Published Tuesday, 02 September, 2008 at 05:12 PM
Minister for Main Roads and Local Government
The Honourable Warren Pitt
Opposition’s hollow promise a recipe for instability: Pitt
The Liberal National Party’s policy in favour of de-amalgamating merged local councils is a recipe for ongoing instability, Local Government Minister Warren Pitt said today.
Mr Pitt said the LNP policy was designed to dupe people into believing there were strong prospects that de-amalgamations would occur.
“This policy will eventually prove to be a cruel hoax on those people who think it offers the hope of de-amalgamation,” he said.
“In the meantime, however, it will generate enormous instability, confusion and uncertainty.”
Mr Pitt said Opposition leader Lawrence Springborg had failed to produce sufficient detail to outline how this hollow policy would work in practice.
“One thing is clear, however – the Bligh Government is building stronger local councils for the future while the Opposition is stuck in the past,” he said.
“Past experience has shown convincingly that once local communities experience the benefits of local council amalgamations, they are not interested in returning to the past,” Mr Pitt said.
“This is a backwards-looking policy and does nothing but hold out false hope to a minority of people who feel unable to support the new council arrangements.
“Mr Springborg’s announcement shows that the Opposition is happy to amplify undercurrents of discontent rather than develop policies that produce benefits for the broader community.
“If he is happy to nail his colours to the mast of de-amalgamation, then it is incumbent upon him to explain how he will chart a course through this process.
“Furthermore, he should declare what funding the Opposition will make available for de-amalgamating councils.
“Reform of local government in other states has shown that councils save 2–5 per cent through amalgamation, so it would be interesting to see the proposed cost-savings forecast by any policy to de-amalgamate.
“The costs to re-establish council administrations would be very substantial but there has been no mention of funding support from the Opposition.”
Mr Pitt said he was disappointed Mr Springborg had launched a unjustified attack on the Local Government Reform Commission, which included two former Coalition Government ministers.
“Mr Springborg has described the new local council arrangements as a political distribution of local government boundaries,” he said.
“The commission was completely independent of the government and to accuse it of producing a political distribution is reprehensible.”
Media contact: Minister Pitt’s Office 3227 8819
Mr Pitt said the LNP policy was designed to dupe people into believing there were strong prospects that de-amalgamations would occur.
“This policy will eventually prove to be a cruel hoax on those people who think it offers the hope of de-amalgamation,” he said.
“In the meantime, however, it will generate enormous instability, confusion and uncertainty.”
Mr Pitt said Opposition leader Lawrence Springborg had failed to produce sufficient detail to outline how this hollow policy would work in practice.
“One thing is clear, however – the Bligh Government is building stronger local councils for the future while the Opposition is stuck in the past,” he said.
“Past experience has shown convincingly that once local communities experience the benefits of local council amalgamations, they are not interested in returning to the past,” Mr Pitt said.
“This is a backwards-looking policy and does nothing but hold out false hope to a minority of people who feel unable to support the new council arrangements.
“Mr Springborg’s announcement shows that the Opposition is happy to amplify undercurrents of discontent rather than develop policies that produce benefits for the broader community.
“If he is happy to nail his colours to the mast of de-amalgamation, then it is incumbent upon him to explain how he will chart a course through this process.
“Furthermore, he should declare what funding the Opposition will make available for de-amalgamating councils.
“Reform of local government in other states has shown that councils save 2–5 per cent through amalgamation, so it would be interesting to see the proposed cost-savings forecast by any policy to de-amalgamate.
“The costs to re-establish council administrations would be very substantial but there has been no mention of funding support from the Opposition.”
Mr Pitt said he was disappointed Mr Springborg had launched a unjustified attack on the Local Government Reform Commission, which included two former Coalition Government ministers.
“Mr Springborg has described the new local council arrangements as a political distribution of local government boundaries,” he said.
“The commission was completely independent of the government and to accuse it of producing a political distribution is reprehensible.”
Media contact: Minister Pitt’s Office 3227 8819