Australia has a new government, and with it a new minister responsible for local government, Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss. LG Focus asked Mr Truss to tell readers what’s in store for local government under the new leadership.
His ministerial title, Minister for Infrastructure & Regional Development, does not include local government, but Mr Truss said the Coalition would continue to value the role of local government.
“We are not interested in a laundry list of job titles. It’s more important to make sure portfolio responsibilities are managed coherently and with purpose.”
“Having spent 14 years in local government before coming to Federal Parliament, I understand the important role that local government plays in the delivery of services. Local government implements local solutions to local problems.”
Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) President Felicity-ann Lewis has contacted both Mr Truss and Prime Minister Tony Abbott to request meetings on a range of issues of priority for local government.
The local government sector spent approximately $3.4 million developing a grassroots campaign to promote the ‘yes’ case for constitutional recognition prior to the election date being changed.
Councillor Lewis has sought support from all political parties for ALGA to use some of the $10 million received from the Commonwealth to fully reimburse local governments for the costs incurred in the referendum campaign.
So will we see another tilt at a referendum for constitutional recognition under the new government? According to Mr Truss, it is unlikely.
He said he has always been a strong supporter of constitutional recognition of local government, but the aborted referendum ‘would have almost certainly failed’.
“The previous government mismanaged the referendum process, failed to consult properly with the states and allowed insufficient time for the people to consider the arguments.
“Now would not be the time to raise the referendum question again.”
Mr Truss said the Coalition ‘empathises with the invidious position’ the previous government had placed local councils in regarding campaign funding, but did not guarantee funds would be reimbursed.
“The incoming government is seeking to resolve this issue as soon as possible.”
One of the Coalition’s election promises was to deliver a dedicated National Stronger Regions Fund, which Mr Truss said would help build the social and community infrastructure essential to modern life, including community facilities and local services.
“The Fund will be targeted to regions with low socio-economic circumstances and where unemployment levels are higher than the national average, and will seek to address regional disadvantage.
“The Fund will have the capacity to generate billions of dollars of investment in the most depressed regions of our nation, with an initial allocation of $200 million per year.
“As our national economy improves, we will aim to increase the quantum of funding dedicated to returning a fair share to the regions.”
As with the Regional Development Program under the last Coalition government, Mr Truss said each project would require a 50 percent matching contribution from the proponent or the local or state government.
Local government bodies including the ALGA, Municipal Association of Victoria, Local Government Association of South Australia and Local Government New South Wales have also called on the new government to honour funding commitments for community infrastructure made by the previous Labor government, and to assure local government that direct Commonwealth funding for initiatives such as Roads to Recovery would continue.
Mr Truss said the government was not concerned about the possibility of a High Court challenge.
“We are confident about the constitutionality of our Roads to Recovery payments and we will vigorously defend their validity if challenged.”
Improving road safety was one of the Coalition’s key election promises, and newly elected Prime Minister Tony Abbott said in September he wanted to be known as ‘an infrastructure Prime Minister’.
“I want building the roads of the 21st Century to be a hallmark of my government.”
Mr Truss outlined a number of the government’s plans to invest in Australia’s roads.
The Coalition has reaffirmed its commitment to the $2.2 billion Roads to Recovery program and the Black Spots program to eliminate accident spots across Australia.
“We created these initiatives to address the deplorable conditions on many local roads and streets and, for us, they are sacrosanct,” Mr Truss said.
$300 million has been announced for a Bridges Renewal program, to be matched by local councils and state governments.
Mr Truss said some 30,000 local bridges across Australia were approaching the end of their lifespan, and these bridges were vital to safely connect towns and communities.
“Some do not permit the school bus to cross or allow people to travel to town by the closest route.
“But these bridges are also vital arteries in keeping our economy moving. Many are simply impassable for standard trucks, let alone the B-Double and B-Triple trailers that bring produce from the regions to our cities and ports efficiently.”
The government has guaranteed $5.64 million for the Pacific Highway to fund 80 percent of its duplication from Sydney to the Queensland border. Four-laning is scheduled for completion within the decade.
Further commitments include an $8.5 billion package with the Queensland Government to boost capacity on the Bruce Highway, reduce flooding and improve safety on what Mr Truss called ‘the most treacherous road in the country’, along with $700 million to the Second Toowoomba Range Crossing, $615 million to the Perth to Darwin Highway and $508 million to rebuild the Warrego Highway from Toowoomba to Miles.
“Travellers are entitled to the safest and most efficient roads we can supply and the Coalition will be giving roads a priority,” Mr Truss said.
