There is broad agreement that 29 councils for a population of not many more than half a million people is just way too many.

It is the first example given when people talk about our state being overgoverned.

Yet successive governments have shown an inability to achieve reform by agreement and a lack of courage to impose it on shortsighted, unwilling councils.

That is, since the defeat of the Rundle government in 1998, which went to that election with two major policies - selling the Hydro to pay off state debt and a round of compulsory council mergers.

The latter was opposed by councillors across the state, worried no doubt about the loss of their own seats and preaching that amalgamations would be the ruination of their communities.

This experience has left both major parties unwilling to advocate for forced mergers, which, unfortunately, is the only plausible way to achieve reform since councillors are unlikely to vote themselves out of a job.

Labor's local government spokesperson, and former Burnie mayor, Anita Dow has called for reform.

Ms Dow made an important point about the need for Tasmania to have a wider discussion about the role of councils.

Councils, Ms Dow argues, have the potential to play a greater role across fields as diverse as preventative health, tourism and economic development, social infrastructure and local employment.

Logically, the other side to this is there would be functions that may be best removed from councils, such as planning decisions, which remain one of the major shortcomings of councillors generally.

Still, a discussion about the role of local government that failed to address the elephant in the room of too many councils for too few people would be a cop out.

Ms Dow took a swing at the Liberal government over its failed attempt at reform, and she's right, but we can't forget Labor did little in that regard for 16 years.

Tasmania deserves better.