During those meetings, it was not unusual for one of the councillors from, say, Lockhart, to use a break in proceedings to raise an issue like trees overgrowing power lines on a quiet country road.

The electricity boss would make a note of it, and the trees would be pruned. It was local knowledge at its finest.

Of course, the county councils as they were then have been overhauled and now attention is again being focused on shire and city councils.

Sydney’s Daily Telegraph yesterday carried the results of an opinion poll which found that the majority of those questioned were in favour of council amalgamations.

Let’s cut to the chase. We are over-governed and the most likely tier to face the chopping block is regional and city councils.

NSW treasurer Andrew Constance has previously suggested, for example, that the 41 councils in Sydney could be slimmed down to five.

While the state government is currently encouraging, “but not forcing”, councils to amalgamate, perhaps now is the time for local government to get on the front foot.

Given that fighting for funding dollars is only going to get worse, the imperative to demonstrate just how valuable local knowledge is when it comes to service delivery has never been greater.

THE Opposition has reportedly asked the Australian Federal Police to investigate claims that Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs was offered another government position in exchange for her resignation.

Labor’s legal affairs spokesman Mark Dreyfus has been quick to try to make mileage out of the incident, but you have to wonder whether it’s such a great idea. Given the tit-for-tat and petty nature of politics these days, I cannot help but assume that such a move will give the Liberal party the chance to open its assorted dirt files and question all manner of “jobs for the boys” allegations.

Truly, it may make a political point today, but overall, it’s just adding to the stinking miasma that swirls around Parliament House on a permanent basis these days.

– Jody Springett