The Local Government Association of the Northern Territory (LGANT) is calling on the new Government to work closely with the local government sector in delivering better local decision making and outcomes for towns and communities across the Territory.
LGANT President, Kon Vatskalis, congratulated new NT Chief Minister, Lia Finocchiaro, and the CLP and said the organisation was ready to work closely and transparently with the new Government to build sustainable and solid support for all councils, particularly regional councils.
“CLP has indicated they are looking at widespread changes to local government and we believe close consultation is essential if the right decisions are going to be made,” said Mr Vatskalis.
“Our council elected members across the Territory work hard to improve the lives and conditions of people in their communities and are keen to support the best outcomes.
“This includes our regional councils of which 89% of the elected members are Aboriginal,” he said.
Mr Vatskalis said it was critical that detailed and costed plans along with genuine consultation were at the heart of any change.
With over 30 years of history as the peak body representing the local government sector in the Territory, LGANT has a long and proud history of working closely with both sides of politics to advance the interests of the local government sector, he said.
LGANT is asking the new government to support the following key priorities for local government:
- Stop unfair preferencing for grants and contracts: Commit to not preferencing Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) over Aboriginal-led regional local government councils in policy and program development. This means local councils can employ local workers to do local jobs.
- Consultation, costing and funding: Ensure robust consultation and proper costing and funding of any community-led de-amalgamations to ensure continuity of services and service standards, the ongoing financial sustainability of impacted councils, and no adverse impact on other councils.
- Code of Conduct reform: Implement reform of the Local Government Code of Conduct framework including increased funding for elected member governance training and for the NT Government’s Local Government Unit to enable proactive compliance support and timely responses to misconduct complaints.
