No taxation without representation was the cry of the American revolutionaries in the late 18th century. Some rate-payers in Port Douglas might well cry the same thing in the lead-up to the election.

Queensland is the only state that does not allow non-resident ratepayers to vote in Local Government elections. The only people entitled to vote (and they must vote) are people on the roll for the Parliament. The Northern Territory has the same system.

The ACT does not have local government – the territory is compact enough for the state-level government to do the job.

At the deamalgamation vote, only residents were allowed to vote. The Queensland Government justified that on the basis that as any new Douglas Shire would be picking up the costs, so it was only fair that they alone made the decision, and not people in the wider Cairns Regional Shire.

There may have been some logic in restricting that vote to Douglas rather than Cairns Regional, but the logic misses the reasoning that non-resident ratepayers are affected by what a council does, and so should get a vote.

In NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania non-resident rate-payers get a vote, on the principle of no taxation without representation and that their significant interests are at stake.

In those states, it is voluntary for non-resident ratepayers to enroll, but they must be Australian citizens. In most of them, if you enroll, you must then vote or face a fine. In some, voting in local elections is voluntary. In others it is by post alone.

In some states corporations which own land can nominate people to vote.
Generally, you are only allowed one vote in any council election, irrespective of how many properties you own, but if you own properties in different council areas, you can get multiple votes. In Tasmania and NSW you can vote in different wards in the same council if you own properties in them.

It may sound a bit like Victorian England, where only the propertied classes could vote. However, there is a certain logic in allowing non-resident property owners the vote. Local government’s main functions are dealing with land use, planning and the like – the very things that affect property.

This is especially true when you get a mean or frugal state level government, as we have now. As funding gets cut at the state level for lots of social-welfare-style programs, pressure is put on local government to fill the gap, and councillors are more likely to succumb if they are not answerable to a large part of their tax base. It is easy to spend other people’s money.

Port Douglas, like a lot of tourist/coastal places has a high portion of non-resident rate-payers. They will get no say in how their rates will be spent.

Maybe they should just move up here.

crispin.hull@rubyreef.com.au