Biggest Council reform starts with Act changes

The biggest reform of Local Government in a generation has begun with the tabling of a new Act in Parliament.

Local Government Minister David Crisafulli said changes to the Local Government and City of Brisbane Acts would empower mayors and councillors and once again make councils accountable to their communities.

The amendments follow his visits to most of the 73 councils around the state, where he listened to the wish lists of council.

“Big or small, country or city, the message is the same: stop the stupid rules and regulations,” Mr Crisafulli said.

“The current Acts have made councils less responsive to their communities because they’re too busy jumping the hoops thrown from George Street in Brisbane.

“Whether it’s the Brisbane City Council having to pay $5,000 for tabling the minutes in the wrong order, to regional mayors having to keep pointless logs of requests to their CEOs, we can do a lot better.”

Changes introduced include:

·Putting mayors back in control of councils, so they are truly accountable to their ratepayers

·Cutting red tape by dispensing with annual community and financial plans

·Making occupiers responsible for complying with local laws, as well as owners

·Reinstating councils’ abilities to hold referendums on issues of significant local interest

·Changing the onus of the conflict of interest provisions to increase penalties for rogue councillors while ensuring law abiding representatives don’t get treated like errant children

“Communities can’t respond to opportunity or challenges if the level of government closest to them is forever bogged down by regulation.” Mr Crisafulli said.

“This Act will start to change that.”

[ENDS] 14 September 2012

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Andrew Longmire 0409 465 686