Sorry, Neil, you're wrong (from Herald Sun newspaper, Melbourne)

Independent surveying shows local government in Victoria has an approval rating of nearly 80 per cent. These are figures to die for. No other government or large industry could claim such popularity. The community appreciates us, but a small number of misdemeanors unfairly distort public perceptions. Neil suggested Victoria should follow the lead of Queensland and New Zealand and savagely cut the number of councils in order to save millions of dollars. I hate to be churlish, but Neil is about 12 years too late. Victoria is the only state where local government has had extensive structural reform to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of council operations. Other states are now following our lead. Under the Kennett government in the mid-1990s, 210 municipalities were amalgamated into 78. Some 2000 councillors became 600 and the average municipal population tripled from 21,000 to 61,000 people. The consensus suggests cost savings, improved efficiencies and enhanced service delivery were achieved. But savage rate cuts during the reform period also resulted in a devastating underspending on community assets, creating financial pressures that are still being felt today. When you look at what local government does, it's easy to see why 80 per cent of our communities love us. Councils provide more than 100 services, from child care to aged care and everything in between. We do it for people of all ages and backgrounds, for those needing maternal and child-health nurses, child care, food safety inspections, parks and gardens maintenance and garbage collection. As well, we have responsibility for the planning system, removal of graffiti and cleaning local shopping centres. But it's not just services. Councils are responsible for $39 billion of ageing infrastructure, including roads, bridges, drains, public lighting, town halls, swimming pools, libraries and kindergartens that must be maintained and upgraded. In fact, our innovative asset management practices have been recognised in an independent PricewaterhouseCoopers report as the best in the country. The work of Victorian councils has been so demonstrably good it's also been acknowledged by the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments. Similar initiatives are now being adopted in other states. And with local government collecting only 3 per cent of the total national tax revenue, all these services and assets are delivered on the sniff of an oily rag. Through lack of equitable funding, councils have become extremely savvy at doing more with less and finding new ways to realise cost savings and improve performance and administration. Amalgamations were necessary, but further cuts would undermine the very strength local government offers. We know we sometimes make mistakes, but we take our responsibilities seriously. Reform in Victoria has led the nation and councils are a cheap and efficient glue for our communities. Cr DICK GROSS is president of the Municipal Association of Victoria