Australia’s 537 councils have called on the next Federal Government to ensure that the financial sustainability of local government is a key priority.
ALGA President, Mayor Matt Burnett, said that over the past three years the Albanese Government had listened to local government concerns, and partnered with councils to deliver new and increased funding.
“We thank the government for responding to the poor state of our local roads by permanently doubling Roads to Recovery funding from $500 million to $1 billion per year, while also increasing Black Spot funding,” Mayor Burnett said.
“To protect our communities from increasingly frequent and severe fires, floods and cyclones, the government also established a new $200 million per year Disaster Ready Fund (DRF), which has been strongly embraced by councils.
“Recognising the key role councils play in reducing emissions, they created a new $100 million Community Energy Upgrades Fund.
“However our biggest challenge is our ongoing financial sustainability, and we were pleased the government launched a Parliamentary inquiry into this issue and released an interim report earlier this year.
“ALGA looks forward to working with the next Federal Government on the inquiry’s final recommendations and delivering improvements that will support every council and community across the nation. Councils stand ready to deliver national priorities, but we need sustainable funding.
“We believe this work should be progressed through National Cabinet, which the government returned ALGA to in 2022.”
Mayor Burnett said as Australia’s important third tier of government, councils are committed to building stronger federal/local government partnerships.
“When the Albanese Government invited ALGA to attend National Cabinet, and relaunched the Australian Council of Local Government, it brought councils back to the table and recognised us as a valued partner,” Mayor Burnett said.
“Local perspectives support better national decision making, and we look forward to working with the next government to ensure the needs of every community are considered and met.”
