First meeting of the Australian Council of
Local Government set for 18 November
Invitations have been sent to the Mayor or Shire President at each of the nation’s 565 councils to attend the first meeting of the Australian Council of Local Government (ACLG), to be staged at Parliament House, Canberra on 18 November. This makes good an election promise made last year, that the Rudd Government would establish such a council in its first term of office.
Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) President, Councillor Paul Bell, said that this announcement by the Prime Minister is proof that Local Government’s core messages are getting through to our nation’s leaders; these being the need for collaborative partnerships, fairer funding and Constitutional recognition.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, together with the Minister for Infrastructure and Local Government, Anthony Albanese, and ALGA President, Councillor Paul Bell, announced the formation of the ACLG on 18 September.
A media statement from the Prime Minister and Minister Albanese described this as “the Government’s next step in forging a new, nation building partnership with local communities”.
“Local Government represents the third arm of the Australian Federation – and the Rudd Government is committed to a new cooperative engagement with that level of the government closest to local communities,” the Prime Minister said.
Invitations have also been extended to Local Government peak bodies and the Local Government and Planning Ministers in State Governments.
With the aim of giving local communities ‘a real voice in the future of Australia’s national infrastructure’, the one day meeting will look at issues including:
- building national and local infrastructure to
boost our economic capacity and improve
the quality of life in local communities - tackling immediate challenges facing major
cities and growth corridors, including urban
congestion, urban planning and design - taking steps towards constitutional
recognition for Local Government.
The joint statement said that “the first meeting of the Council will also assist in the development of the Government’s new regional and local community infrastructure fund, which will commence next year to support local communities”.
It further stated that, “the Rudd Government recognises the rising cost of infrastructure provision and growing demand for services in local communities”.
It acknowledged the findings of the 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers report estimating a $1.1 billion annual underspend in community infrastructure renewals by Local Government, and the 2008 Productivity Commission report, which found that 20 per cent of local councils relied on Commonwealth and State grants for half of their revenue.
It said, “the Government is determined to address the concerns of local councils because of their importance:
- to national infrastructure, with their
responsibility for 657,000 kilometres of
roads across Australia - to the national economy, with their activities
worth $22.1 billion in 2006–07, and 168,000
jobs - to local communities, that rely on councils
for a range of services from child care
and aged care to meals on wheels and library
facilities.”
Describing this new partnership as the most significant step forward for Local Government since the 1970s, when the then Labor Government introduced Financial Assistance Grants to support services at the Local Government level, an announcement of the ongoing membership and charter of the ACLG will be made at the inaugural 18 November meeting.
Leader of the Nationals and Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Local Government, Warren Truss, said that while the Coalition welcomes the Government’s announcement that the first meeting of the ACLG will be held in November, it has warned against it turning into “yet another talkfest”.
“I will always support closer relations between the three levels of government,” Warren Truss said. “Local Government has long played an important role in Ministerial forums and they should not be sidelined from that participation.”
The ACLG meeting will kick off with an official welcoming function on Monday 17 November where the winners of the 2008 National Awards for Local Government will be announced
