Supersize my city - do you want politics with that?

Brisbane drives the Queensland economy but national party politics has found its way into local government.

Should Auckland become a single city? Brisbane is about the same size as Auckland and has had a single council for years. Australian correspondent Greg Ansley looks at how the Queensland super city works.

Brisbane City Council is local government on steroids.

It rules over the single biggest population grouping in Queensland - by far - and an economy that dominates air, sea and land transport and provides 10 per cent of the state's jobs within 3km of the main downtown post office.

With this has come real political power.

Griffith University public administration expert Dr Patrick Bishop points to the autonomy handed the council by the separate act of State Parliament that created the council in an amalgamation of small local authorities in 1925.

"Unlike any other council in Queensland it can't be subject to direct interference from the Department of Local Government, which can appoint administrations in the event of mismanagement," he said.

The Lord Mayor is also elected separately, giving the incumbent a personal mandate greater than any other politician in Australia.

Within the council the mayor wields real weight, with authority over the drafting of the annual budget, the setting of rates and charges, the preparation of capital works programmes, the drafting and implementation of policy, and day-to-day business.

Beyond city hall, the council's scale gives it serious clout with the State Government.

With about one-third of the state's voters, it also attracts much more attention from the major parties.

Success in Brisbane is critical to the outcome of both state and federal elections, deciding not only seats but also the resources provided under results-based public funding to contest future polls.

The outcome of council elections is frequently seen as a pointer to broader party fortunes.

Brisbane can also cause friction in the struggling state Coalition Opposition, with the Liberals wanting to focus more on the city and the Nationals on the bush.

In the 2004 council election, State Labor Premier Peter Beattie intervened in a doomed bid to replace retiring Labor Mayor Jim Soorley with deputy Tim Quinn.

Quinn was beaten by Liberal Campbell Newman - but the Labor machinery steamrolled the council elections, winning 17 of the 26 wards and forcing Newman to negotiate on policy and spending.

Bishop said that although major parties took a great interest in the council, election to it tended to be seen as an end in itself - although there was at times speculation that stars would move on to state or federal politics.

He said that because party politics were overt, voters were aware of the role it played.

"What is lost is any notion of local government being in some sense apolitical - exclusively local representatives with local interests.

"But that form of local representation is less likely in local government these days."


Bottom line

Brisbane super-council's budget of A$1.6 billion funds services for 978,000 people.

Other local authorities are following its example, introducing new amalgamations or regional co-operation to co-ordinate planning and development, harmonise regulation, cut costs, boost resources and gain new purchasing power.

Outside Brisbane, planning is hampered by higher and repeated costs in gaining planning, development and other approvals, and by different rules that can, for example, require different pipe sizes for sewers in adjacent council areas.

Although problems remain, amalgamation has allowed greater efficiency in Brisbane.

Savings of almost A$49 million were reported in 2004-05, including A$13.5 million through new strategic purchasing policies, A$6.2 million in labour costs, and A$20 million in operational efficiencies.

In the same period improvements saw the number of bus passengers increase by 10 per cent.

Ratepayer services and participation have been boosted by decision-making regional offices, policies to "brand" suburbs to foster a sense of local identity, and a range of consultation policies and practices.