❓ The Minister outlines local government reforms focusing on efficiency, consistency, and benefits for small businesses, including standardisation and the creation of a local government inspector.
AnsweredQoN 771Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM
771. Mr M. HUGHES to the Minister for Local Government:
I have a sensible question!
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's proposed reforms to local government announced last week.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how these significant reforms will help make
local government more efficient and more consistent?
(2) Can the
minister outline to the house what benefits these reforms will provide,
particularly for small businesses?
771. Mr M. HUGHES to the Minister for Local Government:
I have a sensible question!
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's proposed reforms to local government announced last week.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how these significant reforms will help make
local government more efficient and more consistent?
(2) Can the
minister outline to the house what benefits these reforms will provide,
particularly for small businesses?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
wish to thank the member for the question. I am deeply proud that our
government is delivering the most significant reforms to the local government
sector in the past 25 years. As I flagged last week, the primary task, the
primary change, is the creation of the office of the local government
inspector, backed by monitors, which will deal with dysfunction and deal with
it early. What we know, and as I have already said, everyone pays, including
small business, the building sector—all those that have to deal with
local government—because when it comes into dysfunction, it ceases, it
stops and it focuses inwards. We are bringing in reforms to deal with that
problem. But we are also looking beyond that to greater consistency, transparency and accountability. Consistency is
the key. We have 139 local governments with, it is predicted, around 1 000 elected officials. We are
not going down the path of forced amalgamations. The previous government did that and failed at huge expense to
ratepayers and taxpayers, creating chaos and division in the community.
Instead, we are seeking to standardise local government across a number of
areas.
This is about saving ratepayers' money because when we standardise and
mandate the same system, it means that ratepayers do not pay for that mandated
policy. There will be significant standardisation across the board. We will be
standardising and mandating meeting procedures and public questions, including
rules for confidential meetings. We will be streamlining local law processes
and the time for review. We will be standardising the number of elected
officials based on population and removing wards for tier 3 and 4 councils. We will be mandating and streamlining
standard model financial statements and reporting, which will reduce the burden
on smaller local governments. We will be creating and standardising caretaking periods. But we will also be making it
easier for small business. We will be backing in the planning reforms that we have already introduced, which is about
making approvals easier for small business. Although the Leader of the
Opposition mocked this—she mocked it because they were seen as small
changes—they are actually important for mum-and-dad businesses that
deal with local governments every day. We will be creating one set of rules and
standards for alfresco dining, one set of rules for minor signage approvals and
one set of rules for crossovers on all local roads. That does cause significant
hurdles and challenges for small businesses working in the housing and
construction sector. While the opposition mocks those changes because it does not have any understanding or appreciation
of the hurdles that small businesses have with local government, we are actually bringing in reforms
that think about the ratepayer and small business. This will deliver meaningful change for this important
constituency in local government—that is, small business owners.
The SPEAKER : The member for North West Central
with the last question.
wish to thank the member for the question. I am deeply proud that our
government is delivering the most significant reforms to the local government
sector in the past 25 years. As I flagged last week, the primary task, the
primary change, is the creation of the office of the local government
inspector, backed by monitors, which will deal with dysfunction and deal with
it early. What we know, and as I have already said, everyone pays, including
small business, the building sector—all those that have to deal with
local government—because when it comes into dysfunction, it ceases, it
stops and it focuses inwards. We are bringing in reforms to deal with that
problem. But we are also looking beyond that to greater consistency, transparency and accountability. Consistency is
the key. We have 139 local governments with, it is predicted, around 1 000 elected officials. We are
not going down the path of forced amalgamations. The previous government did that and failed at huge expense to
ratepayers and taxpayers, creating chaos and division in the community.
Instead, we are seeking to standardise local government across a number of
areas.
This is about saving ratepayers' money because when we standardise and
mandate the same system, it means that ratepayers do not pay for that mandated
policy. There will be significant standardisation across the board. We will be
standardising and mandating meeting procedures and public questions, including
rules for confidential meetings. We will be streamlining local law processes
and the time for review. We will be standardising the number of elected
officials based on population and removing wards for tier 3 and 4 councils. We will be mandating and streamlining
standard model financial statements and reporting, which will reduce the burden
on smaller local governments. We will be creating and standardising caretaking periods. But we will also be making it
easier for small business. We will be backing in the planning reforms that we have already introduced, which is about
making approvals easier for small business. Although the Leader of the
Opposition mocked this—she mocked it because they were seen as small
changes—they are actually important for mum-and-dad businesses that
deal with local governments every day. We will be creating one set of rules and
standards for alfresco dining, one set of rules for minor signage approvals and
one set of rules for crossovers on all local roads. That does cause significant
hurdles and challenges for small businesses working in the housing and
construction sector. While the opposition mocks those changes because it does not have any understanding or appreciation
of the hurdles that small businesses have with local government, we are actually bringing in reforms
that think about the ratepayer and small business. This will deliver meaningful change for this important
constituency in local government—that is, small business owners.
The SPEAKER : The member for North West Central
with the last question.
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