Key Points
A Rebecca White Labor Government will support local councils to thrive, while ensuring ratepayers are protected from hardship and getting value for money.
Labor will:
- Ensure no forced amalgamations
- Introduce consistent PAYG rates and hardship policies
- Ensure a fairer distribution of the Heavy Vehicle Motor Tax
- Bring back Partnership Agreements to help with strategic planning
- Remove the first-mover disadvantage to get developments going
- Establish a sector-wide workforce development program
- Protect candidates so they don't have to disclose their home address on authorised materials
- Improve transparency by implementing a planning dashboard
- Develop a model for council scrutiny to ensure ratepayers are getting value for money
- Establish fair funding streams via an Immediate Local Government Assistance Fund.
Why we need it
After 10 years of the Liberals, local councils have been left out in the cold. The Liberals spent $3 million on a Local Government Review report that they threw in the bin and they have no solutions for local government other than forced mergers, a loss of local voice and local job losses.
“A Labor Government will support councils to thrive into the future”
The Liberals have made a mess of infrastructure contributions and left the local government workforce feeling unsupported.
Ratepayers are also suffering in a cost-of-living crisis, and many are unable to pay their rates monthly or on pay days to avoid bill shock.
The details
- No forced council amalgamations. Unlike the Liberals who spent more than $3 million on a report that lays out their plan for forced mergers, forced mergers will not happen under a Labor Government. Each council area will determine their own future.
- Introducing consistent PAYG rates policies across all Tasmanian councils.
- Introducing a consistent hardship policy across Tasmanian councils.
- A fairer distribution of the Heavy Vehicle Motor Tax funding already collected by Government – doubling it to $3 million so that our regional roads are safe and properly maintained.
- Bring back the popular Partnership Agreements to help with strategic planning, ensure each council has its priorities heard and can properly engage with the State Government’s departments.
- Remove the first-mover disadvantage to get developments going as part of our broader planning policies.
- Work with councils, unions and other stakeholders to establish a sector-wide workforce development program across local government, including developing a program to support traineeship and apprenticeship opportunities.
- Protect all candidates by allowing them to authorise materials from their local council office so they don’t have to disclose their home address. This is a barrier to new candidates and is currently only available to incumbents.
- Improve transparency by implementing a planning dashboard to spell out in clear terms the performance of planning authorities and reward councils that perform well with additional funding for local infrastructure.
- Work with the Parliament and local government stakeholders to develop a model for council scrutiny to ensure ratepayers are getting value for money. This transparency measure would highlight issues in local government that may require attention, including cost-shifting, and could help avoid the expense and public inconvenience of boards of inquiry.
Immediate Local Government Assistance Fund – improving the lives of Tasmanians as we work with local councils
As a partner of Tasmania’s councils, a Labor Government will establish fair funding streams to help councils with the challenges that come with population growth, extra density and pressure on infrastructure, delivered over four years, through six key streams:
- All-Abilities Access Stream: $2.5 million
This stream will focus on improving existing local government assets to ensure all community members have appropriate access. This includes improvements such as: all access bathrooms, all access car park spaces, all access sporting infrastructure. - Tracks and Trails Stream: $2.5 million
Local councils own some of our states' most sought after walking, running and cycling locations. This steam will allow local councils to create, upgrade and/or maintain new and existing tracks and trails. - Recreation Grounds Irrigation Stream: $2.5 million
Local councils around the state are crying out for improved irrigation systems, which are efficient and provide value for cost. This stream will provide funding to upgrade irrigation systems at council run recreation grounds. - Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Stream: $2.5 million
Local councils play a critical role in combating climate change by working at the forefront of climate mitigation and adaptation across our local communities. This stream would allow local governments to deliver projects which work to reduce natural disaster risk or improve climate resilience. - Beach All-Access Stream: $2.5 million
Everyone deserves to access Tasmania’s pristine beaches. To ensure that beach access is a priority for councils This stream would partner with councils to both pilot and install beach access around Tasmania. - Dogs Recreation Stream: $2.5 million
With strong pet ownership data in Tasmania, pets to be allowed in rentals and a growth in density it is necessary to provide recreation space for the dogs of Tasmania and their owners.