The Public Service Association has welcomed the Government’s decision to pause its fast-tracked council amalgamation process, saying local government reform was being pushed ahead on unrealistic timelines without enough involvement from workers and communities.
The Government has deferred decisions on its Head Start amalgamation proposals until after the November election. Eighteen proposals were submitted by councils in August, but Local Government Minister Simon Watts says none had unanimous support across their regions and some require further analysis.
PSA Assistant Secretary Tom Buckley says the pause is necessary, arguing the original process risked locking communities into poorly designed council structures that could take decades to unravel. The PSA had previously called for the process to be slowed down.
The union says amalgamation is only one part of a much wider programme of change confronting councils, alongside reforms involving water services, planning, regional government and rates.
The scale of the process has also attracted scrutiny over cost. Documents obtained by 1News estimated councils nationally may already have spent more than $10.5 million, including staff costs, developing amalgamation proposals under the Government’s tight timetable.
The PSA represents around 13,000 local government workers across 78 councils and says those workers must have a meaningful role in whatever happens next because they will ultimately be responsible for implementing structural changes and maintaining frontline services.
It is also calling for communities to have a stronger voice in the next stage, arguing major decisions about the future of local government should not be made without the people who work in councils and the communities they serve.
The Government maintains it remains committed to reform, with decisions on the Head Start proposals now expected in early 2027 and structural changes still intended before the 2028 local elections.
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