Local Government

The Greens (WA) endorse Local Government as the most important of the three tiers in the Westminster system of government. A socially progressive Local Government is grass roots government for the people by the people. We believe that constitutions should ensure the right of local governments to express the will of their electorates. 

Goals

The Greens (WA) want: 

• local government recognised in the Commonwealth constitution, in a future Western Australian Constitution and given an enhanced role and revenue base
• the Local Government Act amended to require the principles of ecological sustainable development in Agenda 21¹ be the basis of local government policy
• local government elections to be based on preferential voting under a system of proportional representation² the principle of one vote, one value be the aim in drawing ward boundaries when proportional representation is not used
• postal voting used by all in all local governments
• council meetings and deliberations to be as open and transparent as possible
• council committees open to the public with agendas published in advance, minutes published, and opportunities for ratepayers to address meetings
• the reform of local government structures and practices advanced by the principles in the WA Local Government Association's report The Journey: Sustainability into the Future³ 

Initiatives

The Greens (WA) will initiate and support legislation and actions that: 

• work with and support the advance of the WA Local Government Association's (WALGA) reform proposals in its report The Journey: Sustainability Into The Future
• support WALGA's approach as a better alternative than forced amalgamations of local governments, ensuring local government can maintain economic viability in order to retain their more democratic closeness to people
• supports reform of the unbalanced federal/state tax and finance system to reduce the commonwealth's excessive domination of revenue at the expense of service provision by the states and local government
• allow communities to be more involved in Local Government and urge councils to:
  - adopt the precinct concept⁴ of direct community participation in Local Government
  - hold public forums prior to an election to inform candidates of the role, requirements and legal processes of council
  - familiarise all citizens with their rights and with all aspects of the present electoral system
  - adopt a comprehensive community consultation process to gauge community opinion on all major proposals and maintain a regular flow of information to the community via community radio, newsletters and noticeboards to give equal voice to a range of ideas and to encourage community participation

The Greens (WA) recognise the importance and responsibilities of local government councillors and we propose:

• financial support for those elected to local government, in recognition of the part they play in decision-making and to increase accountability
• comprehensive training for councillors after they are elected (updated every two years to keep councillors informed of changes in process)
• that the penalties for corruption should be reviewed to ensure that they are appropriate to the offence
• councillors should have privileges, similar to that held by members of parliament, to speak at council meetings without fear of being sued

The role of Local Government is increasing and the Greens (WA) propose:

• that funding to Local Governments from State and federal governments should be increased to reflect the increasing roles of local government in their communities
• that State Government facilities pay rates to the relevant local councils rather than paying them into general government revenue
• removal of the exemption from paying rates that are currently provided for in State Agreement Acts
• better coordination with other levels of government to avoid duplication and unnecessary waste of resources
• that State and federal governments conform to council town planning schemes and be required to obtain approval for development projects
• increased involvement of Local Government at other levels of government
• legislation to limit the power of large companies to obtain development approvals against community interest and wishes by virtue of their capacity to undertake expensive litigation
• limitations on the power of the Minister for Local Government to charge Local Government for the cost of inquiries into councils
• that State of the Environment reporting include criteria for measuring the environmental and social impact of developments
• giving Local Government the power to give local businesses preference on tenders to keep wealth and jobs in the community and to benefit community life, and to seek to reform National Competition Policy accordingly
• that local governments encourage energy efficient building design by requiring a minimum NatHERS rating⁵ of 7 stars and reduced building permit costs for more efficient designs.

Glossary
1. Agenda 21 is a treaty adopted in 1993 by the UN Rio Conference on the Environment to enhance international cooperation for sustainable development in developing countries, combat poverty, change consumption patterns, protect human health conditions, promote sustainable development and integrate environment and development in decision-making.
2. Proportional representation is similar to the voting method for the Senate. There would be no council wards and a single ticket for all council positions with preferential voting to elect all councillors.
3. WALGA Report, The Journey: Sustainability into the Future proposes as an alternative to amalgamations, that of regional service delivery and appropriate local representation. This process would see groups of local governments establishing joint provision of technical and specialist services to achieve economies of scale. WALGA proposes appropriate reforms of the Local Government Act to this end (www.walga.asn.au)
4. Precinct concept - Independent community precinct committees directly participate in council business with an opportunity to comment on council agendas, policies, local laws and development applications before these are considered by council.
5. NatHERS (National House Energy Rating Scheme) measures the amount of energy required to keep a home comfortable and produces a rating of up to 10 stars, like the energy rating stickers on whitegoods.