AMENDMENTS to the Local Government Act could potentially make it more difficult for residents and ratepayers to access important council information.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The legislation, which is aimed at cutting red tape, will remove the requirement for councils to advertise information in a newspaper and allow them to advertise “such other manner as is determined by council”.
The changes are expected to affect requirements to notify the community about proposals to sell land, advertising senior staff positions and legal notices, it will also mean tenders can be delegated to anyone.
It could potentially create a patchwork approach of councils communicating to councils in different ways.
Goulburn Mulwaree Mayor Geoff Kettle said the Council was aware of the legislative changes.
“Yes we are aware of the legislative changes, however it is not Goulburn Mulwaree’s intention to change the way that we advertise and we will continue as we have been doing to advertise on Council’s website and in local media outlets such as the Goulburn Post and Post Weekly,” Mayor Kettle said.
“This is because we realise that these local media publications are widely read and penetrate well into the community – to get Council’s message across to residents.”
The State Opposition has also expressed concern about the changes.
“Local Government NSW was not consulted on the red tape bill,” Local Government NSW president Keith Rhoades said.
“However, we are generally supportive except on three main issues – delegation of tendering, different thresholds for different councils and the advertising of senior positions.”
Councillor Rhoades suggested the delegation of tenders could “open the door to the risk of corruption” and believed the threshold limits could create two different classes of councils.
“Like most councils, we agree that their advertising requirements need to be more flexible so they can assess the best methods for their individual communities and reduce costs where appropriate,” Cr Rhoades said.