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Embargoed Draft

Ray Norman has announced that he is seriously considering being a candidate for Councillor for the City of Launceston in the upcoming Local Govt elections. It is his Local Council and he has lived in Launceston for half his life and it would advance his research interest. 

His purpose in doing so is to enable Launceston's electors to rank his ability to fulfil the role against all other candidates. More to the point however is that the governance of this/his municipality is that it is the fraction that represents, or mirrors, the whole. 

Should he be a candidate, he would be asking voters to give him their very last vote UNLESS they believe that another candidate is even less able to fulfil the role than he might be. Yes, it is a somewhat audacious strategy. Nonetheless, Launcestonians, and Tasmanians Statewide, need to consider who they elect as their 'representatives' this election and do so very carefully. In Launceston given the ongoing commentary to do with the disarray of the city’s governance, administration and financial matters since 2022 the issue of representation has become important. 

Preferential voting is the way voters can tell candidates, and representatives, who supports their candidacy relative to all comers. Ray has been told to “put up or shut up” in recent years and he is seriously considering that advice. He is also wondering if anything at all can disrupt the status quo in Tasmania currently when it is increasingly evident that the status quo is now both embedded and quite unsustainable. 

Basil Fitch was one of Ray's key advisor on 'matters Launceston' from when he began his research effort to do with placemaking and Communities of Ownership and Interest. [LINK] 

In 2012 Basil Fitch proposed that 26 of Tasmania's Local Governments be eliminated and a decade on Ray wonders how much better governed Tasmania might be now if Basil Fitch had been successful in his efforts to have 26 Councils eliminated [LINK] Interestingly this was not the first time that Basil Fitch had advocated the elimination of Councils rather than their amalgamation. 

As well, since then, many people have made the point that in reference to Local Government, Tasmania is over governed and way too expensive. 

In contrast to Tasmania, the Gold Coast Council in Queensland [LINK] serves almost 700,000 people with 14 divisions with one full-time councillor elected for each. By comparison Tasmania's 570,000 plus are served by: 29 Council's; and 29 Mayors; and 29 General Managers or CEOs; and With all GMs/CEOs drawing significant salaries. The contrast between the Gold Coast Council and Tasmanian Councils collectively is stark! ]

Should Ray nominate as a candidate he will be campaigning proactively until election day – even if it is not to vote for him! He would be raising issues that it is likely that most candidates will not be campaigning on for fear that they will not attract the votes they need to win as a self-nominated candidate and/or because the status quo serves them personally well enough irrespective of 'good 21st C governance' issues. 

Ray is aiming to muster a coalition of independents, all politically non-aligned candidates albeit that many will hold divergent views to others in the coalition. Hopefully all would be campaigning collectively and cooperatively. Candidates aspiring to achieve any outcome need to know that they can do nothing in office unless they have a coalition of supporters. Currently, it seems that many do not accept that and harbour the notion that alone they can bring about change. 

Therefore, Ray will be working to build that coalition right up to polling day. In the spirit of that Winston Churchill quote "do something instead of nothing while waiting to do everything" Ray would be giving 'the election' his fulsome attention. 

Ray and everyone in the proposed coalition will campaign for transparency and accountability in governance. Moreover, Ray and coalition campaigners would be aiming to point out to the electorate that as they will be governed by whoever they elect. 

That means that they should be aware that all constituents should and could have a voice in the deliberations that determine their wellbeing as citizens in whatever municipality they vote in. Watch this space! 

In the coming days, more details will be shared with all those contemplating being candidates and constituents seeking more information. 

Also, constituents should be aware that ‘the coalition’ would be working to disrupt the status quo incrementally, one step at a time. 

The folly of an immediate revolution is not being contemplated! Typically, meaningful change takes time and much can be done even within the current outdated and outmoded Act. 

Nonetheless, there needs to fundamental change in local governance in Tasmania if 21st C aspirations for a relevant cultural landscape are to be realised.