The Government of Western Australia has decided to release unspent funds from 2014 for public libraries materials for use in the remainder of the 2014-15 financial year.
The WA Local Government Association said the much-needed funds would benefit local communities by allowing libraries to update their resources in line with community demand.
Western Australia Local Government Association (WALGA) Deputy President Councillor Lynne Craigie said the State Government’s decision as part of its Mid-Year Review demonstrated an understanding of the challenges public libraries face when planning annual expenditure.
“Public libraries have significant, specialised resource requirements, and need to be flexible and adaptive to the needs of their communities.
“WALGA has strongly advocated for the retention of these unspent funds to ensure these resource requirements are met, and we are obviously pleased our efforts have been successful.
“However, the State Government has made it clear that this decision is a one-off and in future, public libraries will need to have a clear strategy for investment of their allocated funds to ensure there is no underspend.
“The sector needs to take heed of this advice and plan accordingly to ensure no future funding is lost.”
