Some Tasmanian residents and councils are split over the proposed amalgamation of the state's councils raising concerns about the future of their communities if the planned amalgamation goes ahead.
On Thursday Local Government Minister Roger Jaensch said the government would discuss local government reform with state councils after cross-party talks with Labor and the Greens recently failed.
He said the government had no predetermined outcome in mind for reforms, adding the matter did not just concern amalgamations.
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Flinders Island Council mayor Annie Revie said while she was not opposed to the prospect of amalgamating, she was concerned that the unique issues her residents faced could be overlooked if the island was to be absorbed by another council.
"It's hard for the island being so small and isolated to amalgamate and still be heard," she said.
Ms Revie said the amalgamation of Bruny Island and Kingsborough was an example of how the issues of one municipality could be overlooked if absorbed by another with contrasting issues.
"The residents of Bruny Island have never been happy since the amalgamation - their issues are at the bottom of the barrel," she said.
Meander Valley Council mayor Wayne Johnston said while the issue was yet to be formally discussed he could see both positive and negative issues associated with amalgamation.
He said if some of the councils were amalgamated it would increase the operating scale of the newly formed municipalities, providing greater resources for residents with improved efficiency.
Launceston resident Dixon Gray said amalgamating councils in the North could reduce the financial burden some councils were experiencing by consolidating budgets and services that overlapped.
Cr Johnston said any consolidation of municipalities would need to reflect the larger issues faced by residents and should not be implemented purely as a cost-cutting measure.
Derwent Valley business owner Dean Metcalf said after hearing about amalgamation issues on the mainland he was concerned with smaller populations maintaining equal representation if combined with municipalities with a greater population.
Mr Metcalf said after his mother town in Northern Victoria - with a population of 3000 people - was absorbed by the neighbouring municipality of 8000 people, community representation in the council declined.
"They went from having their own council and control over a lot of their own works to electing one counsellor," he said.
"That went from 12 to one and I think a lot of people felt that they were not able to air their concerns as well."
George Town Council mayor Greg Kieser said with the current state of the council and considering the information he had reviewed he was currently opposed to amalgamating George Town with another municipality.
"The dominant issue with amalgamation is you need to have an evidence base that validates that you do get the theoretical efficiencies and cost savings from amalgamation and my position has always been the same, show me the evidence and I'll have an open mind, but that that evidence base is extremely thin," he said.
"I think philosophically, people love the idea of amalgamations and on paper, it makes sense, but in reality when you come to implement those cost savings, based on what I've seen they simply do not materialise."
West Tamar resident Estelle Ross said she was in favour of amalgamation to eliminate the duplication of roles and responsibilities in neighbouring councils.
"I think it might be a good idea to do West Tamar, George Town and Launceston, but I have some reservations about George Town because it's not as well run as West Tamar," she said.
"West Tamar has always got a good credit balance and Launceston, I'm not sure about them, but it could be feasible."
Dorset City Council mayor Greg Howard said he would be open to amalgamation, but only if councils with shared interests were combined and boundaries were reconsidered to consolidate rural communities into one municipality and likewise for metropolitan communities.
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Andrew Chounding
An experienced multi-platform journalist focusing on the issues that impact health in Tasmania. With a background in social research and public policy, health reporting for Andrew is about ensuring the best health outcomes for the Northern Tasmanian community. Contact Andrew at: andrew.chounding@examiner.com.au or 0437 358 262
An experienced multi-platform journalist focusing on the issues that impact health in Tasmania. With a background in social research and public policy, health reporting for Andrew is about ensuring the best health outcomes for the Northern Tasmanian community. Contact Andrew at: andrew.chounding@examiner.com.au or 0437 358 262
