President’s Update – 26 May 2025

Congratulations to all the new and reappointed federal Ministers recently sworn in by the Governor-General.

It’s great to see local government has retained Ministers Catherine King and Kristy McBain, and I look forward to continuing to work with them to deliver the federal support your councils need.

I also welcome the experience Minister McBain will bring to her new portfolio responsibilities in emergency management.

Councils step up to support our communities in many ways during natural disasters, which we are seeing right now with the severe flooding across mid and northern New South Wales.

Our thoughts are with all the affected communities, and we commend the immediate and coordinated response across all three levels of government, including local emergency services.

I know Councillors and staff wear multiple hats to meet the needs of their communities at this time, and their own homes may be at risk or already flooded. Thank you to all our Councillors, staff and volunteers for your service.

I also thank the National Emergency Management Agency for its leadership and support of councils during this severe weather event.

Sustainability inquiry

It was encouraging to see Minister McBain recently commit to finalising and responding to the local government sustainability inquiry during this term.

Released earlier this year, the inquiry’s interim report shone a spotlight on the extent of the financial challenges councils are facing, as funding programs haven’t kept up with our increased responsibilities.

Financial sustainability is the biggest challenge facing our sector, and it’s crucial the Government’s response includes a significant increase in formula-based, untied funding for all councils.

Early bird tickets for NGA25

Finally, there’s less than a week left to secure early bird tickets for the 2025 National General Assembly (NGA) from 24-27 June at the National Convention Centre.

We have an exciting line-up of high-profile guest speakers, hosts and panellists for this year’s event, which includes the Regional Cooperation and Development Forum on Tuesday 24 June.

I urge you to stay for the final day on Friday 27 June, where we will invite newly-elected federal Ministers to outline their plans for working with local government.

This session will be hosted by political commentator David Speers from ABC Insiders to create insightful discussions between delegates and Ministers.

Don’t miss out, book your tickets now.