Australia’s local governments are calling on the Federal Government to ensure proposed changes to national disaster recovery funding do not place additional financial pressure on councils and communities already grappling with more frequent and severe natural disasters.
The proposed reforms would introduce a 50:50 funding partnership between the federal and state and territory governments. Councils are concerned the new arrangements could leave them carrying a greater share of disaster recovery costs.
The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) recently appeared before the House of Representatives Standing Committee inquiry into the financial sustainability of local government to highlight the impact increasing responsibilities and declining funding are having on councils.
ALGA President, Mayor Matt Burnett, said councils needed certainty that reforms to disaster recovery funding would strengthen, rather than weaken, their ability to support communities after natural disasters.
“We are seeing serious concerns raised in Queensland and New South Wales, and we know local governments in other states and territories are concerned about how the proposed changes will affect them,” Burnett said.
“We don’t want to see any community or council go backwards as a result of these changes.”
Burnett said the proposed thresholds for accessing federal support remained a major concern, with fears higher thresholds could exclude councils affected by smaller-scale disasters from receiving recovery funding and disadvantage jurisdictions that experience disasters more frequently.
“Disasters do not stop at borders, and the ability of a community to recover should not depend on where it is located or the financial capacity of its local council.”
Disaster recovery funding was a key issue raised at ALGA’s recent National General Assembly, where delegates endorsed an urgent call for fairer and more sustainable funding arrangements for local government.
Delegates also supported a motion calling on the Federal Government to maintain current disaster recovery funding arrangements to ensure councils are not left carrying additional costs following natural disasters.
Burnett said ALGA would continue working constructively with the Federal Government and state and territory governments as consultation on the framework continues.
“We support reforms that reduce red tape, improve resilience and help communities build back better,” he said.
“But the test must be simple: will these changes leave councils and communities better able to recover from disasters, or will they leave them carrying more of the cost?
“The Federal Government must ensure the answer is the former.”
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