TRANSCRIPT:
I rise this evening to speak on the Local Government Amendment (Governance and Integrity) Bill 2024 to a captivated audience. It is a bill that will benefit greatly from the reasoned amendment put forward today. The piece of legislation aims to address issues of accountability, conduct and governance within the local government sector. This will be done with amendments to the Local Government Act 2020 in relation to governance and integrity matters, with amendments to the Local Government Act 1989 to reflect machinery-of-government changes and by making consequential amendments to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 1998 and for other purposes. By emphasising good governance councils should therefore be able to make more informed decisions and effectively deliver services for their communities and ratepayers.
I do want to give a shout-out – I have six LGAs across the Euroa electorate and have a really great relationship with all of them, but many of these councils have actually gone through a really, really difficult time as the primary form of recovery and support throughout the floods. This has been ongoing for several years and looks to be ongoing for several more years. I do want it understood that when you have a council that operates well, golly, they are good. They are amazing, they are supportive, they are the safety net of our community and they are driven by councillors that are from the community and for the community with people’s best interests at heart, and that is about benefiting their community. I often lean on our local councillors for investment needs, making sure that I am across some of the data and the issues of our community and that we have the adequate infrastructure and services to provide that support, and they have been great mentors for me in this role as well. They reach out to me and raise issues, often confidentially but always in support of this role because it is the microphone for the people of the Euroa electorate.
This bill also recognises the growing number of interventions at a local government level in recent years, including council dismissals, suspensions and the appointment of municipal monitors, something that has happened within my electorate this year with the Strathbogie Shire Council. I want to get back to when you have councillors that are there for your community, representing your community, from the community. That is when we are on the sweet spot – when we have the best representation because they are a part of the community. They live and breathe it. But when we have councillors that might have their own political ambitions that come ahead of community needs, we have deep concern about our representation of regional councils.
Strathbogie Shire Council has been under the supervision of an interim administrator Peter Stephenson since December 2023, when all councillors were suspended by the Minister for Local Government following a tumultuous period involving multiple council monitors and significant media attention. The decision was a step in the right direction to ensure residents of the Strathbogie shire are governed effectively and with the best interests of our community in mind. Poor local governance resulted in frustrated local ratepayers, with a lack of care being shown for the needs of residents, particularly when it came to council being able to deliver those essential services that we have heard a lot about – just getting back to basics like your roads, rates and rubbish. My office is regularly informed about local government concerns from members of our communities. Planning issues, ineffective rubbish collection, a lack of road maintenance, long delays in getting back to residents and overstepping their mark when it comes to broader social and ideological issues are some of the major issues shared with my office.
An effective council can deliver fantastic outcomes for our local communities, and this is something worth pursuing. When you are in a position of leadership you must find ways to work together to serve the people you are elected to represent. That is the job. It is essential to stay connected to your community and ensure you are always acting with the best interests of your residents in your heart. Reading the monitor’s report made in the lead-up to the suspension of Strathbogie shire, it was clear that this was not always the case. Major concerns in the report included councillors not knowing their roles, poor conduct, overinvolvement of council in operational concerns and the resignation of several councillors due to a toxic environment. This has actually had a lasting impact on many of the councillors who have currently been suspended. Their mental health has been impacted, their reputation has been impacted and their commitment now to the community has been impacted. But I do want to say that while there is all of the negativity in this space, they originally did go into it with the right intentions, and I do want to thank every councillor in the Euroa electorate for their service to our community.
After seeing situations like Strathbogie up close, it is clear that improving accountability, conduct and governance of the local government sector is a valid concern to be addressed, but there are some concerns. While the intention to strengthen oversight of local government is commendable, we have concerns about the increasing scope and powers of municipal monitors. The suspension and disqualification of councillors and the process behind this raise concerns. There are potentially significant implications regarding due process and the democratic process and needing to safeguard against potential abuse of power or political interference. Although the bill aims to clarify and improve the framework governing council conduct, there is apprehension regarding the fairness and transparency of the new procedures. Ensuring that councils are afforded adequate rights and protections while also maintaining accountability is crucial. Introduction of new procedures for addressing misconduct applications, while intended to streamline the process, have also brought concerns when it comes to the efficiency and fairness of the system. It will be essential to ensure all parties involved have access to due process and fair representation.
The various changes proposed in the bill to enhance council governance, including mandatory training and alterations to the model councillor code of conduct, may have far-reaching implications. Concerns have arisen about the practicality and effectiveness of these measures in ensuring the desired outcomes of improved governance and accountability. These areas are of concern and highlight the need to carefully consider and scrutinise the proposed amendments to ensure that they strike the right balance between accountability, transparency and the protection of democratic principles within our local government.
It is pleasing to know that in addition to the legislation a parliamentary inquiry into local government funding and services was begun recently by the Legislative Council Economy and Infrastructure Committee. The committee will investigate local government funding and service delivery in Victoria. Having met with councils across the region, questions remain between the state and local government about who pays for what and how much each should pay. We have seen this with the ongoing concerns over school crossing supervisors, the state of our roads and several areas that directly impact our communities and those who live within them.
When it comes to school crossing supervisors, this has been an ongoing issue since I was elected. Funding disputes between our councils and this government are not helping anyone and instead are putting the safety of our children at risk. Conversations I have had with community members have made it clear that this is something worth fighting for, and we will not stop until our children are safe. I would like to thank the Minister for Roads and Road Safety for addressing this and rectifying it. However, we have one road that still needs a school crossing supervisor. I have spoken with school staff, students, parents, council representatives and concerned residents as well as raising the issue in Parliament on countless occasions. With stories of near misses and speeding vehicles, it is imperative that this is not left too late. The school crossing supervisor program is critical to keeping our children safe, and I am hoping this inquiry and further clarity for our local councils will provide an important opportunity to examine what is working well and what can be done better at a local government level.
Another growing area for local councils is the increase in illegal dumping in communities. My office has heard from several constituents about an increase in rubbish being dumped along roadsides and outside properties as well as issues accessing landfills across the electorate. This comes at a time when the government will raise the metropolitan industrial and municipal waste levy by $40 to nearly $170 a tonne from 1 July 2025. We need to be making it easier and safer to dispose of rubbish in our regional communities, not harder. While reducing landfill waste might be a priority in the city, our waste needs to go somewhere. As things stand we are hearing of rubbish piling up on roadsides and a lack of urgency to clean it up by those responsible. Meanwhile almost 60 per cent of Victorian councils have hiked their waste charges by more than 5 per cent, with a quarter increasing them by more than 10 per cent since July last year. There have been cases of people breaking into landfills in the electorate just to dispose of waste, something that this levy increase will only make more prevalent if allowed to stay in place.
One area that also needs to be explored in the bill is the council election process. Elections are set for October this year, giving residents of our local communities an opportunity to vote for new local representatives or stand for election themselves should they be interested. For a council like Strathbogie, a council that currently has all its councillors and mayor suspended, this is a particularly important election. It is a great opportunity to have genuinely community-focused people in positions that allow them to represent their region. A clean slate is just what our councils need, and I encourage any would-be councillors in the local community to put their hand up for the role.