I WRITE to express my concern that our local councils may be forced by the Baird-Grant government to amalgamate.
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At present we usually travel a relatively short distance into our local council to pay a bill or to consult a council officer. We may soon remember this relatively easy access to our local government as a past luxury if the Baird-Grant government has its way.
Those advocating council amalgamations claim they will achieve greater efficiencies. That means local job cuts. Less local council employees means less local income for your shire, and therefore less spent in your shops.
I oppose forced amalgamations. Study after study has proven that amalgamating councils does not produce either increased funding or guaranteed efficiencies.
There is no evidence that mergers necessarily make local government more efficient, says Bligh Grant, a senior lecturer at the UTS Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government. The federal government can increase its taxes on the wealthy corporations that shift their profits overseas and claim losses in Australia but our local councils cannot tax the same corporations that rely on our roads and public facilities for their business.
I aim to preserve the small voice we have left in our local government because we have less and less voice in our state and federal governments. Its time to speak out against this centralising push that will impact on our towns."
Carol Vernon
Greens candidate for Oxley
Fernmount