The Local Government Association of the Northern Territory (LGANT) is calling on the Territory Government to address the misconduct of local government elected members by making amendments to current code of conduct legislation.
LGANT President, Kon Vatskalis, said that Local Government is at the heart of every community across the Territory.
“Territorians rely on strong, trustworthy councils to deliver essential services and positive outcomes for their communities,” Mr Vatskalis said.
“However, misconduct by council members is severely undermining this trust and eroding the integrity of local government.”
LGANT has said that under the Local Government Act, it is the responsibility of the Northern Territory Government to manage and address misconduct by council members.
The association said that the current code of conduct legislation is inadequate, and that the government is taking too long to address misconduct by elected members. This means council members are not held accountable for their actions in a timely manner, which in turn undermines the trust of the public in local government.
“We need the Government and the Opposition to commit to fixing this problem.”
LGANT is calling for specific actions from both the current government and the opposition:
- Commitment to Reform the Code of Conduct Legislation: LGANT said that it is imperative that bad behaviour among elected members is addressed swiftly and effectively, with consequences that are proportionate to the misconduct
- Funding for Governance Training: A commitment to fund comprehensive governance training for all elected council members. This training would be designed to build capacity, ensure better understanding and adherence to good governance practices, and help prevent misconduct
- Increase resources for NTG Local Government Unit: Proper resources would enable the Local Government Unit to respond to misconduct complaints as quickly as possible
“Better legislation, combined with robust governance training and required resources will help put a stop to poor behaviour from elected members and will help rebuild capacity and trust in local government.”
LGANT believes that these measures are essential for the continued trust and effectiveness of local government in the Northern Territory. Territorians deserve councils that operate with integrity and accountability, and LGANT is calling on the Northern Territory Government to ensure this is achieved.
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