The decision to merge councils in Tasmania should not be taken lightly

Having 29 councils for a place of the area and population size of Tasmania is seen by some as excessive and overrepresentation.

Tasmanian executive director of the Property Council of Australia, Rebecca Ellston, welcomed the decision to force council amalgamations.

"Every independent report available says the case for reducing the number of councils is compelling," she said.

But The Australian Services Union state branch secretary Lisa Darmanin said it was concerning that mandates to force mergers and centralise services would be imposed.

"Historically, amalgamations never deliver the promised benefits," she said.

In recent years, this debate has come to the fore, with the governments of New South Wales and Queensland taking the unpopular decision to force council mergers.

The reality is that council amalgamations are a divisive subject, with arguments for and against them.

Proponents of council amalgamations argue that larger councils have better capabilities in terms of managing budgetary and service delivery. They maintain that amalgamated councils can reduce administrative costs, have larger workforces and increase access to specialist services. Supporters of council mergers believe that such economies of scale will result in better infrastructure and services for their constituents.

On the other hand, the opposition to council amalgamations argues that it leads to reduced levels of democracy. They argue that decisions are made in a vacuum and far away from the communities they are meant to represent. Furthermore, they maintain that service delivery becomes indistinct and diluted, ultimately diminishing the quality of services provided.

The New South Wales government attempted to amalgamate its state's councils under a 'fit for the future' plan. In December 2015, the Baird government laid out plans for 35 mergers, which would have reduced the state's 152 councils to 112. However, Premier Gladys Berejiklian abandoned the Liberal and National government's policy of local government amalgamations in 2017 after a bitter 18-month battle with councils through the media and in court.

Similarly, in Queensland, Premier Peter Beattie was behind a proposal to halve the number of councils in the state through mergers. However, these plans resulted in significant political fallout for both the QLD Labor government and the NSW Liberal and National governments.

State Local Government Minister Nic Street has committed to taking the eventual reform model to the state parliament.

Labor's Local Government spokesman Luke Edmunds has already said he won't support any forced council amalgamations.

Overall, council amalgamation is a complex and controversial topic. It is clear that when done right, it can lead to considerable efficiencies in both cost and services. However, there is a legitimate concern that the longer-term impact of such moves could be to the detriment of the community.

In Tasmania, the decision to merge councils should not be taken lightly, and lawmakers should consider the opinions of both sides to ensure that the community's best interests are served.