The NSW peak body for local councils has unveiled its Advocacy Priorities for 2025–26, placing a spotlight on the critical reforms and investments needed to safeguard community services, infrastructure and sustainability.
Priorities span financial sustainability, housing and planning, and roads and infrastructure, as well as environmental sustainability, climate resilience, community safety and inclusion, and investment in the local government sector’s workforce.
Local Government NSW (LGNSW) President Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM said the Advocacy Priorities set out a practical roadmap for action to address the most pressing issues facing councils across the state.
“These priorities reflect what must be done to ensure our councils can continue providing the services, infrastructure and support that our diverse communities need and deserve,” Mayor Miller said.
“For example, the housing crisis affecting our communities requires urgent attention,” she said.
“So, in our advocacy priorities we detail a number of key aspects that can be quickly addressed, including setting minimum targets for public, social and affordable housing and finalising the NSW Government’s overdue review of short-term rental accommodation to return more housing to the long-term rental market,” Mayor Miller said.
“Similarly, we set out a number of key asks that will help councils continue to create and nurture inclusive, safe and engaged communities,” she said.
“These asks include increased funding for our much-loved libraries, better resourcing for councils’ arts and cultural programs and improved cooperation between all three spheres of government on the provision of reliable, adequate healthcare services and facilities,” she said.
Mayor Miller said financial sustainability remained the sector’s most urgent concern.
“For too long, councils have been asked to do more with less – squeezed by cost shifting, rate pegging and inadequate funding,” Mayor Miller said.
“Both state and federal parliamentary inquiries have confirmed the situation is unsustainable. We look forward to working with the NSW Government to implement recommendations of the NSW inquiry, and continue to call on the Federal Government to restore Financial Assistance Grants to at least one per cent of total Commonwealth taxation revenue – a vital step toward helping councils regain their financial footing, including making sure that money gets to where it’s needed most, without any council going backwards,” she said.
“With the right partnerships between local, state and federal governments, we can build a stronger, more sustainable future for NSW. The 2025–26 financial year is a critical window to drive that progress,” Mayor Miller said.
