APRIL 10 2011 Page 11
thesundaymail.com.au 11NEWSthesundaymail.com.au SPECIAL INVESTIGATION
Savingstough tomeasureNEW Local Government Min-ister Paul Lucas has admittedit will be ‘‘difficult’’ to pindown the cost savings of thestate’s controversial councilmergers three years after re-drawing the boundaries.
Mr Lucas has been unableto define benchmarks to beused by the State Governmentto measure the success of themergers and will not produce acost-benefit analysis.
But in an interview with TheSunday Mail on the thirdanniversary of the mergers,Mr Lucas said his observationsleft him in no doubt thechanges were for the better.
He believed oppositionwould disappear over time, asit had in Brisbane when 20councils were folded into onemore than 80 years ago.
‘‘I think the proof of it is bythe services ratepayers get fortheir dollar,’’ Mr Lucas said.
But former Labor MP andspeaker Mike Reynolds saidresidents deserved a report onthe outcomes before nextyear’s council elections.
Kelmeny Fraser
Millionsspent onnew lookCOUNCILS have spent morethan $2 million on newsignage, logos and uniformssince the amalgamations, butwarn the job is far from over.
Townsville City Council hasone of the biggest bills, spend-ing $943,000 on rebranding.
Other councils have spentfar less, such as Central High-lands Regional Council with abill of $50,000.
A council spokesman said ithad focused on changing overuniforms to achieve ‘‘oneidentity’’.
Toowoomba RegionalCouncil, formed after themerger of eight separate coun-cils, has spent $500,000 onnew livery and signage.
Sunshine Coast RegionalCouncil has spent $60,000 ona community engagementprogram to develop a newbrand, while a new logo de-sign, building and boundarysignage has cost WesternDowns Regional Councilabout $60,000.
Kelmeny Fraser
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rate councila costly flop
COUNCILS COMPAREVALUE FROM RATES
Council Worse No change Better
Moreton Bay 84.7% 12.7% 2.7%
Rockhampton 84% 14% 2%
Southern Downs 63.3% 34.7% 1.3%
Sunshine Coast 44% 56% 0%
Toowoomba 64% 28% 4.7%
Townsville 20.7% 78% 1.3%
TOTAL 60.1% 37.2% 2%
Source: Market Facts (Qld) & Morton Consulting Services
Charges soarpast pensionSUNSHINE Coast pensionerRay Lowe (pictured) reckonscouncillors have no idea howmuch pain rate rises are causing.
The 79-year-old is one of fivepensioners in his Aroona streetdoing it tough, as rate risesoutstrip CPI pension increases.
‘‘They can go on about howmuch it costs them, but whatdoes it bloody well cost me?’’ hesaid. ‘‘You have a CPI increaseof 2 per cent in six months andyou are expected to pay an 8 or10 per cent increase in rates.’’
Pay more, get less?It doesn’t add upBUSINESS owners in Yeppoon are dirty onamalgamation. ‘‘It’s basic things like the footpaths in theCBD used to be cleaned regularly. They are evidently notcleaned now,’’ says Wayne Hoey, spokesman for theCapricorn Coast Business Community Group.
‘‘The bill has gone up and the service has gone down.You can’t say that’s a good result.’’
The coastal town used to be the heart of the oldLivingstone Shire Council. Now it’s part ofRockhampton Regional Council.
‘‘We had a very proactive local council that we’ve lostto a much more bureaucratic and less-in-touch council,’’Mr Hoey says. ‘‘While the Capricorn Coast has 16 percent of businesses in the greater Rockhampton region,they contributed 18 per cent of the rates. That’sunreasonable.’’
Many shops and offices in Yeppoon sit empty, havingclosed their doors over recent months.
Mr Hoey says while amalgamation is not to blame forbusinesses closing, the former local council would havebeen much more responsive to their problems. ‘‘Theywould have gone into assist mode,’’ he said.
His group was formed specifically to give locals astronger voice in liaising with the new council.
The Sunday Mail/LGAQ survey shows four out of fivepeople in the old Livingstone area would supportde-amalgamation. But Mr Hoey says the costs involvedwould make a split impractical. ‘‘I guess we have given upon de-amalgamation . . . but boy, we have suffered as aresult of the amalgamation.’’
Kelmeny Fraser
Frustrated: Wayne Hoey(left) and fellow businessowners in Yeppoon lastweek.
