Teresa Gambaro (Petrie, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Hansard source

Today I wish to speak about another example of the sheer arrogance of the Beattie government in Queensland. Local government in Queensland had started undertaking reform with the size, shape and sustainability review, which was investigating shared services, regional cooperation and voluntary boundary changes between councils throughout the state. Work on the triple S study was well underway, with some significant progress having been made, when, without any warning whatsoever, Premier Peter Beattie and his junior local government minister announced a full review of local government in Queensland. This new study will be on Beattie’s terms by a group of people handpicked by Beattie and in a time frame set by Beattie. There was no consultation with the local governments or community that these changes would take effect. This review was imposed on all of us without any warning. To date, the work on the triple S study has meant absolutely nothing.

When the Beattie government mates bring down their decision in September, I am told that local governments in Queensland will be dissolved and run by interim committees headed by union hacks appointed by the Premier. Mayors across Queensland who have had significant experience will be thrown out and replaced by people who have absolutely no experience in running local government. And under the Premier’s plan, the sustainability of communities throughout Queensland will be in the hands of pencil pushers and bean counters in George Street in Brisbane who have not even visited the communities that they purport to represent. This is another example of the state government cutting funding to essential local communities. In place will be a system to wind things down and replace these councils with centralised, faceless, faraway organisations with no connection to their communities.

Make no mistake: these changes will lead to significant job losses for the people in local government throughout the state and will rip the heart and soul from local communities.

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