Central Coast residents will have to wait more than two more years to elect new councillors.
Minister for Local Government, Wendy Tuckerman, confirmed on June 1 that the next Central Coast local government election will be held along with all other local government elections in the state on September 24, 2024.
The Minister said the decision will give ratepayers “renewed confidence and certainty” after councillors were dismissed in March following the release of recommendations from the public inquiry into the Council.
The councillors were originally suspended in October, 2020, after the Council declared itself to be in deep financial trouble.
By the time new councillors are elected, the organisation will have been under administration for more than four years.
“Having the election fall into line with the next round of local government elections ensures that Council and ratepayers are not burdened with the substantial of cost of holding two elections in a relatively short period,” Tuckerman said.
“The recovery at Central Coast Council is well under way, but it’s critical we allow the Administrator and General Manager time to complete the reforms necessary to ensure the ongoing sustainability of the Council.
Tuckerman said keeping an Administrator in place until the next local government elections in 2024 will provide stability for residents and enable the council to address the recommendations from the public inquiry before councillors return.
But she acknowledged not everyone would be happy with the announcement.
“I know this may be disappointing to some people, but its important that we make sure that we’re not going back to the same situation we were in the past.
“Can I say in regards to democracy you have five state Members of Parliament, there is plenty of opportunity to have your voices heard and you have an administrator who is consulting with the community,” she said.
Commissioner Roslyn McCulloch made eight recommendations following the public inquiry, including recommendations to vacate all civic offices and extend the term of the Administrator, implemented immediately.
The remaining recommendations are supported in-principle, with some to be implemented by the Council and others requiring legislative change.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, said the decision to remain in Administration until 2024 will benefit residents.
“The people of the Central Coast are telling me their key concern is having a functioning, sustainable Council that’s servicing their needs effectively,” Crouch said.
“We don’t want to return to the bad old days of the previous Council and taking this extra time to put important processes and protections in place will ensure that doesn’t happen, while also sparing ratepayers the cost and inconvenience of holding two elections in just over two years.”
Council Administrator, Rik Hart, welcomed the announcement, saying it provides Council with a date to work towards and time to implement the Commissioner’s recommendations.
“Council has made significant progress in stabilising the organisation, holding local government elections in 2024 allows Council to ensure a solid foundation for a newly elected body,” Hart said.
“At this stage, I plan to continue as Administrator and look forward to continuing to work with the Central Coast community to deliver the best outcome for the region.
“While I’ve always been in favour of democracy, I am firmly of the opinion that sacked councillors should not be allowed to run for Council in a subsequent election, and I will continue to push this view.
“Experience has shown that when previous councillors return from a period of administration, the risk of deterioration increases dramatically.
“I can only hope holding local government elections in 2024 attracts new people to the councillor role.”
The Constitutional Referendum to determine the future number of Central Coast councillors will be held in line with the local government election on September 14, 2024.
But the Protest Against Extreme Rates group has slammed the decision.
“The State Government is deliberately denying local people an early vote on the recent rate hikes pushed through by the Administrator (the Government) appointed,” spokesperson Kevin Brooks said.
“Whatever happened to the principle of no taxation without representation?
“Our community should consider carefully the way State Government is treating us when we decide how to vote at the State Government elections scheduled for early next year.”
Terry Collins
What a disgrace. We have a horrible administrator. Democracy is dispensed with while he reigns supreme. Council elections must be held ASAP.
Governments only cancel elections when they fear the verdict of the voters.
In this case, State Government knows voters will reject the massive rate hikes it is imposing on our community through its appointed Administrator.
We now face two more years of local government by unelected and self interested bureaucrats. This is one of the worst forms of government because there is no accountability to the community for performance.
We see that in the way services have continued to decline under Administrator Rik Hart despite higher rates well in excess of what was required to pay back loans from the financial crisis.
When Minister Tuckerman says she doesn’t want elections taking us backwards, she is saying that State Government doesn’t trust the people of the Central Coast with elections.
Rather than going backwards, elections will give us a chance to choose fresh leadership to address Council’s underlying problems in management performance, bad culture, and low productivity – problems the State Government Administrator Rik Hart has failed to address.