Following the March 2012 announcement by the NSW Government Minister for Local Government, the Hon. Don Page MP, of a review of local government, a panel was appointed and the process is now underway.
The Independent Local Government Review Panel, made of up chairman Professor Graham Sansom of the Australian Centre for Excellence in Local Government, Ms Jude Munro AO and Mr Glenn Inglis, will be asking NSW councils and community members a number of questions over the next few months as the first round of consultation begins.
Some of the questions being asked of councils and their communities include: What does the future hold for local government in NSW? Can councils play a stronger, more effective role to support local communities? Can they all survive financially? Will they need to change their focus, structures or boundaries to meet the changing needs of their communities?
“This first round of consultation is deliberately broad,” said Professor Sansom. “The Minister has made it clear that ‘everything is on the table’ for this review and we want to honour that by allowing people to raise all the issues that are important to their councils and communities. This will help us to refine key concerns and options for our research and for further consultation.
“The Panel is an independent body and we approach this process with an open mind and open ears. We really want to hear what people have to say about the future of local government in this State.
“Councils play a vital role in community life,” Professor Sansom continued. “We will be taking our time to carefully explore all the issues raised. We need to come up with the best possible framework for local government over the next 20—30 years to meet the future challenges facing NSW communities. Our final report will be presented to the Minister in July 2013.”
Some of the key issues the Review will explore include: councils’ ability to support the current and future needs of their communities; councils’ capacity to deliver infrastructure and services in a timely and efficient manner; the financial sustainability of local councils; the need for effective local representation and decision–making; barriers and incentives for voluntary boundary changes and the scope for increased regional cooperation between councils.
The consultation paper provides a number of key questions to open the discussion, with an opportunity to respond via an on–line feedback form, email, or written submissions.
Further information and the Panel’s background paper, Strengthening your Community, is available on the Independent Local Government Review Panel’s website at www.localgovernmentreview.nsw.gov.au.
