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New law will leave councils powerless: expert
A proposed law that could prevent suburban activists elected to their local councils
from voting on issues at the heart of their campaigns will effectively leave local
government powerless, an RMIT University academic says.
Dr Benno Engels, an expert on local government politics, said the Brumby
Government’s conflict of interest legislation would have a disastrous impact on
local democracy.
“The vast majority of people who stand for local government have been fired up by
some issue in their community and they want to get into council to do something
about it,” Dr Engels said.
“If there’s a problem with people voting on issues that they have made submissions
on, the government should extend this principle across every government level.
“Surely it’s a classic conflict of interest when former union members who have
made it to parliament vote on industrial relations legislation.”
Dr Engels said the law was designed to bring councils under control, particularly in
the area of planning and development.
“Labor can’t use the same methods Jeff Kennett employed against councils in the
’90s, but this law enables them to achieve the same results in a more surreptitious
way,” he said.
Dr Engels is a lecturer in Social Science at RMIT. His research interests include
urban and regional restructuring, Victorian state politics and public sector
restructuring.
He is available for interview on the proposed legislation on conflict of interest in
local government.
To arrange interviews with Dr Engels contact: RMIT University Media and
Communications, Gosia Kaszubska, (03) 9925 3176 or 0417 510 735.
22 October, 2008
NEWS 
