The State Government will consider the introduction of multi-councillor divisions at Ipswich City Council, following a Divisional Boundary Review carried out by the city's Interim Administrator Greg Chemello.
Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the government would evaluate Mr Chemello's recommendation, which is based on feedback from more than 1,000 Ipswich residents as part of a survey carried out in March.
"Almost 90 per cent of survey respondents ranked multi-member divisions as their first or second preference," he said. "We'll now consider this recommendation to move to multi-councillor divisions before deciding whether to refer it to the Local Government Change Commission."
The Divisional Boundary Review carried out in March, and backed by a community discussion paper, asked residents to select their preferred option from three proposed systems of representation:
- Option 1: Undivided (8 to 12 Councillors)
- Option 2: Divided – 1 Councillor per Division (8 to 12 Divisions)
- Option 3: Divided – 2 to 3 Councillors per Division (4 to 6 Divisions)
There were 1,049 survey respondents with written comments from 450 people.
"Ipswich residents are demanding a system of Local Government that better represents them and their interests, and that's what we're going to deliver," Mr Hinchliffe said.
Any divisional changes are expected to be in place before the March 2020 Council elections.
To read the review visit https://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/112308/Divisional-Boundary-Review_Results_Report.pdf
