In his first address to the General Assembly as Federal Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads, Senator Ian Campbell said that with the Federal Election due next October, and likely to occur between then and February 2005, he pledges to muster all the enthusiasm he can to achieve some goals over the next 12 months.
“I can only do this with the support of all of you,” he told delegates.
The Minister said that just six weeks into the job, the new portfolio is a very symbiotic one, with Local Government and Roads fitting naturally together, and Territories also having enormous synergy.
“I was pleased to present the National Awards for Local Government at the dinner last night,” he said. “ These are great examples of what Local Governments, large and small, are doing. The awards are a means of sharing best practice ideas that have both a national and international significance.”
Turning to Roads to Recovery, the Minister said that he is a great supporter of this program.
“This is a good example of a government program designed to achieve a desired outcome,” he said. “Direct funding to Local Government ensures money is spent effectively and in a timely manner. Local Government gets to make the decisions where the money will be spent and the work is done quickly. It is a very effective and efficient program. Working in partnership with you, we need to build on the review carried out earlier this year, on how we can improve the program so a future program will build on what has been achieved.”
The Minister said with the Cost Shifting report about to be tabled in Parliament, he was looking forward to working closely with the ALGA in developing a response to Cabinet regard ing recommendations in the report.
