City of Sydney Councillor Linda Scott elected ALGA President

Sydney City Councillor Linda Scott has been
elected President of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) – the
national voice of local government representing over 500 councils nationwide.

Councillor Scott was elected to the position unopposed at ALGA’s annual general meeting on Friday – and will succeed David O’Loughlin, whose second (and maximum) two-term stint as ALGA President ended this week. 

During her time on the City of Sydney
Council, Cr Scott has successfully advocated for more affordable housing and
green spaces, increased early education and care centres, new skate parks, and
boosted city funding for climate change action.

Cr Scott is also the current President of
Local Government NSW (LGNSW), where she has been a tireless campaigner for NSW
councils, particularly on the issues of adequate and sustainable funding.

In this role, she successfully secured the
doubling of library funding for all NSW local government libraries, led a
state-wide campaign to save recycling, and successfully advocated for fairer
and more transparent electoral funding laws.

She said she will adopt a similar approach
while ALGA President.

“I am honoured to have been elevated to
this national role,” she said, “and I’m committed to looking after the best
interests of local government and the people they serve.

“Councils are the level of government
closest to the community – and contrary to what many people might think, our
responsibilities encompass much more than ‘roads, rates, and rubbish’.

“Local governments directly employ nearly
200,000 people, control assets worth more than $425 billion, and have an annual
operational spend of more than $38 billion,” she said. 

“Councils run pools, art galleries,
childcare and emergency management centres – they deliver meals on wheels,
nurture small business, and tackle homelessness and violence against women
among many other things.

“They do all this with a revenue base that
is significantly smaller than other levels of governments.

“I see promoting local government’s
contribution to the success and prosperity of our communities – and campaigning
for it to be adequately funded in that endeavour – as one of my main tasks in
this new role.”

Cr Scott also said she would continue to
campaign for a reversal of ALGA’s exclusion from National Cabinet during her
two-year term.

“ALGA was a foundation member of COAG until
it was abolished and replaced by the National Cabinet in May. What that
effectively means is that decisions about people are being made without
community input.

“It’s fundamentally undemocratic, and I
will fight for ALGA to regain a seat at the table of first ministers.”

Cr Scott said correcting the historic
under-resourcing of local government was more important than ever given the
sector’s key role in helping alleviate the local impacts of the Black Summer
bushfires and the coronavirus pandemic – and in assisting in broader economic
recovery.

The sector is seen as a valuable and
trusted partner in helping roll out Commonwealth and state programs like Roads
to Recovery, Bridges Renewal, Road Safety Blackspots and bushfire relief.

This year’s Federal Budget was a further a
vote of confidence in the capacity of local government, with a $1 billion
extension to the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program and the
opportunity for local governments to play a role in the implementation of
projects under the extra $2 billion earmarked for road safety.

Cr Scott said that councils stood ready to
deliver further initiatives.

“Our on-the-ground connections and
expertise mean councils can, and will, play a vital role in coming months and
years to bolster local economies, make communities more resilient, and build a
better, more prosperous Australia.”

Cr Scott paid tribute to her predecessor, Mayor O’Loughlin, saying he has been a highly effective champion for councils and for the interests of local communities.

“He has been an outstanding ALGA President
and local government advocate these past four years, and I am honoured to
continue his work,” Cr Scott said.

The AGM also saw Tracey Roberts (Mayor of
the City of Wanneroo in WA) and Matt Burnett (Mayor of the Gladstone Regional
Council in Qld) elected as Vice Presidents.

ENDS