Andrew Bartlett (Queensland, Australian Democrats) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to speak tonight, it pains me to tell you, in strong criticism of the Queensland state Labor government and their recent actions with regard to local government. Queenslanders would know that a process has been underway for some time called the Size, Shape and Sustainability process, where councils work with adjoining councils to consider the best way forward. There was no doubt that the possibility of amalgamations or closer forms of cooperation were part of that process.

I do not seek to express an opinion about whether or not amalgamations are desirable in particular areas, but I do believe that the process the Beattie Labor government has followed in recent times with regard to the future of local government in Queensland is absolutely inexcusable. No doubt, some councils were dragging the chain somewhat in determining an outcome for their area under the Size, Shape and Sustainability process but there was a complete lack of consultation and a total lack of warning. There was the complete dismissal of the majority of councils who were working through that process and who had put an enormous amount of time and energy into and diverted resources and attention towards that process over recent times. For all of that to be swept aside without warning is inexcusable. Frankly, it is stupid.

It might seem very clever in the short term to take control of something centrally, impose a solution and say, ‘That’s what you’ve got.’ I remember Jeff Kennett doing something like that in Victoria not too long ago. The simple fact is that, whatever process or result you impose on people, it is going to be much harder to make it work if you do not work through it with them and if you do not make at least some effort to determine what might suit them, what might be in their interests and what might work locally. That local knowledge is real and it is not something that can just be assessed from reading a bunch of reports with a group of people in Brisbane. It is a recipe for disaster, frankly, to be running the risk of imposing a whole lot of forced amalgamations on a whole lot of different areas which do not want them. Going about it in this sort of way really smacks of the sort of arrogance that we get from governments of any persuasion when they have been in power for a prolonged period of time.

It is quite frankly the sort of thing that you would expect to see from this federal government. It has also been in recent times, particularly since it has had control of the Senate, guilty of a whole range of activities—of railroading legislation and issues and imposing outcomes on people without any interest and consultation, without even any interest in genuinely determining the best result. It is of course a reality in Queensland that we do not have an upper house, and it is because of that lack of an upper house that actions like this happen much more easily and much more readily. I think it is yet another example of why an upper house would be highly desirable for Queensland as a mechanism for review and some check and balance against the government of the day, of whatever persuasion, that basically has carte blanche to do what it wants.

Local government is often talked about, somewhat dismissively in many cases, as roads, rates and rubbish. Certainly those are things that many of them are preoccupied with. They might seem mundane, although they are obviously very important when they do not go right. But there is another ‘r’ that is not put in that equation that I think should be put in that equation just as automatically, and that is representation. Local government is a clear opportunity for much more direct local representation from people, particularly in an era when governments, whether at state or federal level, are much more bureaucratic, managerial, centralist and surrounded by an army of spin doctors and PR campaigns and are basically about managing public expectations rather than representing the community. In that context of the reality of government both at state and federal level, the role of local government purely as a representative voice is one that becomes more important.

That is not to say that amalgamations should not occur in certain circumstances or would not be desirable. In many cases, a number of councils have been working towards that. They may not have been working towards it as rapidly as the state government would have liked, but I just cannot believe that it was not possible to at least have given some warnings of what would happen and to at least give some indications of more precise deadlines when certain things had to be done by—to have had some flexibility there.

There is no doubt that the state government had it within its power to extend the period for the next council elections, which are due in March next year, to later in the year. That could have given an extra six months or so period of grace for those councils to sort out things more accurately locally and to have referendums to actually ensure not just that councils were happy to go down this path but that communities were happy to go down this path. While it might be a bit slower and it might even be a little more expensive, you would get a result that communities are comfortable with, that they embrace, that they are willing to work with and that they will go forward with rather than one that they are resisting and that they are resentful and furious about because the outcomes have been imposed upon them.

Frankly, this process that has come about is not going to save money, because all of the resources that did go into the Size, Shape and Sustainability process have now basically been wasted and completely overridden by what is a rushed so-called reform commission process that is being imposed on local councils. Obviously councils from more remote areas are more nervous about this than those in regional areas—those that are smaller, those that are seen as not viable. However, it is a fact that many of those councils were already working together cooperatively and sharing resources and all sorts of mechanisms to try to get better economies of scale—balancing that against the benefits of representation and the real recognition of the reality of local community.

Speaking as someone who has lived my whole life in Brisbane, I am very comfortable with and can see the benefits of having a large council. The Brisbane City Council area is bigger than that of any other city council area in Australia. That situation seems to me to be much more sensible than the situation in many of the smaller locality based councils in other capital cities around Australia. But it should be moved towards with the support of the communities involved and it should be noted that is a different thing to what might work in regional areas. Frankly, when we have had some of those moves it has not always meant that big is best. I think a few of the other big councils in the south-east corner of Queensland that have been put together in recent times do not necessarily show the same logic or work as coherently and as rationally as the Brisbane City Council does.

I might also say, having lived the whole of my life in south-east Queensland, that I am very conscious that the place is pretty much bursting at the seams at the moment. It is another indictment on the state Labor government how poorly they have planned in advance for the infrastructure needs of the region, given the growth patterns for south-east Queensland. Whilst the population growth in south-east Queensland has been very continuous and rapid, it has not been unexpected. We all knew it was coming and, clearly, the planning was inadequate. But, having said that, that is just one more reason why we should be putting more resources and support into strengthening regional communities rather than, firstly, causing them concern and distress and, secondly, threatening the viability of some of them.

There is no doubt that local councils are a key part of not just the community but also the economy of many regional towns. Again, that is not to say that amalgamations and rationalisations cannot happen, but we should be doing them in such a way that the people who actually have to live with the result and who understand the community and work with it can maximise the economies of scale whilst minimising the local impacts—and potentially even make positive economic impacts out of the changes. That approach will result in a much greater chance of success than having something imposed from the central government.

As a representative of the people of Queensland, I express great concern about this process. I should also note there is also concern amongst many of the Indigenous councils that have a separate role and greater responsibilities than your average local council. They have been through a significant reform process over recent times and have also had this dropped on them out of the blue. They are very concerned about what the implications might be for them. Because all of this has been done in an extremely rushed manner and without adequate consultation, there is a much greater chance that it is not going to work in the end. I certainly express great concern about it and urge the Queensland government to reconsider its approach. (Time expired)