Local Government Association of the Northern Territory (LGANT) president and Darwin Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis has criticised a proposed amendment to the Local Government Act that would prevent voters from directly electing mayors across the Territory.
Under current rules, councils can decide whether their mayors are elected by the public or appointed by councillors at their first meeting. The proposed change would require all NT councils to adopt the appointment model, removing the option for popular vote.
Vatskalis said he was unclear why the change had been suggested and warned it could lead to political dysfunction.
“All the examples we’ve got from down south indicate that … it will generate so many problems that the minister and the department will be sorry for doing it,” he said.
“If you look at what happened in Victoria, a lot of the councils are in disarray because of the politics played inside the council to elect mayors.”
Currently, major councils including Darwin, Palmerston, Litchfield, Katherine, Alice Springs, and Barkly elect their mayors by popular vote, while most regional councils appoint them internally.
A discussion paper circulated to LGANT and councils argued the proposal would align the NT with most other jurisdictions, promote consistency, and reduce conflict between mayors and councillors. However, it also raised concerns about the potential impact on the visibility and legitimacy of mayors.
Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson, elected by just two votes in 2021, also opposed the proposal, calling it “a reduction in democracy.”
“I think you want to vote for your leader,” he said. “I don’t think the punters will wear it and I don’t think that they’ll be real happy about it.”
Local Government Minister Steve Edgington, himself a former directly elected mayor, said the government is still gathering feedback. “We’ve made no decisions,” he said.
“As the minister, I’ve certainly made no decisions on what the best way forward is at this point.”
Source: ABC.
