The Board

The Local Government Board is appointed by the Minister for Local Government under the Local Government Act 1993. The Act provides the Local Government Association of Tasmania and Local Government Professionals Australia (Tasmania) each a nomination to the Board.

The Board undertakes reviews and provides advice to the Minister and is supported by a Secretariat within the Department of Premier and Cabinet.

Chair

The Hon Sue Smith AM

Sue Smith’s career in local and state government spans four decades. Ms Smith was elected to the former Ulverstone Council in 1981, becoming Mayor of the Central Coast Council in 1993, following council reforms. Ms Smith became President of the Local Government Association of Tasmania in this period. Elected to the Legislative Council of the Parliament of Tasmania in 1997 for the division of Leven (becoming the new seat of Montgomery in 1999), Ms Smith became the first female President of the Legislative Council in 2008, until her retirement from the Tasmanian Parliament in 2013.

In 2017, Ms Smith was appointed Commissioner of the Glenorchy City Council by the former Minister for Local Government, the Hon Peter Gutwein MP, following the Board of Inquiry process of 2016. Ms Smith is a Director of the Royal Automobile Club of Tasmania; and served as Chair of Marine and Safety Tasmania for six years. Ms Smith was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2015.

Ric De Santi

Ric De Santi was Tasmania’s Deputy Auditor-General from 2006 until his retirement in 2021, overseeing significant audit functions relevant to local government in that capacity, also serving as the Chief Operating Officer for the Tasmanian Audit Office. Mr De Santi served as a Director of CPA Australia from 2017 to 2021, becoming Deputy President in 2020; is Deputy President of CPA Australia’s Tasmanian Divisional Council; and is a member of Sorell Council’s audit panel.

Mr De Santi is the Local Government Association of Tasmania’s nominee on the Local Government Board.

Paul West

Paul West has 20 years’ experience as general manager of Tasmanian councils, most recently serving as General Manager for Devonport City Council from 2014 to 2019. Mr West is a former President of Local Government Professionals Australia (Tasmania), and was made a Fellow of that organisation in 2004; also serving as President of the national organisation in 2010. Mr West is presently Director of River Road Consulting, which provides services to Tasmanian councils.

Mr West is the Local Government Professionals Australia (Tasmania) nominee on the Local Government Board.

The Hon Pam Allan

Pam Allan is the Chair of the NRM North Management Committee and a Director of NRM Regions Australia; a member of the Ministerial Waste Advisory Group; and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Geography, Planning and Spatial Sciences at the University of Tasmania. Ms Allan has extensive experience in state and local government and planning, having been a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1988 to 2007, and serving as Minister for the Environment in the Carr Government. Ms Allan has chaired regional statutory planning panels in NSW and was a member of the reference group for the Tasmanian Government’s Local Government Legislation Review.

Kym Goodes

Kym Goodes has leadership experience in the Tasmanian non-for-profit and government sectors. Ms Goodes was Chief Executive Officer of the Tasmanian Council for Social Service from 2015 to 2020; was a member of the Premier’s Economic and Social Recovery Advisory Council, which made recommendations to the Tasmanian Government about short-, medium-, and long-term recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, including in respect of local government reform; and is a Director of Brand Tasmania. Ms Goodes has held senior roles in Tasmanian Government departments.

Ms Goodes is Managing Director of 3P Advisory, a consultancy specialising in social impact assessment and corporate social responsibility.

Mathew Healey

Mathew Healey is the Executive Director of the Office of Local Government in the Department of Premier and Cabinet. As the statutory Director of Local Government, Mr Healey is an ex officio member of the Local Government Board. Mr Healey is a senior executive with over two decades’ experience in the Tasmanian and Australian governments. Mr Healey has led major projects including the Royal Hobart Hospital Redevelopment Rescue Taskforce; the 2013 bushfire recovery program; the One State, One Health System, Better Outcomes White Paper; the Strong Families, Safe Kids redesign of child safety services; and the Tasmanian State Service Review. Mr Healey has extensive experience in local government policy, and was previously Director of Local Government between 2011 and 2013.