Question Time

LOCAL GOVERNMENT, REGIONAL MEETINGS

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (15:09): I don't really thank the honourable member for his question, I have to say. It's a direct repeat of a question he asked not very long ago, and I thought I answered the question in considerable detail. It's most unfortunate that the honourable member comes back. I guess it's just typical of the lazy opposition that we see opposite us that they just continue to ask the same old questions over and over.

The Hon. John Dawkins takes my comments completely out of context again, which is misrepresenting me again. I explained last time, and I am happy to take up more valuable time of this chamber repeating it over and over again because the opposition just has so much trouble understanding change.

There have been considerable machinery of government changes around local government fairly recently. Considerable change has taken place, so the structure is not the same as it was when the Hon. Russell Wortley was minister and also when I was formerly minister as well. There were completely different structures in place. There was an agency that was sitting under the minister.

Now, as I have already articulated very, very clearly in this place, the responsibilities of local government are broad, their policy responsibilities are broad and we now have a much more direct relationship with those policy needs of local government and direct government agencies. So, for instance, most of the issues that local government are concerned with are things like planning and developments, and roads and transport—two really large issues. If they want information about those issues or want advice on those issues, they go directly to those appropriate agencies. We have shifted some responsibilities into Finance, and the regional elements continue to sit with me.

What is appropriate is if a local council, whether it's a regional council or otherwise, irrespective of their need, requires government information or advice on any policy matter, then I invite them to contact the appropriate agency and invite the appropriate person along. If it's information on transport that they want and need, then I would advise them to advise Transport of what their needs are and invite a government representative to come along, and so on. I don't need to go through all the different portfolio areas.

That was the point that I made. There have been significant machinery of government changes that mean that the structure of government now is far more directly responsive to local government needs. It's a much more mature and well-developed model, instead of bypassing agencies and double-handling most issues—that's what my agency used to do in the past. A lot of its time was spent double-handling issues that really belonged and should have gone to other agencies. So, it's much more efficient, much more effective and I believe that the needs of local government are met in a far more timely and efficient way.

That's what I outlined in my last comments. Again, whether it's the regional councils or individual local councils, if they require government assistance, advice, information or briefings, I encourage them to approach the appropriate agency, and you will find, as always, a very responsive state government.