THE Baird government needs to rein in the rush to change local council election rules to force businesses to vote and give owners two votes.
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The idea, which targets the City of Sydney with is massive business component, could be rolled out to other parts of NSW, according to Local Government Minister Paul Toole.
Councils and their association, Local Government NSW, said they had not been consulted and urged the government to talk to them. They also want community consultation.
Dubbo councillors said the move should be delayed until more detail was made available.
There are fears the move could be seen as giving developers, landlords and business owners priority over other ratepayers and the ability to influence elections in smaller council and country areas.
The draft bill for the change was introduced in Parliament by the Shooters and Fishers Party. Beforehand, the government signalled it would support it.
It has been suggested that party politics are behind the Liberals support. It could see an opponent Sydney mayor Clover Moore’s position under threat. Conservatives would expect that business figures would support their candidate.
The rush is strange. A change affecting every council and community in NSW would normally involve consultation with the various stakeholders.
There haven’t even been hints such changes were being considered.
Local governments need to force the issue. The government needs to brief and consult. It is about elections and democracy.