- Push to make councils' spending more transparent
- By JOHN MASANAUSKAS
- 11/08/2015 Make a Comment (1)
- Contributed by: LostinSpace ( 3 articles in 2015 )
Local Government Minister Natalie Hutchins
A REVIEW of local councils’ operations will put them under pressure to be more accountable for their spending of rates.
The State Government will on Tuesday announce terms of reference for a sweeping review of the roles and powers of mayors, councillors and shire chief executives, and of governance, financial reporting, elections, and legal breaches.
Local Government Minister Natalie Hutchins will announce a six-member advisory committee to steer the review.
“We’re reviewing the Local Government Act to bring it into the 21st century and give communities the strong, transparent and efficient local councils that they deserve,” she said.
“Communities need sustainable and accountable councils that listen to their residents — that’s what this review aims to deliver.”
The Government has already moved to cap council rate rises at the consumer price index from 2016-17.
And the minister has asked for a focus on basic services and a halt to “endless waste and over-the-top executive salaries that seem to have flourished in the past few years”.
The review will look at ways to ensure decision-making and actions are “open and transparent, free from bias and improper considerations, and provide for community input”.
Council lobbies such as the Municipal Association of Victoria and the Victorian Local Governance Association will be consulted.
The advisory committee will be headed by Labor MLA Ros Spence, a former councillor, and include Melbourne University academic Nicholas Reece, a former state ALP secretary and senior adviser to Julia Gillard when she was PM.
Other members are former City of Melbourne CEO Kathy Alexander, Glen Eira councillor Mary Delahunty, Pyrenees Shire councillor David Clark, and local government consultant Kay Rundle.
Ms Hutchins said it was the first review of the 1989 Act. The first round of consultation will run until December.
“Both communities and councils are saying that we need clearer standards and protocols in place. We want to give local government the refresh it needs,” she said.
The State Government will on Tuesday announce terms of reference for a sweeping review of the roles and powers of mayors, councillors and shire chief executives, and of governance, financial reporting, elections, and legal breaches.
Local Government Minister Natalie Hutchins will announce a six-member advisory committee to steer the review.
“We’re reviewing the Local Government Act to bring it into the 21st century and give communities the strong, transparent and efficient local councils that they deserve,” she said.
“Communities need sustainable and accountable councils that listen to their residents — that’s what this review aims to deliver.”
The Government has already moved to cap council rate rises at the consumer price index from 2016-17.
And the minister has asked for a focus on basic services and a halt to “endless waste and over-the-top executive salaries that seem to have flourished in the past few years”.
The review will look at ways to ensure decision-making and actions are “open and transparent, free from bias and improper considerations, and provide for community input”.
Council lobbies such as the Municipal Association of Victoria and the Victorian Local Governance Association will be consulted.
The advisory committee will be headed by Labor MLA Ros Spence, a former councillor, and include Melbourne University academic Nicholas Reece, a former state ALP secretary and senior adviser to Julia Gillard when she was PM.
Other members are former City of Melbourne CEO Kathy Alexander, Glen Eira councillor Mary Delahunty, Pyrenees Shire councillor David Clark, and local government consultant Kay Rundle.
Ms Hutchins said it was the first review of the 1989 Act. The first round of consultation will run until December.
“Both communities and councils are saying that we need clearer standards and protocols in place. We want to give local government the refresh it needs,” she said.
Source: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/push-to-make-councils-spending-more-transparent/story-fnpp4dl6-1227478069009
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