President of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) Councillor John Ross points to a range of key areas where Local Government will continue to play a vital role in shaping community life as we enter this new millennium. He lists regional development, environmental issues, reconciliation, accessible transport, drug and alcohol abuse, safer communities and infrastructure provision to name just a few of the major policy areas that will define our future.
In an interview with FOCUS shortly after his election as President, John Ross rightly predicted that, as with most other industry, Councils had done everything in their power to ensure there would be no problems with the roll over to 1 January and Y2K.
With business as usual post New Year and very few ‘incidents’ reported worldwide, those erring on the side of caution still suggest we should wait a little longer for the all clear. Once this is all finally out of the way, attention must turn to tax reform and the major changes just five months away.
Councillor Ross said that with Councils still waiting for a clear indication from the Commonwealth Government as to which of their services will incur a GST, the earlier this is resolved the better.
“Councils will then fully understand the impact the new legislation will have on their operations, and be able to prepare a budget allocation for it,” he said. “Nationally, Local Government is to receive $2.5 million to assist it in complying with the new legislation, however this is much less than it will actually cost.
“Purchasing new software and providing necessary training for staff will result in the costs being well in excess of $2.5 million.”
Turning to regional development, John Ross believes that the growing disparity between regions, not just rural but also some urban ones, calls for a new dynamic in the relationship between the spheres of government.
“Local Government is able to provide leadership in maintaining infrastructure and services,” he said. “With many traditional service providers leaving the regions, Local Government becomes the logical provider.
“For example, in New South Wales, the Local Government and Shires Association has stepped in facilitating the provision of banking services through pharmacies across the State.”
John Ross believes that the lack of an effective relationship between the three spheres of government has prevented the development of an equitable waste management system. “Local Government is locked into five years of recycling it is unable to do profitably, but at the same time industry is not,” he said.
John Ross said that Councils are increasingly picking up responsibility for social functions, such as addressing alcohol and drug problems, community safety issues, better planning and accessible transport. He describes this as ‘unfunded mandates through the socialisation of State debt’.
Similarly, with road funding, Councillor Ross believes with proportionally less being spent on roads in real terms, national attention must be focused on this issue to ensure our road network is maintained at a satisfactory level.
John Ross urges Councils to attend the first National Rural Roads Congress to be hosted by Moree Plains Shire in early March. “The purpose of the Congress is to raise greater awareness and to assist Councils to identify exactly what it costs to maintain their roads system,” he said. “The aim is for all Councils to establish an asset management database that covers lifecycle costs.”
