Legislation to sack Glenorchy City Council passes Upper House

GLENORCHY is set for fresh elections in January, after legislation aimed at sacking the council passed the Upper House.

Glenorchy will have a new council by the end of January after legislation to sack the current council was passed by the Upper House. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE

GLENORCHY is set for fresh elections in January, after the State Government’s legislation aimed at sacking the council was passed by the Legislative Council.

The legislation was introduced by Local Government Minister Peter Gutwein in the wake of repetitive delays to the Board of Inquiry investigation into the council and consistent community concerns.

It will now go the House of Assembly for noting before being signed into law by Governor Kate Warner.

Once it receives Royal Assent, the 10 suspended Glenorchy aldermen will be dismissed and elections will be called for January 16.

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Mr Gutwein said this was the result that the community wanted.

“This is the result that the community has been calling for and this will provide ratepayers and residents with both the opportunity and responsibility of electing the Council they want to guide the future of their city,” he said.

Leonie Hiscutt.

With the Government time-pressed for the bill to get Royal Assent, legislative councillors were asked to speed up the passing of the legislation through the sitting of the Upper House.

Several MLCs raised concerns about a clause in the legislation that said the rules of natural justice did not apply in relation to any action taken under the Bill.

Leader of the Government in the Upper House Leonie Hiscutt said that clause was included to prevent further legal challenges to the Board of Inquiry investigation into the council and to allow Mr Gutwein to get the final report to the council as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Huon Valley commissioner Adriana Taylor emailed all Independent and Liberal members of the Upper House on Wednesday morning asking them to block an apparent Labor Party proposal to also bring early elections to the Huon Valley.

“The situation at Glenorchy is not at all the same as in the Huon Valley,” she wrote in the email obtained by the Mercury.

“While I understand that it sounds reasonable on the surface to say why not have elections at the same time, there is a good, responsible and community-accepted process in place for preparing for elections next October for the Huon Valley.”

Ms Taylor also claimed in the email that she would stand to financially benefit by an early election by having her contract paid out before sending a further email saying that would not be the case.

The Mercury attempted to get comment from Ms Taylor about her emails.