Representatives from the local government met at Windsor Park at Riverside on Thursday for a meeting of the Local Government Association of Tasmania. The meeting was held to hear from TasWater chief executive Miles Hampton and work through the issues of the proposed takeover and vote on the councils’ position on the matter. The motion passed with 23 councils voting in favour, four against.

The motion was:

Two Northern councils abstained from voting – the City of Launceston and George Town. City of Launceston has a meeting scheduled with the Treasurer on the matter and did not wish to cast their vote and George Town has yet to come to a council position so also abstained.

Dorset, Central Highlands, Sorell and Derwent Valley voted against the motion.

“The majority of Tasmanian councils agreed today that there is no water and sewerage crisis and no advantage in changing ownership of TasWater from local government to state government,” acting president, Mayor Daryl Quilliam said.

"Councils are concerned at the likely long term impacts on debt levels and the viability of TasWater under the state government’s model. Councils also rejected claims by the Treasurer that they were acting in self-interest.”

Local Government Minister Peter Gutwein accused the councils of making a vote based on “self-interest”, which was rejected by the councils.

“I want to make it perfectly clear, the council will be voting for a higher price and slower fix versus the state government’s model of quicker fix and lower prices,” he said.

“This is an issue that affects all Tasmanians. What’s occurring in water and sewerage is simply not good enough.”

He said last year complaints to TasWater were up 20 per cent or 600 complaints about how TasWater were conducting their business.

“Not only we will we ensure prices are lower but people will have the opportunity to bring concerns to state government,” he said.

Opposition Local Government Minister Madeleine Ogilvie said she believed the motive was to force an environment for council amalgamations.

“It’s to create an environment for mergers, or mergers by stealth, that is what I believe they are doing,” she said.

Ms Ogilvie said Peter Gutwein should be stripped of his portfolio due to his “offensive behaviour.”

“We shouldn’t be in the business of nationalising assets,” she said.

“He needs to wear this, it’s his behaviour and his decision-making that has lead us to this point.”

Ms Ogilvie said she believed Mr Gutwein didn’t have the legal power to push forward with the bid despite his assertion earlier in the week that he would.

Greens Water spokeswoman Andrea Dawkins also criticised the takeover bid.

“Treasurer and Local Government Minister Peter Gutwein’s authoritarian attitude towards councils in his political quest is unbelievable,” she said.

“He ignored TasWater’s please for funding and the Greens’ questioning on the shocking state of Tasmania’s water and sewerage infrastructure for years before making his snap decision to take over TasWater.”

LGAT will advise the state government and the Opposition of its decision and commission a campaign against the takeover proposal.