The Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW (LGSA) have come to the defence of councillors and mayors in NSW who have also been elected by their communities as Members of Parliament, saying that the NSW Government should let communities vote for the best people to represent their communities.

 

President of the Local Government Association of NSW, Cr Keith Rhoades AFSM, said successful candidates are democratically elected by the community to represent the wishes of that community, and they should continue to be provided with that choice.

 

"Voters should be trusted to decide whether it is right for a councillor to stand for office in another sphere of government. In fact, the only time I've heard this issue being raised as a concern is by the State Government - the community do not appear to be complaining about it," said Cr Rhoades.

 

"NSW residents are extremely vocal when they are not happy with the state of affairs in all levels of government. If the individual communities were dissatisfied with the 29 politicians holding both councillor and MP positions, this would surely be demonstrated at the ballot box."

 

"We believe that councillors that are also elected as MP's are able to more effectively advocate for their communities at the state level as they can raise issues directly in Parliament and have more regular contact with Ministers."

 

"If the O'Farrell Government was really concerned about bringing NSW into line with the other states, then why haven't they applied the same reasoning to rate pegging? Perhaps rate pegging should be scraped to bring NSW into line with the rest of Australia?"

 

President of the Shires Association of NSW, Cr Ray Donald, said over the years many councillors have been elected to represent their community at both spheres of government, as their residents believe they are the best person for the job.

 

"If a community has faith in an elected representative to act in both roles, they should be able to make the decision for themselves."

 

"Councils are the closest level of government to the people they represent. The skills, knowledge and experience gained within their communities can actually help them perform their role as an elected MP as they have a broad understanding of the issues important to that specific community."

 

"Furthermore, it's not uncommon for a State MP to be employed in other work, such as the legal profession or operating family farms, or hold a Ministerial portfolio while carrying out their duties for their electorate."

 

To view the Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW submission on Dual Roles: Councillors as Members of Parliament in NSW, visit  here