Adelaide City Council in line to leave LGA if councillor motion accepted

ADELAIDE City Council has taken steps towards leaving the Local Government Association, which, according to councillors, has failed ratepayers. What do you think, VOTE NOW

Anne Moran has submitted the motion, saying the council needs to get out for its own good. Photo: Nick Clayton

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ADELAIDE City Council has taken steps towards leaving the Local Government Association, which, according to councillors has failed ratepayers.

And there are calls for the leadership of the LGA – president Lorraine Rosenberg and chief executive Matt Pinnegar – to step down over their fierce opposition to rate-capping.

The council on Tuesday will debate a motion lodged by councillor Anne Moran that it “undertakes a review of council’s membership of the Local Government Association of South Australia”.

Ms Moran told the Sunday Mail that not only did the council not need the LGA to represent it but continuing its membership could harm the council’s cause.

“We are a separate entity, we are governed under a different act so we don’t need them,” Ms Moran said.

“But the way the LGA and its leaders have conducted themselves recently in opposition of rate capping has bee

LGA CEO Matt Pinnegar has been called on to step down Picture credit: Bratislav Jovanovic

n appalling.

“The people want it, us as a council are for it ... we can’t afford to wage war on issues that we don’t agree.

“For our sake I believe that we should get out ... I make no apology in saying that the LGA is failing local government.”

Ms Moran put up a motion last year to breakaway from the LGA but it ultimately failed.

But the Sunday Mail understands this latest effort is a reasonable chance of succeeding with more and more councillors believing the council does not need the LGA.

Councillor Houssam Abiad said that, following the LGA’s disclosure that it spent nearly $175,000 opposing the Liberals’ rate capping policy, the council needed to get out.

Houssam Abiad says the leadership of LGA have untenable positions Picture: Supplied

“I question the value for our ratepayers in our membership of the LGA and I will call for the City of Adelaide’s withdrawal if they continue their campaign against rate-capping,” he said.

“Unfortunately, the leadership of the LGA continues to let down councils and the community and they have made their positions untenable.”

Last week, Ms Rosenberg wrote in an LGA email that “it’s been fantastic to forge a stronger bond between the LGA and City of Adelaide over the past 12 months”.

Local Government Association SA president Lorraine Rosenberg

LGA executive director of public affairs Lisa Teburea said: “The LGA advocates for the policy positions adopted by members and there was a unanimous decision by members at the LGA’s ordinary general meeting in 2016 to oppose rate capping.

“Fifty councils formally supported the LGA running a statewide campaign to oppose a rate-capping scheme being introduced in SA.”

In 2016, Marion Council voted to leave the LGA but backflipped on its decision a month later.