Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / City of Palmerston Deputy Mayor Lucy Morrison says the council will consider taking legal action over a move to split the jurisdiction into wards

Transcript

City of Palmerston Deputy Mayor Lucy Morrison says the council will consider taking legal action over a move to split the jurisdiction into wards · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Now we noted the twenty twenty two Local Government Representation
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  Speaker 1: Review's final report. It was released on Friday and you
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  Speaker 1: would have heard her speaking to the Northern Territory Electoral
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  Speaker 1: Commissioner who's also on that committee, in Logan Nathan, about
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  Speaker 1: well some of the determinations and the structure for each
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  Speaker 1: local government council. So of all the seventeen councils, changes
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  Speaker 1: were only recommended really for the City of Palmerston, which
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  Speaker 1: is set to move to a three ward structure at
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  Speaker 1: the next local government election. So how the Palmeston Council
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  Speaker 1: feeling about that decision. Well, joining me on the line
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  Speaker 1: is the Deputy Mayor Lucy Morrison. Good morning, Lucy, Good
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  Speaker 1: morning Katie. Lucy. Major changes for Palmerston by the sounds
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  Speaker 1: of it, and my understanding is that it's not something
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  Speaker 1: that the council really wanted.
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  Speaker 2: What was your reaction, Yeah, you're exactly right.
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  Speaker 3: It isn't something that the council was after and that
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  Speaker 3: was based off the feedback that we received from our community.
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  Speaker 3: There wasn't a drive for change from our community and
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  Speaker 3: that's our role is to listen to what it is
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  Speaker 3: that they want. The submissions that the electual representation committee
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  Speaker 3: received were all against the change as well, So it
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  Speaker 3: was quite surprising and quite disappointing to see that this
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  Speaker 3: was the move that they have decided.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, so what I guess what feedback did the council
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  Speaker 1: seek and did you get a lot of feedback from
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  Speaker 1: people that live in Palmerston.
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  Speaker 3: Well, the competations that we have had as elected members
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  Speaker 3: to the community have all been people against it. We
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  Speaker 3: haven't received information from our community that this is what
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  Speaker 3: they want, so there's been no drive for change.
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  Speaker 4: We haven't heard that push and.
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  Speaker 3: If you look at the submissions that the committee received,
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  Speaker 3: whilst there wasn't many, they were all against it. So
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  Speaker 3: the consultation that happened, I guess ignored that feedback from
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  Speaker 3: our community.
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  Speaker 1: So what was some of the feedback that people were saying,
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  Speaker 1: like why didn't they want the changes or why didn't
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  Speaker 1: the council sort of want those changes into you into
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  Speaker 1: the three wards?
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  Speaker 4: Yeah?
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  Speaker 3: Sure, Look, we represent the community really well as a council.
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  Speaker 4: You know, we've done a lot for Palmerston.
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  Speaker 3: We have our new pool that's being redeveloped, were our
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  Speaker 3: street parties, we have our Christmas Wonderland, We're really achieving
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  Speaker 3: for that community, and we're representing.
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  Speaker 4: Palmerston as a whole, So our councilors the work.
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  Speaker 3: Really hard together to make sure that we do deliver
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  Speaker 3: and deliver on those services. So our concern is that
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  Speaker 3: once we have wards, I guess we're.
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  Speaker 4: Really we're almost dividing the community.
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  Speaker 3: You know, currently I can go down and kept down
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  Speaker 3: the street of Palmerston and have a member from any
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  Speaker 3: subject come up to me and ask me for a change,
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  Speaker 3: and I can help them. But you know, if this,
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  Speaker 3: if this ward system happens, I would hate to see
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  Speaker 3: or it is happening, you know, not being able to
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  Speaker 3: help someone, or having someone not come to me because
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  Speaker 3: I'm not in their ward.
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  Speaker 4: And you know, we are representing Palmerston fairly and we
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  Speaker 4: are doing a good job.
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  Speaker 3: So it just seems crazy to change it when we
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  Speaker 3: haven't received that drive from our community.
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  Speaker 1: Do you reckon that there's any positives to the moving
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  Speaker 1: towards that ward system.
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  Speaker 3: Well, I know that one of the reasons pushed was
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  Speaker 3: around the population growth and that there could be more
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  Speaker 3: voter turnout. But if you look at our neighboring councils,
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  Speaker 3: both with or with our wards, the numbers are the same,
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  Speaker 3: so people aren't turning up to elections regardless. And you
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  Speaker 3: know another reason was the number of people. So if
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  Speaker 3: you have a ward system, you might only need to
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  Speaker 3: vote for four rather than twelve for example. Yes, but
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  Speaker 3: then I believe that comes down to education. So you know,
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  Speaker 3: where is the council, Where is the election commission? Why
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  Speaker 3: are the elective members? You know, it's our responsibility to
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  Speaker 3: get out talk to people, have that conversation of who
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  Speaker 3: we are, what we stand for, you know, and really
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  Speaker 3: have people know who we are, because if.
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  Speaker 4: You don't know who your councilors are, or if you
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  Speaker 4: don't know who your.
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  Speaker 3: Elected members want to be, then voting for.
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  Speaker 4: Four people or voting for twelve, you know you're still
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  Speaker 4: going to have that informal vote.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Lucie, I understand our news team spoke to the
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  Speaker 1: mayor before the report was released and she'd said that
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  Speaker 1: the council would consider legal action if it were forced
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  Speaker 1: to move towards Does that still stand or has there
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  Speaker 1: been much discussion now with the councilors about what's next.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, look, that's definitely an option.
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  Speaker 3: Ultimately, we will do what's best for the community, So
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  Speaker 3: that'll be something that the council will discuss. But yes,
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  Speaker 3: that definitely is an option.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, so still some further meetings I guess with the
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  Speaker 1: counselors to determine whether that legal option is a process
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  Speaker 1: or whether there'll be other processes that you take.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, well that's right.
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  Speaker 3: And as I said, you know, we just want to
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  Speaker 3: do what's best for the community and if that will be,
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  Speaker 3: that will leave the.
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  Speaker 4: Decision it is.
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  Speaker 1: And I guess the you know, the changes that they
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  Speaker 1: have said will be implemented. There's still a while away,
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  Speaker 1: aren't they. What like, what have you guys been told
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  Speaker 1: in that sense when it comes to timing.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, well that's right.
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  Speaker 3: So it will come into the twenty twenty five election.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, so whilst it.
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  Speaker 3: Doesn't affect the current council term, now that will be
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  Speaker 3: as far as we're aware, the next the next election, there.
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  Speaker 4: Will be the three wards.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, hopefully we do still have that sorry to interruption,
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  Speaker 2: you know you're right, still have that diversity, because you know,
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  Speaker 2: if you have four people who run in one ward
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  Speaker 2: and perhaps one person and the other, you know, we
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  Speaker 2: might not be.
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  Speaker 4: Getting that fair representation.
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  Speaker 3: And she said, you know, we're all really passionate people,
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  Speaker 3: and we all really want to be able to serve
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  Speaker 3: and represent our community, so hopefully we still get to
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  Speaker 3: be able to do that well.
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  Speaker 1: And I would imagine as well that these sort of
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  Speaker 1: you know that that you've all kind of got different,
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  Speaker 1: you know, different sort of areas that you that your
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  Speaker 1: service to some degree, like some of you might have
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  Speaker 1: a lot to do with various sporting groups, or some
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  Speaker 1: of you might have more to do with, you know,
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  Speaker 1: some of the environmental groups, et cetera, et cetera. So
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  Speaker 1: I would imagine that you're kind of that you're all
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  Speaker 1: kind of taking on different roles to some degree within
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  Speaker 1: the remit that you've got as it is.
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  Speaker 3: You're you're exactly one hundred percent correct. You know, if
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  Speaker 3: you look at Counselor Henderson, she's heavily involved with the seniors,
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  Speaker 3: so and I know how hard she works to talk
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  Speaker 3: to all them. So if Count Flah Henderson is in
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  Speaker 3: Ward one, for example, the Ward two and Ward three
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  Speaker 3: thing is still that they're not getting, you know, the
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  Speaker 3: full representation that they are getting now. And I know
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  Speaker 3: that we all work hard and we will still represent everyone,
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  Speaker 3: but it might be a bit harder for them to
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  Speaker 3: know who to go to or not to have that
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  Speaker 3: that representation.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Deputy Mayor Lucy Morrison, I really appreciate your time. Actually,
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  Speaker 1: before I let you go, I know that I had
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  Speaker 1: heard just a few minutes ago in some of our
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  Speaker 1: ads that that the that Palmerston has got quite a
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  Speaker 1: bit lined up, as I understand it, for the Bombing
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  Speaker 1: of Darwin commemorations as well. Is that correct?
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  Speaker 3: I'd have to take that one, I've noticed. I know
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  Speaker 3: that we we always support the commemoration of bombing of Darwin,
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  Speaker 3: but I don't know exactly what it is.
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  Speaker 5: That's all right, we'll be able to suss it out. No,
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  Speaker 5: oh good, we hadn't told you that we're came to
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  Speaker 5: chat about that. I'll see what info I can find out. Lucy,
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  Speaker 5: good to catch up with you this morning. I really
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  Speaker 5: appreciate your time.
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  Speaker 4: Thanks Katie.
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  Speaker 5: Thank you,