Right call on Glenorchy

LOCAL Government Minister Peter Gutwein has acted swiftly on his pledge to “restore democracy” to Glenorchy.

Local Government Minister Peter Gutwein.

LOCAL Government Minister Peter Gutwein has acted swiftly on his pledge to “restore democracy” to Glenorchy.

A day after an explosive Auditor-General’s report blew the lid on the council’s tendering practices, Mr Gutwein announced legislation would be introduced to sack the council — and a poll held to elect a new council on January 16.

It is a strong move. It is the right move.

It will put a full stop to a two-year saga, which has torn apart the tight-knit northern suburbs community.

It will allow the council a fresh start.

Most importantly, it will give the community a voice.

It also will make largely redundant the ongoing legal issues over the Board of Inquiry report into the council, which is still being held up due to Supreme Court action launched by the council’s general manager, Peter Brooks, who is on extended leave.

Questions will still need to be answered, such as what will be the eventual cost to ratepayers of the whole saga and what measures are put in place to ensure such a scandal is never repeated?

And the legislation will still face the Upper House, which surely must be duty-bound to pass it.

The one reservation the Mercury has previously expressed is whether a rush to elections gives the community and the council enough breathing space to recover.

The work of commissioner Sue Smith has been even-handed and impressive.

There is also the risk that people who were at the heart of previous problems are re-elected.

But Mr Gutwein rightly makes the point that, in a democracy, the people get the elected members for whom they vote.

Ultimately, the fate of the council will rest in the hands of ratepayers — precisely where it should.

There also has been speculation that the Government has acted to ensure suspended mayor Kristie Johnston — who has confirmed she will run again for the council — will not run in the next state election for the key seat of Denison.

But we take Mr Gutwein at his word when he says no such thought has entered the Government’s mind; indeed the potential solution of sacking the council had been front of mind ever since he received the draft report.

The Government has come under criticism in some quarters and from its opponents for the way it has handled this matter.

The Mercury does not believe the state should be given a free pass for the way it has interacted with local government in recent times. Its interactions with councils on the TasWater issue have been heavy-handed and unnecessarily confrontational and have jarred with many onlookers.

But in the case of Glenorchy council — regardless of the “he said, she said” rhetoric from opponents — it has acted sensibly, soberly and decisively on a matter for which the soon-to-be previous council only has itself to blame.

The Government made the right call to launch an inquiry, it made the right calls in twice suspending elected members and, despite ongoing court action, it has made the right call to sack the council altogether and call a fresh election.