Ire over review of Qld local councils

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie has been branded a dictator after ordering sweeping changes to local government which could force the mass amalgamation of smaller councils.

The government will set up a Queensland Local Government Reform Commission to consider changes to council boundaries before the next local government elections in March, 2008.

The move came as the council election date was brought forward two weeks to March 15 to avoid conflict with the Easter holiday.

A review of Queensland's councils has found 43 per cent are either weak, very weak, or financially distressed.

"We cannot as a government ignore that and we will not," Mr Beattie said.

"We have to drag the system of local government into the 21st century."

The premier said a voluntary review of councils, known as the Size, Shape and Sustainability (SSS) program which the government had already poured $25 million into, was "delivering nothing".

"(Councils) know that what we would have had was tinkering at the edges and, at the end of it, these councils in years to come would have started falling over because of their financial position," he said.

Opposition Leader Jeff Seeney said local government in Queensland would never be the same.

"To ride into this situation ... and sweep aside all of the work that's been done by local councils would indicate to me that Peter Beattie has become a dictator in Queensland," Mr Seeney said.

The announcement sparked outrage among local government authorities and prompted warnings it could lead to "significant" job losses.

"Local communities have today seen democracy ... ripped away from its heart," Local Government Association of Queensland president Paul Bell said.

"We've seen the Beattie government disallow a process that's now been running for 12 months, that's been engaging 118 mayors, councils and communities in looking at reform ... and now we've just seen that completely dismissed."

Mr Bell said the state government had betrayed councils and as late as last week made them believe it still supported the SSS review.

"We believe that there could be significant job losses in local government if this (plan) is not held to some account," Mr Bell said.

The commission will be chaired by former electoral commissioner Bob Longland, who will be supported by six other commissioners including former local government ministers Terry Mackenroth and Di McCauley and former Queensland Liberal Party leader Bob Quinn.

It will look at each of Queensland's 157 councils, with the exception of Brisbane City Council, which operates under separate legislation.

The commission will report back to the government by August and the reform process will then be subject to vote by parliament by September.

Mr Beattie refused to pre-empt where amalgamations would be possible but expected Gold Coast and Ipswich councils would experience some "adjustments at the edges".

Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale supported the review, saying the amalgamation of Ipswich City and Moreton Shire in the early 1990s had brought about tremendous long-term gain.

"I have no doubt that proposed amalgamations will bring parochial feelings to the fore, however, residents should not be fearful of something that will make local government more efficient and stronger with less bureaucracy," he said.

Mr Beattie said while $25 million had been budgeted for the SSS review, only $2 million had been spent.

The remaining money would now fund the commission.

As part of the reform package, a single regional government authority will be established in the Torres Strait, replacing the region's existing 17 councils.

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