THE decision to extend the tenure of our current councils by 18 months without public consultation is one of the surest signs yet that the Northern Territory government prefers to lead by providing what it thinks voters want, rather than by asking them what they need.
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Some of the other local government changes announced last week will provide a range of positive outcomes for communities, but not allowing voters to have their say for five-and-a-half years is not one of them.
Within the ranks of the three councils this publication reports on, it is clear that there are more than a handful of elected members who should not be sitting around their respective boardroom tables.
Some of the aforementioned elected members appear to be suffering from incurable bouts of apathy, while others should have just never been there in the first place.
To save face, the majority will carry out their full terms, rather than force voters to partake in a by-election.
Four years in local government can feel like a decade, even for elected members who are passionate about fulfilling their responsibilities.
For those who are not, it can feel like an eternity.
What is adding an extra 40 per cent onto that eternity going to feel like?
What impact is it going to have on the quality of decision making undertaken between now and the next time campaign posters begin appearing?
Making unconsulted communities wait until August 2017 to have their voices heard on the make-up of their councils is hardly good governance.
If the government had its finger on the pulse of community sentiment, it would have understood that.
