Local Government in South Australia is going through a quiet revolution, or to be more accurate an evolution, as the expectations of our communities increase and as other spheres of government continue to devolve their responsibilities to Local Government, the ‘grass roots’ sphere of our
political system.
We continue to shoulder more responsibility without the security of direct funding from the Federal Government which remains under threat as long as local government waits for constitutional recognition. The 11th hour delay of the referendum on direct funding was incredibly disappointing as it denied local communities the security of funding they deserve for their local roads and projects.
Personally, I question the veracity of politicians who promise stronger relationships between federal and local government and promise funds for local communities yet for party political reasons leave the very same funding unsecured and exposed to a High Court challenge. Our opponents, sometimes the very same politicians, offered no remedy or any promise to replace the funds in the event of a successful challenge.
We must not lose sight of the key objective – securing access to vital federal funds for roads, sporting clubs and community facilities. In doing so, we will hold politicians to their commitment, 94 percent of the Federal Parliament voted in favour of the referendum to resolve the matter, and resolve it we must.
South Australian councils are also awaiting the recommendations of our review into the Council of the Future being conducted by an independent expert panel, chaired by former State Government Minister Greg Crafter. The LGASA commissioned the review and has encouraged all councils and external stakeholders to get involved.
The panel is considering a raft of questions about what the local government sector should look like in 20 years’ time including whether regional local government could be the way of the future; should Local Government candidates be skills tested for their suitability to run for council; should mayors have more executive powers, and should councils involve themselves in commercial activity, public private partnerships and a greater range of services to
local communities?
The panel’s interim paper Towards the Council of the Future seeks public comment on these and a wide range of questions to help councils prepare for change to meet community expectations now and well into the future.
One focus receiving increasing attention is the role of councils in fostering local economic development. For many years we have understood our role in maintaining the public realm, and in establishing planning frameworks, but have we fully considered the impact of these and other policy settings on local business? Do we have any role in the incubation of new opportunities? Do we have procurement policies that favour innovation or local content, or industry policies that seek to shape the economic future of our cities?
If we want our community members to be gainfully employed and able to access a broad range of services, then the health of our local economies should be mainstream business for councils.
Local Government in SA has also geared up for the advent of the State’s first Commissioner Against Corruption, former Justice Bruce Lander, who set up shop on 1 September, and who has indicated his willingness to work closely with local government as we adjust to this new regime.
The LGA has prepared a suite of documents, model templates and guidelines to assist councils, elected members and council staff members to work within new legislative requirements.
Local government is easily the most transparent and accessible level of government in the country and it is vital we continue to provide our communities with the highest possible level of confidence in our decision making.
