The Local Government Amendment (Red Tape Reduction) Bill 2014 will remove the requirement for councils to advertise information in a newspaper and allow them to advertise “such other manner as is determined by council.” 

The changes are expected to affect requirements to notify the community about proposals to sell land, tendering, advertising senior staff positions and legal notices.  It will also mean tenders can be delegated to anyone. 

There have been fears that if notices and other matters were not advertised in newspapers, the community would miss out on crucial information, but State Member for Myall Lakes Stephen Bromhead said that would not be the case. 

“Newspapers’ readership is reducing with the digital age so I think the changes are fair providing that councils advise their ratepayers. That can be done so through other avenues such as electronic mail, television, mail or flyers,” he said. 

“I think everyone in NSW would agree 100 per cent that we need to reduce red tape. The changes would make things easier and cheaper. 

“I think it’s great that we’re giving councils more power to make their own decisions.” 

Changes to the bill have prompted Local Government NSW president Keith Rhoades to raise concerns about its impacts on the delegation of tendering, different threshold for different councils and advertising for senior positions.

Cr Rhoades suggested the delegation of tenders could “open the door to the risk of corruption” and believed the threshold limits could create two different classes of councils. 

“Like most councils, we agree that their advertising requirements need to be more flexible so they can assess the best methods for their individual communities and reduce costs where appropriate,” he said. 

The bill has been passed in the lower house but is yet to be reviewed in the upper house.