In each edition we feature the views of a Local Government Association president. The following is from Councillor Ray Donald, President of the Shires Association of New South Wales.
On 17 and 18 August this year, the Division of Local Government (DLG) gathered the Mayors and General Managers of all 152 councils in New South Wales in Dubbo for the Destination 2036 Workshop. The Minister for Local Government, Don Page MP was in attendance for the two days and officially opened the conference.
The workshop aimed to set priorities in a road map for all councils in NSW addressing the future of Local Government and the many challenges we face now and in the future.
This was a unique and unprecedented gathering with the communities that Local Government represent, eager to see outcomes from the conference that would adequately equip their local councils to meet their expectations into the future.
Local Government is expected to provide many services to their communities with current funding inadequate to meet a lot of these requirements.
The Destination 2036 workshop confirmed that there is a great deal of agreement among elected representatives and senior staff, however one major outcome of the conference was that one hat does not fit all councils in NSW.
Other major outcomes of the conference included:
- the need to review the Local Government Act 1993, particularly in relation to the amount of regulation in this current Act
- looking at workable models to address the diversity of councils in NSW in relation to size and location
- securing better guaranteed funding for Local Government by the provision of a fixed share of Federal Taxation revenue paid direct to councils
- looking at the number of councils in NSW which must be part of future Local Government reform.
A vision statement supported by the conference was that we will be ‘Recognised, Respected and Responsible’ for our communities while continuing to carry out the traditional roads, rates and rubbish service responsibilities we will always have. Other aspects of the vision was that by 2036 all NSW communities will be viable and prosperous, led and served by strong, effective and democratically elected Local Government.
The attendees were also in agreement that we must look closely at improving and clarifying the roles and relationship between all three levels of government in Australia.
The Minister and the DLG listened to the outcomes and a draft road map for change was developed with a particular focus on the next four years in NSW.
Elton Consultants, who facilitated the conference, will provide to the Implementation Steering Committee (ISC) the outcomes of the conference including the road map for the future.
I am now looking forward to representing the Shire councils of NSW, with the President of the Local Government Association of NSW, Councillor Keith Rhoades AFSM, and the President of the Local Government Managers Association, Mark Ferguson on this committee, chaired by Ross Woodward, CEO of the Division of Local Government.
We are having our first meeting of the ISC in early September to consider the Action Plan and other major outcomes from the conference, which will then be sent out to all councils for their consideration.
Feedback from the councils will then be considered by the ISC with the final document being sent to the Minister and the Government by the end of the year for implementation.
