Government accused of financial hit on councils for the cost of its own review

By Murray Silby

Nov 15, 2023

**Financial hit:** State Member for Northern Victoria Gaelle Broad says councils are being hit with big bills following a review of their restructure.

State Member for Northern Victoria Gaelle Broad has accused the Victorian Government of slugging local councils with a painful bill for the cost of a review ordered by the state.

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Ms Broad said she raised the matter in Parliament after speaking with several rural councils concerned with the process.

“Last year, the state government appointed electoral representation advisory panels to review the electoral structure of Victorian councils and to provide advice to the minister ahead of the local council elections in 2024,” she said.

“Many regional councils have now received invoices for, in some cases, more than $60,000 for the review and are finding it difficult to pay.

“These are big bills for small regional and rural councils on tight budgets.”

Greater Shepparton City Council said it was yet to receive a bill from the government for the review.

“An Electoral Structure Review was conducted on the City of Greater Shepparton throughout July and August of this year,” council said in a statement.

“Council understands that the Victorian Electoral Commission will invoice council for the costs incurred as part of this review. However, these costs are yet to be invoiced as the review is yet to be finalised.”

The government did not respond to questions from the News asking if it was appropriate for councils to have to pay for a review that was brought about by the state government’s own reforms, nor explain how the costs would be calculated.

It did say that the VEC may require councils to pay “reasonable expenses” associated with the electoral structure and ward boundary reviews.

“It’s just another example of the Labor state government putting further costs on local councils, that will flow through to taxpayers who are already struggling with increased living costs,” Ms Broad said.

An “electoral representation advisory panel” has completed a review of Greater Shepparton City Council’s electoral structure and presented its final report to Local Government Minister Melissa Horne.

The minister is yet to announce whether she will accept the recommendation, which has not been made public.

The City of Greater Shepparton will see single councillor wards introduced to the municipality, though. What those wards will be called and what their boundaries will be is uncertain.

The changes are expected to apply at the next council general election in October 2024.