Queensland has a similar population to Ireland, some 4.6 million people with a major urban centre, Brisbane, at the heart of the State. At 1.85 million square Km it is slightly larger than the island of Ireland ( a mere 81,600 square Km)! Both countries share a common lineage in their systems of government, that of Victorian local government in England and therefore share many of the challenges associated with the organisation of government around theme rather than place as is the case with local government on mainland Europe.
As in Ireland the local government system is a creature of State Government, dependent upon the State in the allocation of responsibilities and to some degree finances. However, there are significant differences in the application of reform where there is a clear acknowledgement that reforming major urban centres such as Brisbane has to require a separate approach to the reform of local government generally. One size fitting all is not something that is accepted in Queensland.
The current system is based upon 73 local authorities following wide ranging reform in 2008 on the basis of a royal commission report which recommended the merging of smaller authorities in order to achieve greater efficiencies and effectiveness. While the jury is out in regard to whether such efficiencies have indeed been delivered the recently elected Liberal Government at State level has begun rowing back on such mergers. It may be the case that some of the authorities merged under the 2008 reforms may now go through a de-merger process, should the relevant local communities determine this to be a preferred option. In addition, and perhaps a lesson to learn in the Irish case, water services were moved out of local government in the South East of Queensland into a unified utility. Moves now seem to be underway to return these services back to local government under recent announcements of the new Government!
In any event many of the key reforms of 2008 remain in place. While the populations of the authorities range from as small as 350 people to the somewhat larger Brisbane City Council with a population over 1.3 million people, a significant reduction in council members which was put into effect in 2008 remains. The total number was reduced from 1,286 to 561 members. This includes 73 mayors each directly elected and 488 councillors. The effect is that in most rural areas councils have been reduced to a mayor and 4 councillors while in Brisbane 1 Lord Mayor and 26 Councillors govern the City region.
Finance and Services
The main sources of local government revenue in Queensland include:
• General property rates for domestic dwellings and commercial enterprises, and Utility Charges;
• General service fees, administrative charges and fines;
• Loans;
• Federal and State grants, investments and subsidies; and
• Commercial revenue from entrepreneurial activities, including in the case of the South East Queensland water utility, shareholder investment returns.
In broad terms the local authorities must operate within the broad financial regimes determined by the State, much in the same manner as Irish local authorities, albeit that they have greater scope to enter the private investment markets than would be the case in Ireland.
The services provided by local authorities are similar to local government in Ireland. These range from the statutory provision of planning, water supply, sewerage (waste water) and drainage to discretionary services in cultural, health, community safety and welfare services. In the current State Government Programme for local government reform, provision has been made to re-direct special vehicle services back into local government. These include State run services in recreation and amenity provision, urban regeneration and renewal as well as taking an expanded role in enterprise development.
Lessons for Ireland?
Clearly there are many similarities between the local government system in Ireland and in Queensland. Indeed many of the challenges confronting both systems are remarkably connected to the need to put overall national/state finances in order. The current challenges confronting the Irish Government are well known. What is interesting in Queensland is that the new State Government under Cando Newman is having to confront a deficit of a similar order to the IMF/ECB/EC package for Ireland. This will drive re-structuring in Queensland over the next number of years. What is different and something which would usefully be taken on board in Ireland, is the view that one size does not fit all. The need for Brisbane to be an internationally competitive city-region requires a reform agenda which will be different from that applying to smaller local authorities in Queensland. Such thinking might be applied to the reform process in Ireland. Some of the reform templates in Queensland would have relevance to the Irish local environment, as indeed vice versa. What is striking about the Queensland processes is that there is a clear willingness to look at other reforms in other parts of Australia and Internationally and to learn from these processes. Such open thinking would be welcome in Ireland.
Time to get a copy of “Cando’s” plans for Queensland?
