I fear for the future of local government, especially in smaller shires. It is turning into something it was never meant to be.
Although I no longer sit on council, I was first elected over 20 years ago.
We were given a small meeting fee to compensate for our time. Fast forward 20 years … we now have people making a career out of these elected positions.
Add to this the mess that was amalgamation, and you get the picture.
Some councils have got down to where two or three people plus a casting vote control all decisions. A frightening thought – the Local Government Act has evolved into a tool for clever CEOs to take control of towns.
People whose hearts are for the community are sidelined. Local government is very limited in power, with big brothers (state and federal) passing on more responsibility without passing on extra finances or extra resources.
The red tape and rules passed on to local government are created in heavily populated areas with a large rate base, whose situation is so much different to the smaller more isolated communities, yet the same cookie cutter is used for all.
Communities are the glue that keep a country strong. As we look to each other and work together, we grow as a nation. Too much attention is being paid to the so-called experts.
I fear that local government could end up as far removed from the people as state and federal governments are, and that would be a crying shame.
Someone needs to remind local government it's the residents who employ them and that they need to stay in touch with the residents.
Yes, they are board members and must take a business-like approach to the handling of public resources, but part of their job is to interact with the public, so people have a voice, and furthermore convey that voice back to the other tiers of government.
As I said at the outset, I fear for the future of local government and its usefulness, unless we get back to its original purpose. Worth a thought.
– Keith Douglas, Cloncurry auctioneer and real estate agent