OPENING THE 100 TH LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF TASMANIA CONFERENCE BY THE HONOURABLE PETER UNDERWOOD AC, GOVERNOR OF TASMANIA, THURSDAY 21 ST JULY 2011

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1 OPENING THE 100 TH LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF TASMANIA CONFERENCE BY THE HONOURABLE PETER UNDERWOOD AC, GOVERNOR OF TASMANIA, THURSDAY 21 ST JULY 2011 Good morning everybody and what else can I say but happy 100 th birthday to the Local Government Association of Tasmania and happy 60 th birthday to the Australian Local Government Women s Association. The centenarian is celebrating this significant milestone at this conference with the encouraging theme, 100 Years Long; 100 years Strong and the younger birthday group is celebrating its 60 th birthday with the launch in March this year at Devonport of the Tasmanian Mentoring Framework programme MentorNet. Being at this conference brings to mind a friend of mine who used to be the Mayor of a Municipality in Victoria. The Municipality was located in a country area famous for its hot air ballooning and of course, being the mayor, my friend had to show off his prowess at flying a balloon. Well, it transpired that early one morning his Worship was flying some friends around in his balloon when he realised that he was lost. So he reduced height and spotted a man down below. He lowered the balloon a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?" The man below looked up and said, "Yes, you're in a hot air balloon, hovering 30 feet above this paddock." "You must be a council clerk," said my friend. "I am," replied the man. "How did you know?"

The centenarian is celebrating this significant milestone at this conference with the encouraging theme, 100 Years Long; 100 years Strong and the younger birthday group is celebrating its 60 th

2 2 "Well," said the balloonist, "everything you have told me is technically correct, but it's of no use to anyone." The council clerk said, "Then you must be a mayor." "How did you know that?" replied my friend. "Well," said the council clerk, "you don't know where you are, or where you're going, but you expect me to be able to help. You're in the same position you were in before we met, but now it's my fault." As it is your hundredth birthday I could not resist delving into the archives to see what was said about your first conference in According to the Examiner newspaper published on Tuesday 5 th December you were born at Ulverstone during the course of the week commencing 26 th November 2011 and the following was the newspaper s comment on this historic formation of an association of local governments: The representative gathering of municipal councillors and council clerks which took place at Ulverstone last week decided to form a municipal association of Tasmania. The step taken is in the right direction, for it may be said the municipalities, outside the two cities, fairly represent the rural interests of the State. They are intimately associated with, and are materially affected by, the legislation which is passed by the State Government. The cutting-up of the island into 49 municipalities and endowing them with extensive powers was in accord with British political 1 At page 4.

You're in the same position you were in before we met, but now it's my fault.

3 3 traditions, which seek to bring self-government home to the people as closely as possible. It represented that division of labour which tends to promote efficiency, the municipality looking after and administering purely local concerns, and the state retaining in its hands those affairs which are of national importance. At one time in this state we had decentralisation almost run mad, and for many years we urged the welding of the 220 local government organisations into a well arranged municipal system; and after a long and uphill battle had the satisfaction of seeing the present system adopted. Now, in certain directions, the pendulum is swinging fiercely the other way, and we have a set of unificationists in our midst who would wipe out the State Governments and govern the whole of the Commonwealth from one centre. As centres of wellordered local activity, we look to the municipal councils to furnish salutary object-lessons why this tendency should be combated, and to prove that the closer the work of administration can be brought home to the people the keener will be the interest they will take. Move forward 100 years it and it seems that the issues that bedevilled your organisation at birth are still alive and kicking at its centenary celebrations. In May this year the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government released its report Options for

4 4 Consolidation in Local Government: A Fresh Look 2 It is a major piece of national and international research. As the report notes, 3 A recurrent theme in local government reform, in Australia, New Zealand and overseas, has been the issue of municipal amalgamation and the various benefits which are assumed to flow from it. It is not possible to do justice to this excellent and detailed report in the time available this morning, but I venture to say that while rejecting the word merger the report makes it clear that with changing times local governments have to be ready to make changes and that there are way and means of and this is the word used by the Report amalgamation - that will be a benefit to the ratepayers. However, the Report emphasises that one size will not fit all and that the methodology of amalgamation may vary from place to place. Amongst its many recommendations I see the Report cautions that amalgamation will only work if it is born out of consultation and implemented slowly. The report notes 4 that there was a strong view from the practitioner interviews in particular that further substantial change is a given: the issue is what form this should take. Well, maybe that is the case in Tasmania and maybe amalgamation is already happening here in Tasmania already. For the smaller municipalities I think that it is accepted that the sharing of skilled human resources, such as 2 Accessed 10 th July Supra at page 3. 4 Supra at page 8.

5 5 planners, engineers and so on, and the sharing of electronic resources, such as data processing, will likely be cost effective and beneficial for the ratepayers. We have already seen in the north west of the State a beneficial sharing of chief executive officers and last May the Minister for Local Government announced a new statewide planning template to reform planning, streamline approvals and facilitate development. But there is one aspect of local government that I think remains as important today as it did 100 years ago. The Examiner newspaper for 5 th December expressed it this way, the closer the work of administration can be brought home to the people the keener will be the interest they will take. I don t think that administration in that report was a reference to computers or road graders, but a reference to the administration of a municipality by the democratically elected members of the local council. As long as the democratic voice of the ratepayers is safeguarded it seems to me that all kinds of amalgamation are possible, thereby improving efficiency and reducing costs; while maintaining a close connection between the work of the administrators and the ratepayers. So, on this centenary occasion perhaps you can look back and say of local government that over the last 100 years although some aspects of local government are always in a state of change, others should always remain the same.

reform planning, streamline approvals and facilitate development. But there is one aspect of local government that I think remains as important today as it did 100 years ago.

6 6 I wish you well in your deliberations over today and tomorrow and have pleasure in declaring this 100 th meeting of the Local Government Association of Tasmania open.

LESSON TITLE: Our Chief Cornerstone. THEME: Jesus is our cornerstone! SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 2:19-22 CHILDREN S DEVOTIONS FOR THE WEEK OF: Dear Parents

Devotion NT328 CHILDREN S DEVOTIONS FOR THE WEEK OF: LESSON TITLE: Our Chief Cornerstone THEME: Jesus is our cornerstone! SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 2:19-22 Dear Parents Welcome to Bible Time for Kids! This