With the face of local government changing and responsibilities ever increasing, funding, as always, is a huge concern. For now, at least, there will be no constitutional recognition of local government and federal funding for programs like Roads to Recovery and essential infrastructure across the country may be at risk. It remains to be seen whether Roads to Recovery will remain viable after the federal election.
Councils also want to know whether they will be reimbursed for the ratepayer funds that were spent campaigning for the mooted referendum. ALGA President Felicity-ann Lewis says the ALGA has requested support from the major political parties to use Commonwealth funds allocated for the campaign to reimburse councils. For now, councils will need to wait for the election result and a decision from our incoming government on whether ratepayers get their money back.
Is bigger better? Just what size is right for councils seems to be a question that never has a definitive answer. The Western Australian Government is looking to make Perth a ‘global city’, and New South Wales continues to debate the ‘Super Sydney Council’ proposal touted by the Local Government Review Panel earlier this year. The role of capital cities is changing and councils need to become more efficient and streamlined, but whether constituents are convinced is another matter. Local government is renowned for being the government tier closest to the people, and it’s essential that councils continue to truly represent their ratepayers, something that may not be possible under a mega council model.
