Banning Local Government

[Mike Mitchell]

Here in Victoria there are only two local governments that seem to do okay, Melbourne and Banyule. If you are not lucky enough to live in either of those two, or perhaps another that actually achieves something, then local government is worse than a waste of time.

It's a waste of time that costs us, the voters, immense amounts of money and works against our wishes. In the past people have spoken about doing away with state government in an effort do reduce the cost of running the "most over governed country in the world". While reducing costs is a great ideas,  I don't believe doing away with a form of government we are so familiar with is reasonable.

Given that 25% of the Victorian population didn't bother to vote at a the last set local elections, instead choosing to pay the fine, I very strongly believe it is time we totally did away with local government in this country!

When councils like Casey spend $450,000 for a garden seat in a Chinese sister city it has already gone too far. The seat only cost a few hundred dollars but escorting it to China required the assistance of a councillor, his wife, and his two children. Apparently council funding doesn't cover baby sitters but it does cover two first class airline tickets and 5 star accommodation or children.

Another wonder from the same council made it to national news a few years ago when one of the councillors put her application in for her overseas trip a bit late and it was denied. She complained that that had never happened before and they were only angry at her because she had voted against an item on their agenda. I assume she means the mayor and his lackeys. The reason national media was interested was because she, and all other councillors, were entitled to four overseas trips a year and she only got three that year, the first time such a thing has ever happened in the City Of Casey since its inception.

Other wags would like us to put police into the hands of local government and this is the greatest concern to me. While that may work for Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and all the other major cities think what it would be like with a Dandenong PD, Redfern PD or any other unforgiving suburbs locally controlled police department.

Save yourselves a bucket load of money and your sanity, not to mention your security (Dandenong SWAT Team?!?) and start canvassing your area with the idea that local government should be abolished through out Australia.

One last thing, can you name two mayors in your state? Can you name two Premiers?

[JohnG]

Mike, absolutely agree with your comments. What a useless,superfluous,bunch of ninkompoops local council is. Why on earth we require another layer of officials to provide services is completely beyond me. Its a self gratification, self importance thing I guess. Absolutely despise them, the sooner they are all sacked the better.
By the way the Police thing will never happen....could you imagine !!!!

JohnG
(Gosford City Council resident)

[LoneWolf_53]

Sounds just like Canada.   

Our locals just frittered away two hundred thousand dollars on a piece of "art"  (I use the term loosely) intended to decorate the entrance to a recently constructed bridge and the item looks as though all that was required to create it was a couple of sets of silverware and a half dozen poles.   

As one local put it the thing looks like a piece of frayed roller coaster track and most of us can't figure out what it has to do with symbolizing our area.

See for yourself if he doesn't have a point................

[Mike Mitchell]

I tried to get a picture of Knox City Council offices, they removed the entire front garden and replaced it with an identical one as far as I could tell. The open difference I noticed was the recorded bird sounds, they used a motion detector to trigger the recording when people entered the building.

Still, that "sculpture" might just pip the Knox garden exchange program.  :hbang:

[Dataman]

The only thing I like about that picture is .... the "Sheila".   
I have a similar "scluptur" in my scrap metal pile. 

[veebee]

The only thing I like about that picture is .... the "Sheila".   

uh - oh ..... looks like we may have another contender for "country of residence transfer" here.... the language metamorphisisation has commenced.. !  mwaaahahahahaha  >:D >:D

[LoneWolf_53]

The only thing I like about that picture is .... the "Sheila".   

uh - oh ..... looks like we may have another contender for "country of residence transfer" here.... the language metamorphisisation has commenced.. !  mwaaahahahahaha  >:D >:D

Why not there's far worse places a bloke could find himself.   biggrin :aus1:

[veebee]

Yep....

just ask Ranger Tim ! ..

he is settling in nicely here...

[Latoof]

The sooner we abolish the states and move to a model similar to NZ  - that is we cast of our federation past and adopt a UNITARY STATE model the better IMO

Then expand the local councils so that we have LARGER REGIONS with "local" Government to administer things like garbage collection, local planning, parks, shopping centres, car parks et al,  leaving the "state" to look after roads, transport, hospitals, police, prisons, business regulation and all the other functions that the current state and federal governments fight about now...

[Mike Mitchell]

Then expand the local councils so that we have LARGER REGIONS with "local" Government to administer things like garbage collection, local planning, parks, shopping centres, car parks et al,

Screw that, let's cut out the middle man and just clean out local government. I have never heard of a 25% failure to vote in state or federal government, give the people what they want - NO LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

Oh, and welcome to the team.   

[WikiWill]

You're going to have to make this change from the inside, I think.

The point of local government is to take the blame for all the crap and deflect attention (and work) away from state govt.  State govt exists because the Commonwealth didn't want to get its hands dirty with petty state matters.

So to remove local administration, we have to convince and empower state government to deal with local issues and make them more accountable.  The funding and direction for that has to come at least partly from the Commonwealth.

So plan A is to elect Mike as our next prime minister.  There are a few steps to achieve that:

1) Collect votes
2) ...
3) Profit!!

Oh, wait, that's my other plan!    biggrin

1) Elect Mike to local government
2) Mike grits his teeth and bears it, doing a sterling job
     < time passes >
3) Get Mike elected as mayor
4) Mike stands for state election
5) ... a lot of money changes hands and a lot of favours are banked
99) Convince the country to elect Mike as prime minister!

[Mike Mitchell]

State govt exists because the Commonwealth didn't want to get its hands dirty with petty state matters.

Except state governments have existed longer than the federal government.  biggrin They are what's left of what we now choose to call colonies, when in fact, they were independent, autonomous nations. They each had their own army and navy as well as their own currency, tax, customs, immigration and all other foreign representation. (Have a look at the National Gallery of Victoria, it is not a state office of a federal body).

Prior to federation, when we had no federal government, there may have been a place for local government. Now it is just a huge cost that returns nothing that isn't done better by state governments.

Besides, I wouldn't want to be a polly for any thing.

[Furlozza]

Mike?

Besides, I would want to be a polly for any thing.

You jest, surely........

[Mike Mitchell]

Mike?

Besides, I would want to be a polly for any thing.

You jest, surely........

That was most definitely a typo, now corrected. 

[Latoof]

Then expand the local councils so that we have LARGER REGIONS with "local" Government to administer things like garbage collection, local planning, parks, shopping centres, car parks et al,

Screw that, let's cut out the middle man and just clean out local government. I have never heard of a 25% failure to vote in state or federal government, give the people what they want - NO LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

Oh, and welcome to the team.   

Thanks for the welcome...  been contributing a while just not posting...

I think you are missing my key point... we only need 2 layers of Government,  local and "Federal" The States should go IMO.  Let the Feds look after the big issues and the Local the smaller "local" issues.

We don't need 50+ local governments in the Victoria "Region" more like 5 - 10