By NIKKI TODD
TWEED Shire Mayor Barry Longland said he was bitterly disappointed a referendum to recognise local government in the Australian Constitution would not go ahead.
The referendum, which was due to coincide with the Federal Election under Julia Gillard, was put on ice by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Sunday after he announced an earlier poll date of 7 September.
Mr Rudd said it was “regrettable” the proposed reform, which sought to shore up Federal funding for local services, would not go ahead.
Councillor Longland, a strong advocate of the ‘Yes’ case to increase council recognition, was not pleased with the decision.
“It is very disappointing,” Cr Longland said.
“The Australian Local Government Association has put in a huge effort to get the referendum question to the point where it got to, including the engagement of both sides of politics.
“The stage was set, I think, for a successful outcome which essentially is a recognition of local government in the constitution which does not exist at the moment.”
The referendum was recommended by a parliamentary committee after two High Court decisions cast doubt over the Federal Government’s right to directly fund local government.
However, Cr Longland said it was not his job to give the Prime Minister advice.
“When (Mr Rudd) was deciding the most appropriate time to call the election, the referendum question probably would have been low on the radar,’’ he said.
“But I think the timing is unfortunate and if this question is to go ahead now, it would have to be as a separate issue for which I think the chances are pretty slim.
“It costs a lot of money to have an election, so technically the same sort of expenditure would be involved in putting this as a stand-alone question.’’
Australian Local Government Association president Felicity-Ann Lewis said in a statement she was “extremely disappointed” the referendum had been deferred as momentum was strong.
“Much campaign planning and implementation has already begun in every community in preparation for the referendum and we hope that this will not be wasted,” she said.
“We look forward to picking up where we left off when a new referendum date is announced and hope to build on the momentum this campaign has already gained among the public.”
The Federal Government is reported to have already spent $6 million on the referendum campaign.
