PETITION Wednesday, 19 October 1994 ASSEMBLY 1231 Wednesday, 19 October 1994 National Gallery of Victoria - Report for the year 1993-94 State Film Centre of Victoria Council - Report for the year199~94 The SPEAKER (Hon. J. E. Delzoppo) took the chair at 10.04 a.m. and read the prayer. Victorian Arts Centre Trust - Report for the year 199~94 PETITION LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM The Oerk - I have received the following petition for presentation to Parliament Mr COOPER (Momington) - I move: Sodomy That this house congratulates the government on its initiatives to support and reform local government and To the Honourable the Speaker and. members of the contrasts this with the abject failure of the Labor Legislative Assembly in Parliament assembled: government in Victoria between 1982 and 1992 to strengthen the state's local government system. The humble petition of the undersigned citizens of the State of Victoria sheweth: The period since 1992 in Victoria has shown that this government is prepared to get on with the job. This The act of anal intercourse or sodomy is: government has set out to reform the state and to a serious health hazard, almost always involving repair the damage that was done to Victoria by the anal and rectal damage; Labor government between 1982 and 1992. Whichever area you turn to -- the means of transmission of disease in about 90 per cent of HIV / AIDS cases in Australia; The DEPUTY SPEAKER - Order! There is far associated with a number of other serious diseases, too much audible conversation in the chamber. I including hepatitis A, B and C, gonorrhoea and suggest honourable members lower their voices. If syphilis; they have some difficulty with that, I suggest they leave the chamber. described in the Bible as an 'abomination' to God. Your petitioners therefore pray that the Legislative Mr COOPER - Whether it be in the areas of Assembly will pass a law to make the commission of health, transport or finance, the reforms this sodomy (anal intercourse) a ai.minal offence, to government has implemented are turning the state prevent this serious health hazard from being around from its appalling condition when we came promoted in the media and education institutions as a to power in October 1992. There is no better example valid form of sexual intercourse. of that than in local government, the subject of this morning's motion. I believe evidence can be And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. produced to the house -- By Mr Turner (34 signatures) The DEPUTY SPEAKER -Order! The Chair has already asked honourable members to lower their Laid on table. voices. Within a matter of seconds the voices were back up to the same level. I again call on honourable PAPERS members to lower their voices so that the honourable member for MOmington can be heard. If Laid on table by Oerk: someone wants to interject, that is different from voices raised in conversation in the chamber. I will Film Victoria - Report for the year 199~94 deal with individual interjectors. The level of voices is far too high. If members are unable to lower their Geelong Performing Arts Centre Trust - Report for voices I suggest they leave the chamber. the year 199~ Mr COOPER - Evidence can be produced to Museum of Victoria Council - Report for the year show that the local gove~ent reforms of this 1993-94 government in the 24 months since it came to power LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM 1232 ASSEMBLY Wednesday. 19 October 1994 are WlSurpassed in the history of this state. It is Between 1969 and 1974 the Local Government important to remember that the call for reform goes Advisory Board recommended mergers of the cities of back a long, long way. Calls for local government Melbourne, Port Melbourne, South Melbourne and reform arose during the lifetimes of many Fiwoy; the cities of Geelong, Geelong West and governments of all persuasions. It was only during Newtown; the shires of Chiltern and Rutherglen; the the past two years that action was taken in response Shire of Belfast and Borough of Koroit. In addition, the to those calls. board reported that the amalgamation of the cities of Collingwood and Richmond would prove too small In setting the scene for this debate it is worth talking and proposed an overall inquiry into the inner about some of the earlier inquiries and some of the metropolitan area. It also rejected the unification of the other things that have happened in respect of local City of Bendigo and the Borough of Eaglehawk and government reform. I can draw for that history on a proposed a wider inquiry into the five municipalities document that was published by the Local forming the Bendigo conurbation. Government Commission in February 1986, when the Labor Party was in power. Principles and Shortly after this work was shelved by the government programme detailed earlier inquiries into local of the day, a member of the board and the then senior government. It might be of some interest to the inspector of municipal administration, Mr D. M. house to realise that the first commission to look into Purdie, went to print in Local Government in Australiil local government reform in this state was the Sturt and set out a persuasive case for major structural commission, established in 1863. So we are not reform. talking about something that has only happened recently; local government reform has been called The Bains committee in 1979 was even more critical of for for a long time. the structure and financial dependency of local government and recommended the establishment of a I quote from the document called Principles and municipal commission to review the structure of local Programme which says of earlier inquiries: government in Victoria and make recommendations for a new pattern of local authorities for the state. In 1863 the Sturt commission (sometimes incorrectly referred to as the Stuart commission) was highly critical And, finally, the Victoria Grants Commission reported of the inability of the then 54 municipal districts to in 1985 that about three-quarters of Victoria's 210 effectively perform the functions of local government councils warranted some form of boundary review in because of limitations to population, rateable property order to address problems related to high costs of and resources. administration, better use of public funds, reliance on external revenue sources, fragmentation of provincial Then 99 years went by and another inquiry was urban centres, and economies of scale. undertaken. The document refers to its findings: Calls for the reform of municipal structure in In 1962 the Mohr commission emphasised the serious Victoria go back to 1863. Until 1985 the calls were deficiencies inherent in the structure of the mwUcipal generally ignored by the governments of the day, system; drew attention to the lack of financial resources regardless of their political persuasion. of many small municipalities to efficiently discharge their local government responsibilities; and In 1985, following the Bains report into local recommended extensive restructuring. government in Victoria, the then Cain government created the Local Government Commission. The Ten years later: 1979 final report of the Bains board of review has a couple of interesting quotes in its preface. I add In 1972 the Voumard committee expressed serious them to the debate: doubts about the capacity of local government to cope with expected demands; stressed the unsuitability of Local government in Victoria emerged as the first existing boundaries and internal administration; and comprehensive municipal system in Australia in the concluded that a strong prima facie case existed for the middle of the 19th ~tury. Since then local review of municipal boundaries. government in Victoria has changed less than the other state systems and become ossified. It displays a number The Local Government Advisory Board was set up of 19th century characteristics which impair municipal and about that the following appears: performance in relation to each of the role dimensions outlined below. LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM Wednesday, 19 October 1994 ASSEMBLY 1233 In order to clarify the need for and purpose of local Economies of scale are evident for metropolitan institutions three principal dimensions of the role of municipalities for street lighting, traffic control, local government have been identified: community amenities, street cleaning, community and recreational development, recreation and culture (and community representation and participation; its components) and debt service expenditure. development of community resources; There is evidence of economies of scale in outlays on ensuring effectiveness in service delivery. capital assets, particularly plant and equipment and These dimensions are developed in the five other parts land and buildings ... of the report on the role, structure, administration, resources and relationships of local government in The larger or more populous the municipality, the Victoria. greater the likelihood of a normal distribution of rate burdens and, hence, of a more equitable sharing of The preface goes on to say: rates between owners and occupiers of property in different areas. The present structure has failed to adjust to social change in the 20th century, as has been manifested in The enonnous body of opinion and the fact that it the durability of municipal boundaries which no longer was published more than 100 years shows that reflect either communities of interest or viable something needed to be done. Against that administrative units. Many services cannot readily be background, in 1985 the Cain government set up the provided by small municipalities which have relatively Local Government Commission. It did so after high cost and often an undue dependence on grants. appointing Jim Simmonds as the new Minister for For more than a century, official inquiries in Victoria Local Government following the March 1985 have observed that many local authorities lack the election.