The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has lodged its comment on the first Issues Paper released as part of the Reform of the Federation White Paper process.
The ALGA’s comments suggest that the roles and responsibilities of levels of government should continue to vary according to the need for government involvement, and that a strict model would fail to meet the needs of Australians.
The ALGA also argued that the Commonwealth should fund activities that are of a national interest, such as the Roads to Recovery program, augmenting local government’s own investments.
The issues paper has been developed in consultation with the States and Territories and the Australian Local Government Association and sets out key matters the White Paper on the Reform of the Federation will consider.
This includes the allocation of roles and responsibilities within the Federation, federal financial relations, governance arrangements and performance reporting.
ALGA also stated that a partnership approach to funding does not lessen local government’s accountability, with reporting mechanisms and elections maintaining accountability.
Both the ALGA’s comments and the Reform of the Federations Issues Paper are avaliable in full online.
