ALGA urges major parties to focus on needs of local communities
With his address at the Local Government Association of Queensland’s annual conference coinciding with the first official day of the Federal election campaign, President of the Australian Local Government Association, Councillor Mike Montgomery, said that this gave him the perfect opportunity to officially launch Local Government’s election policy statement – The Blueprint for Building Better Communities.
“The Blueprint strongly argues the case for a better deal for Local Government and the communities we serve,” he said. “First and foremost, the Blueprint makes the case for major reform of the Commonwealth financial relationship with Local Government.
“We call for access to a fair share of Commonwealth taxation revenue to place Local Government on a sound and secure financial footing so we can serve the needs of our communities into the 21st century and beyond. We also call for stronger partnerships with Local Government, where Local Government is treated as a equal and valued partner.”
In a nutshell, the Australian Local Government Association’s Blueprint for Building Better Communities calls on the major parties to provide Local Government with a fair share of national taxation revenue, develop stronger partnerships with Local Government, secure, long term funding for local roads, support sustainable public transport, boost regional development and provide further assistance to enhance councils’ use of information technology.
“Local Government is today catering to the needs of 21st century communities connecting people to the Internet, driving economic development, promoting public safety, working in regional partnerships and managing our natural resources,” he said.
“But while councils are catering for 21st century communities – while we’re putting people first – when it comes to our financial relations with State and Federal Governments we’re stuck in a 19th century time warp. How else can you describe the archaic system of financial assistance grants – grants that tick over, year after year, simply reflecting changes in CPI and population change.”
Councillor Mike Montgomery, said that Local Government has enjoyed good relations with the major parties over the past few years.
“In particular, we appreciate the financial support given to councils to help address the poor state of Australia’s 680,000 km of local roads through the $1.2 billion Roads to Recovery program,” he said.“Both the Coalition and Labor have already committed themselves to renewing Roads to Recovery for a further four years. This move is much needed and much appreciated, though some outstanding issues need to be resolved.
“We now seek support from the major parties to address the key issue facing Local Government as a whole – lack of access to fair funding. Councils need access to growth funds if we are to meet the challenges of the 21st century.”
Councillor Montgomery said financial pressure faced by Local Government has been well documented in the bipartisan Fair Share report on cost shifting and Local Government financing tabled in Federal Parliament last November.
“Local Government has been under valued, under resourced and under funded for far too long,” he said. “But the penny is beginning to drop – change is on the cards. We must continue to drive change, to engage Federal MPs and Senators and to let them know that change must occur. We can no longer do business as usual.
“So, hold on to your hats – grab your Blueprints – corner your Federal colleagues; it’s going to be fast ride.”
Further details are presented on page 12 in this edition and a full copy of the Blueprint for Building Better Communities can be accessed on the ALGA web site at www.alga.asn.au
