The future role for local government

Document Library

Future of Local Government Review - Options Paper
PDF (8.89 MB)
Future of Local Government Review - Options Paper Appendix
PDF (2.44 MB)
The Appendix contains all proposed reform options and supporting evidence
Future of Local Government Review - Community Update
PDF (1.41 MB)

What we heard: Engagement with Tasmanians under 45

We surveyed almost 500 Tasmanians aged 16 – 44, to hear their greatest concerns for the future of their local area, as well as the role they think local government should play in addressing those issues.

A core set of concerns for the future kept appearing in submissions from across the state. These issues were:

Climate change and other environmental issues

Cost of living

Housing and homelessness

Impacts of poorly managed population growth

Jobs, training and educational opportunities

Access to quality local services

Equality and inclusion

Many respondents believe local government should play a strong role in addressing these issues, while also observing that the current system may constrain or limit the sectors’ response. For example, many respondents noted the inherent competition between councils is stifling regional cooperation on key issues like public transport, addressing climate change, and efficient urban planning.

Many Tasmanians in this cohort also noted that councils have a strong role to play in environmental leadership and stewardship in their communities. Suggestions included providing greater education on waste and

biodiversity management, incentives for business and communities to undertake better waste and recycling practices, and greater access to recycling and waste management services.

77% of respondents feel underrepresented and ‘not heard’ by their councils. Many respondents noted their councils fail to listen to or engage with younger voices, particularly when making service or infrastructure decisions, or addressing local challenges and issues. We heard broadly that councils should be engaging with all their residents so they can effectively support their communities, or advocate for action on local issues to other levels of government.

What we heard: Engagement with Aboriginal Communitites

We spoke with 61 members of Aboriginal communities across the State, and heard similar messages about feeling underrepresented and unheard by their councils. We heard that Aboriginal perspectives were not being listened to and considered in decision-making.

Participants said they often felt unwelcome, anonymous, or overlooked in council work. They felt that council structures did not meet their needs, and councils did not make any attempt to understand them.

We heard that local government could improve relations with Aboriginal people by proactively coming to them, meeting them on Country, providing an informal atmosphere for communication, and genuinely seeking to build ongoing relationships. Councils also need to allow people to identify and address the feelings that can arise when considering the colonial past.

There was a strong desire to see more Aboriginal people represented in local government positions, such as council staff or as councillors. This would allow for greater diversity in the views and priorities considered within councils, and lead to more effective services.

There was a strong desire to see well-supported Aboriginal Liaison Officers employed within local government, both to educate others within government and to improve consultation and communication with the Aboriginal community. Mentoring programs were also mentioned as an opportunity to get younger Aboriginal people involved in local government.

Symbolic and practical recognition of Aboriginal culture and history were seen as important. Examples included prioritising acknowledgements of Country, dual place names, flying the Aboriginal flag, and investing in infrastructure that facilitates Aboriginal cultural activities, such as fire pits. Cultural awareness training for councillors and staff was also seen as important to improve local government interactions with Aboriginal people.

The Board has heard that a lack of clarity surrounding the current role of local government can result in unrealistic or confused expectations from communities – and at times from elected representatives – about what councils can or should be doing. This has created gradual ‘scope creep’ in the range of functions some councils perform. The Review presents an opportunity to clarify the future role of local government, so we can move forward on the best ways of supporting it through practical reform.

We also recognise that local government has changed considerably in recent decades and will continue to do so as community needs evolve. In furthering our understanding of role, the Board’s engagement and research suggests:

There is support for local government to play a carefully defined ‘place-shaping’ role. This includes providing high quality and increasingly sophisticated representation, engagement, and community advocacy, as well as facilitating and coordinating programs and projects at a community level. Place-shaping also includes vital economic and community development functions, strategic land-use planning, and targeted place-based wellbeing initiatives in response to distinctive community needs or preferences.
There is support for the idea that councils should have flexibility to provide ‘optional’ services (in addition to those statutory functions they should be prioritising) in response to clear community needs or demands. When councils do this, however, it should be with the support of their communities via a transparent and accountable process. Councils should explain why they are proposing to provide a new service and how much it will cost ratepayers.
There is a clear need to develop robust and properly supported frameworks and processes for more effective strategic partnerships between local, state, and federal governments, enabling better coordination of effort between neighbouring councils and among spheres of government.

Breaking down councils' role and functions

Councils play different roles depending on the situation and community need. While councils and their communities need clarity about who is responsible and accountable for what, local government must also be able to respond with flexible solutions to meet the needs of communities. We believe that, rather than a single role, councils should play different roles depending on the situation, issue, and community need.

Councils four roles: Service provider, regulator, facilitator, coordinator or partner, and advocate

To support councils in performing their role, we believe it will be essential to distil the different council roles and functions into a clear framework for councillors, council staff, and communities alike. Feedback from submissions and consultation conducted for the Review has suggested that a Local Government Charter may be the best way to achieve this.

What we heard: a Charter for Local Government

There is support for developing a clear and concise Charter for local government. The document would include a summary of councils’ role, as well as outlining the role and responsibilities of elected representatives and council staff, similar to how the role is legislated in Victoria.
A Charter should be included within the Local Government Act, the key guiding document for Council executives and councillors.
It must be designed to clarify and raise awareness of the role and responsibility of local government for communities.
A Charter should summarise a council’s core statutory roles and functions.
A Charter should not add unnecessary complexity. It should also allow councils the flexibility they need to respond to changing circumstances and their communities’ unique needs.
A Charter could clarify the relationship, roles and responsibilities of local government in relation to, and in collaboration with, other spheres of governments, particularly around funding.

Supporting wellbeing - 'core business' for local government

The concept of wellbeing captures a range of factors and circumstances that enable us to live a ‘good life’. It includes things like physical and mental good health, financial resources, and social connections. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that wellbeing challenges cannot be tackled by state and federal governments alone. They will increasingly require partnerships with a strong and capable local government sector, service providers, and communities themselves.

The Review has revealed strong support for councils’ role in supporting community wellbeing if it is clearly defined, carefully integrated into state and national policies, and appropriately resourced. At this stage, the Board acknowledges there is an absence of any clear legislative framework or overarching state policy to align the various efforts of councils and other spheres of Government more effectively.

A Queensland framework for wellbeing indicators breaks down local government’s role into five areas. Applying this framework helps to identify the specific role councils can play to improve community wellbeing, shown below.

Strategic, structured and sustainable partnerships

The need to support strategic collaboration and partnerships among councils, as well as between local, State, and Federal Governments, has been a consistent theme of the Review. Improving strategic collaboration between different spheres of government is becoming more urgent given growing recognition that complex social, environmental, and economic challenges, such as climate change, can only be addressed through collaboration across all levels of government, industry, and the community.

Many other areas of government activity could also benefit from greater collaboration between local and state authorities, including through:

Sharing technical expertise between State and local government professionals;
Expanding the integration of Service Tasmania and council front office functions;
State agencies providing more detailed advice and guidance on legislation/regulation implemented by local government;
Greater commitment to co-regulation; and Integration of workforce planning and training strategies.

The Board believes more effective collaboration can take many forms and has clear potential to improve outcomes for Tasmanian communities. Successful and sustained collaboration requires trust, commitment, and transparency about the role and responsibilities of different actors in key partnerships.

Critically, the Board has heard voluntary approaches to regional or intergovernmental partnerships are difficult to sustain and vulnerable to councils opting in or out based on changing priorities. For this reason, the Board will need to consider whether there are areas in which collaboration between councils, and between the State and local government, should be made mandatory.

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