Mayor Troy Pickard
ALGA President
Now that Federal Parliament has returned and this term of Government is well underway, it is timely to reflect on what Local Government wants, and needs, out of the next three years.
Against the backdrop of a continued need for Budget repair, we face a period of ongoing transition from an economy dependent on mining to one with a broader and more sustainable base. At the same time, we face the challenges of increasing our productivity and facilitating more even growth across Australia’s regions. This is not an easy task but it does underline the essential need for all levels of government to work together.
The last term of Government might be characterised as one in which the Federal and State Governments failed to work together effectively and to grasp reform opportunities. I hope that we can move forward in a more positive way over the period to 2019.
The need to work together in partnership with a focus on improving productivity was the overriding theme of ALGA’s 2016 Federal Election Plan and it remains central to the initiatives that we put forward for infrastructure investment and will continue to advocate for with the Turnbull Government.
One key opportunity is the refreshing of regional development, flagged in the 2016-17 Budget papers. The Minister announced the establishment of a new Building Better Regions program and local government is being consulted on how the program might improve upon its predecessor the Stronger Regions Program. In addition, the way RDAs operate is also open to review and improvement and ALGA will be providing input on this issue to the Government which will draw on the views of councils put forward in last June’s Regional Cooperation and Development Forum as well as those of our member state and territory local government associations.
