Govt proposes slashing number of King Island councillors

King Island Council could be reduced from nine elected members to just five under sweeping reforms to Tasmania’s local government system.

The State Government has released a discussion paper proposing to cut the number of councillors statewide from 263 to 203 while lifting councillor allowances by an average of 14.25 per cent. The Government says that the changes are designed to make council representation more consistent across the state and better reflect the workload of councillors.

If passed by the Parliament, it means that at least four of King Island's current nine Councillors will lose their jobs at next October's election.

Minister for Local Government, Kerry Vincent, said that the Government is committed to improving local democracy and representation to better serve our communities, and has listened to the Local Government sector about these reforms.

“Councillors’ roles are increasingly complex, and we must fairly recognise their valuable service while attracting and retaining diverse, skilled representatives," Minister Vincent said.

“Having the right number of councillors in a local government area is critical to ensuring effective governance, representation and service delivery."

According to the Government, Tasmania currently has one of the highest levels of local government representation per head of population in Australia. With just over 2,100 people per councillor, some candidates have been elected on very low numbers of votes. In one recent recount, a councillor was returned on just 17 first-preference votes.

Under the Government’s new scoring model, councils are assessed on population, development activity, infrastructure, urbanis tion, and sealed road length. King Island, with a population of around 1,650, $22 million in development approvals, and 92 km of sealed roads, scores 4.0 – placing it in the lowest category.

That means a cut from nine councillors to five at the 2026 local government elections. Each councillor would receive an annual allowance of $15,064 – a rise of about 30 per cent. Overall, King Island Council is projected to save $27,578 each year, with the savings paying for the higher individual allowances.

Supporters argue that fewer, better-paid councillors will strengthen decision-making and professionalism, making council roles more appealing to a diverse range of candidates. It should also lift the threshold for election, giving successful candidates stronger democratic legitimacy.

But the reduction raises concerns about whether five councillors can adequately represent the island’s diverse community and manage the workload. With such a small group, quorums could also become more difficult if councillors are absent or excluded by conflicts of interest.

The Government is proposing flexible meeting attendance – including online participation – to help reduce this risk.

The changes go beyond councillor numbers and allowances. The Government is also seeking
feedback on:

• Superannuation: making it compulsory for the 12% allowance component to be paid into councillors’ nominated funds.
• Quorum flexibility: allowing councils to split agenda items or make staged decisions where conflicts of interest would otherwise prevent a quorum.
• Regular reviews: embedding a four-yearly review of councillor numbers and pay into legislation to ensure settings remain fair and up to date.

The reforms are due to be legislated ahead of the October 2026 council elections. Public feedback is open until 7 November 2025.