Tags:
Tony Piccolo MP
/ Gawler
/ Light Electorate
/ Shadow Ministry
By Light Electoral Office
Apr 02, 2019
The Marshall Liberal Government has announced they will oppose Labor’s
Ratepayer Protection Bill - designed to eliminate the worst excesses of council
waste, rorts and secrecy.
Local Member of Parliament, Tony Piccolo, has said that by voting down the Bill
in Parliament, the Marshall Liberal Government will block reforms which would
have empowered ratepayers to eliminate the extravagant perks and wasteful
expenditures which have been experienced in some councils.
“Every story we hear from today - about council rorts or extravagant expenditures
- will be on the Marshall Government and the Minister for Local Government,” Mr
Piccolo said.
“Rorts such as staff spending ratepayers’ money on golf memberships and Apple
watches have not yet been dealt with and this waste must stop.”
The Ratepayer Protection Bill contains provisions which would have empowered
ratepayers with greater transparency about council expenditures, including rate
impact statements for new projects and services (above certain thresholds),
mandatory disclosure of significant project and service budget overruns and
greater ratepayer involvement in project and service delivery decision-making.
“The Marshall Liberal Government has rejected proposed legislation which would
have improved council transparency and provided ratepayers with better control
over how their money is spent,” Mr Piccolo said.
The Ratepayer Protection Bill also contains provisions to ban extravagant perks
for council CEOs, discourage costly and vexatious code of conduct complaints
against councillors and raised the threshold for council matters to be discussed
in-confidence and away from ratepayer scrutiny.
The Bill had already passed through Parliament’s Upper House, with the support
of all crossbench members and it could have been made law with the support of
the Marshall Liberal Government.
“If the Government didn’t approve of some of the provisions in the Ratepayer
Protection Bill, then why not propose some amendments?”, Mr Piccolo asked.
“To reject the Ratepayer Protection Bill outright is just petty politics, plain and
simple.
“Ratepayers will suffer because the Marshall Liberal Government did not want to support a Labor Bill.”
Mr Piccolo also questioned the Marshall Government’s seriousness in tackling the
urgent need for local government reform.
“Despite having been in office for nearly a year, the Government is yet to
introduce reforms of its own which will improve council performance,
transparency, accountability and most importantly protect the interests of
ratepayers,” Mr Piccolo said.
CONTINUE READING
