Liberals open to Geelong deamalgamation discussion

THE Liberals have left the door open to the City of Greater Geelong splitting into smaller councils if the party wins this month’s state election.

A question from the audience at last week’s campaign launch for local Liberal Party candidates stated the municipality of Greater Geelong was too large and “should be busted up into regional councils, with a city council to operate the city, not the hinterland”.

In response, Polwarth Liberal MP and Shadow Minister for Local Government Richard Riordan said “we’ve made a commitment that we’re not getting rid of any councils on day one”.

“But we’re open to the opportunity for communities to have those conversations; we’re not being prescriptive.”

Deamalgamation in the Geelong area already has some support, with the Combined Bellarine Community Association circulating a discussion paper in February this year and the Portarlington Community Association voting in favour of the concept.

Breaking up larger councils into smaller ones would be a complete reversal of the amalgamation policy pursued by the Liberals under premier Jeff Kennett in the 1990s, which saw Victoria’s 210 councils reduced to 79.

Speaking on the “very big issue”, Mr Riordan said there was “a general discontent across the state” from ratepayers about their local council.

“I’ve diagnosed that problem simply as councils have lost focus.

“Every strategic document, every piece of information that’s come across my desk from the 79 councils has ‘climate change’.

“We’ve got Ballarat City Council going on about nuclear disarmament, we’ve got the Surf Coast Shire spending weeks and months deciding on where they’re going to put flagpoles.

“They are dealing with every other issue other than the basic services and responsibilities they have at a local level.

“We have to do the necessary work with our local councils and say; ‘If you guys are serious about representing your local residents, then you need to demonstrate it’.

“We will hold local councils more accountable to being local and if after that we still need to fine-tune the way councils are, I’m open to that conversation.

“Certainly around this region, we’ve got the community of Batesford, for example, that clearly identifies more strongly with Geelong than it does with Golden Plains.”

The Liberal Party’s campaign launch for its candidates in the Geelong region – Richard Riordan (Polwarth), James Bennett-Hullin (Geelong), Andrew Katos (South Barwon), Donnie Grigau (Bellarine), Ralph Krein (Lara) and Joe McCracken (Western Victoria) was held at the Queens Park Reserve clubrooms.

Liberal Member for Western Victoria Bev McArthur was unwell so was absent.

Other speakers at the event included Shadow Finance Minister Ryan Smith, Shadow Minister for Transport Infrastructure Matthew Bach, and Victorian Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson.