
The Association has conducted workshops in each of the Council areas to provide persons considering nominating with information to assist in their decision to stand for public office. We have conducted a campaign to encourage Aboriginal people living in the major towns to nominate for election to the Municipal Councils.
I am aware that other States are also conducting elections at this time of the year. There is much talk about Local Government accountability but election day does provide the local community with the ultimate accountability mechanism.
They can either continue or cease the term of office of renominating members, or commence the Local Government career of new members. That is Local Government and local democracy.
Financial Assistance Grants Review disappoints by avoiding the major issue
Councils in the Northern Territory are very annoyed that the Federal Minister for Local Government, Senator Ian Macdonald, has decided to limit the terms of reference for the review of the Local Government (Financial Assistance) Act by excluding consideration of the interstate distribution of the general purpose and local road grants.
We saw the review as a window of opportunity to continue our long standing campaign to achieve the interstate distribution of the general purpose grants under the Act on the basis of fiscal equalisation principles. The Local Government Associations in South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia and Queensland, I understand, share a similar view.
In his letter the Minister says the review is ‘an important part of the Government’s desire to enhance equity between Councils’. I can see nothing equitable in the fact that Councils in the Northern Territory currently receive only a fraction of the funding of Councils in the same classification and with the same population in other States.
I can see nothing equitable in Councils on Aboriginal communities currently receiving a fraction of the funding of Councils interstate with the same population. In regard to road funding and equity, it is difficult to see why South Australian Councils receive only $300 per kilometre compared to $800 per kilometre in New South Wales and over $1,400 per kilometre in Tasmania.
It will be difficult for us to get enthusiastic about the review in the NT while these major equity issues are excluded from consideration by the Minister. I am sure the Minister will hear more about this at the Northern Summit meetings he is attending over coming weeks across the Top End.
