Adelaide Now reports that South Australian local government councillors are defying laws designed to cut back their numbers by voting to keep themselves in a job. South Australia's 675 councillors are in the process of reviewing if their council should have less representatives at next year's elections and only five councils so far plan for minor reductions. Those voting to keep the same number of councillors are able to do so because the cutbacks were not made compulsory in the Local Government Act, which asks they only "examine" reducing numbers.
Some councils are also acting in defiance of the wishes of the public, with Wattle Range Council voting last week for another period of community consultation – rejecting as "unmanageable" recommendations by eight out of 10 respondents and the council chief executive that numbers be cut from 11 to five. President of the Residents and Ratepayers Association Kevin Kaeding said councils should all abide by the wishes of those who made public submission during consultation.
The state's biggest council Onkaparinga has 20 members. Onkaparinga mayor Lorraine Rosenberg wanted to cut this number to 12 but councillors voted to retain the status quo. Ms Rosenberg now wants an independent review of the process in all councils. When the Local Government Act was passed in 1999, it stated after eight years all councils with more that 12 councillors must consider reducing the number of councillors and recommended the same for smaller councils.
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