In each edition we feature the views of a Local Government Association President. The following is from Alderman Dave Elliot, President of the Local Government Association of the Northern Territory.
As this goes to print I will be in my last days both as President of the Local Government Association of the Northern Territory (‘the Association’) and as an Executive member of the Australian Local Government Association. My term finishes on 2 November 2002 when an election for the position and other positions on the Executive of the Association will be held. I will not be contesting positions so I wish all candidates seeking election to the Executives of both organisations all the best with their campaigns.
I have enjoyed immensely my terms in office and consider it a privilege to have served in the positions I held. I would like to think my contributions were appreciated and that some of the decisions I took part in were in the best interests of Local Government. I do think however, that there is much to do in Local Government in the Northern Territory to ‘lift the bar’ on performance. By this I mean structural reform is needed to improve capacity, otherwise we are going to see quite a few Councils struggle to survive. This is particularly true of some of our Councils in remote areas which, are small and lack resources.
The Northern Territory may not have the history of Local Government that the other States have but it certainly has a government sector in Local Government that is striving to do its best and, in some areas, is still developing. There is much to be proud of, there are many challenges and our ‘role’ is no less relevant than it has been in the past.
In some respects the role for some is about doing ‘just about every service you can think of’ – because there is no one else to do it. So ‘scope’ is definitely not a problem.
One area where Local Government does need support is in attracting suitably qualified and experienced staff, and I certainly encourage people to come to the Northern Territory to work, if only for the short term. The experience alone is well worth it and I know the Association is exploring this prospect with other State bodies. Local Government in much of Australia is now more sophisticated and diverse. Most managerial and operational positions, even at the lower levels, require levels of qualification and expertise beyond what they used to require. As these requirements have increased so has the level of remuneration and benefits to many of the sector’s employees.
This is a reflection of improved efficiencies and effective service delivery. However, there are Councils in many parts of the country, and particularly in areas of the Northern Territory, that have yet to reach these heights. The challenge of dealing with the mass of issues in small and isolated communities is awesome. Still, I know there are many who would like a challenge and the chance to make real and meaningful contributions to the development of Local Government.
I encourage all Councils to pursue the Commonwealth Government for outcomes from the cost-shifting inquiry. As our Queensland friends said in their surveys, ‘Council’s future roles, responsibilities and funding could be at stake’. I was pleased to have played a role in the Inquiry and I am hopeful that beneficial change will come to us all. So keep the pressure on, as even if we only manage to ‘slow down’ cost shifting, the exercise will have been beneficial.
For me, an important area for us to be concerned with is the development and maintenance of our infrastructure and information systems. We virtually have no long term strategic plans being coordinated across the country and it is something we need to address. Unfortunately our attempts to fix infrastructure problems are not good and there even seem to be those that think we should just let towns in Australia wither and die. I say we should do our best to keep them alive for as long as possible, otherwise it is such a waste of resources.
Elected members are in Local Government ‘for the benefit of their communities’. We all need to remember that sometimes. People in the bush tend to understand this, as they are generally at the end and beginning of the supply chain. They input the raw materials and get back the products they and others produce.
I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the continuing support our Association has received from the other Local Government Associations (LGAs) as well as ALGA. From time to time we all wonder about the value of membership in an association. Well, ALGA is one association that is of great value to us all and I hope that it continues to grow, strengthen and develop for the benefit of all Australian LGAs and Councils.
