Local Government Reform topics

LAST week's council meeting at Granton authorised the forming of a working group to review and make comments on the recently circulated discussion paper titled “Proposed Changes to Local Government Electoral Arrangements". Appointed to this working group were mayor Martyn Evans, deputy mayor Barry Lathey, councillors Tony Nicholson, Wayne Shoobridge, James Graham, Chris Lester, Scott Shaw and myself, and general manager Stephen Mackey.

With a request to provide feedback on the four proposals by the end of this month, the working group met this Tuesday to consider the the council's position. Present were the general manager and councillors Lathey, Nicholson, Shoobridge, Lester and myself.

The four proposals and our council's position (reached by consensus) on them were:

• Introducing opt-in compulsory voting whereby a council may choose to make voting in local government elections compulsory within its municipal area. The Derwent Valley Council will not support this proposal. The working group's preference is compulsory voting for all councils. 
• Introducing all-in, all-out elections every four years, with four-year terms for Mayors and Deputy Mayors. The Derwent Valley Council will support this proposal. 
• Moving to election of Deputy Mayors "around the table" rather than by popular vote. The Derwent Valley Council will not support this proposal. The working group's preference is for mayors and deputy mayors to be elected in the same way - by popular vote.
• Banning dual representation, so that a person cannot in future hold a seat on council and in State Parliament at the same time. The Derwent Valley Council will not support this proposal. The working group's preference was that mayors and deputy mayors elected to parliament be permitted to serve out the remainder of their council term and that there be no restriction on councillors elected to parliament. My personal view is that dual representation is not ideal but should not be illegal.