President’s column – 11 May 2021

In tonight’s Federal Budget, local governments welcome that the Morrison Federal Government has listened to ALGA’s advocacy, investing in local government in response to our calls for a locally-led economic recovery for Australia.

The Federal Budget includes several wins for Australian councils and our communities, including:

Community Infrastructure

• New funding for $1 billion towards Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI), with existing funds extend to 30 June, 2023. Councils will be able to access this new $1 billion funding from 31 January 2022;
• $250 million in new funding for Building Better Regions (BBRF)  – $50 million more than previous allocations, and the largest allocation for a BBRF round to date; and
• The payment of $1.3 billion of Financial Assistance Grants will be prepaid, as it has in recent years.

Water,
Disaster Recovery and Resilience

• A
  new National Recovery and Resilience Agency, with $600 million to invest
  in a new program of disaster preparation and mitigation;  
• $172.5 million over four years from 2020-21 for
  local governments and those involved in long-term drought resilience and
  preparedness activities, as part of the Future Drought Fund
• $98.0 million over three years for National
  Water Grid projects, including:
  • $51.2
    million for Eurobodalla Southern Storage, New South Wales
  • $11.1
    million for Lostock Dam to Glennies Creek Dam Pipeline, New South Wales
  • $11.0
    million for Werribee Irrigation District Modernisation (Stage 4 and 5),
    Victoria
  • an
    additional $7.5 million for Rookwood Weir, Queensland ($183.6 million in
    total), and
  • $5.5
    million for Recycled Water on the Bellarine, Victoria.

Recycling
and Waste Management

• $5.9 million over four years to support
  recycling as part of the National Product Stewardship Investment Fund;
• $59.8 million over four years to deliver
  grants to support a Food Waste for Healthy Soils Fund to enhance existing
  organic waste and processing infrastructure;
• $7.2 million over four years to deliver a
  community and education program on the benefits of processed organic waste.

South
Australian Roads

• Supplementary
  Local Roads Funding for South Australia – $40 million over two years to South Australia to
  address the disadvantage experienced by their local councils in maintaining and
  upgrading their local road networks.

This Budget announcement of an additional $1 billion to extend the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) Program to 2023, reaffirms the Federal Government’s belief in local government’s ability to unlock job-creating local projects.

As partners
of the Commonwealth through Stages 1 and 2 of the LRCI Program, Australia’s 537
councils have kept local businesses solvent, delivered new jobs and
opportunities, and helped future proof our communities.

This new
infrastructure funding will prioritise projects that can be undertaken quickly,
to maximise a locally led economic recovery from COVID.

Councils,
therefore, need to quickly progress further projects to the “shove-ready” stage.

The $250
million of new funding for the Building Better Regions Fund will be essential
to boosting the economies of regions across Australia, with 80 percent directed
to non-metropolitan councils.

Whilst we
welcome that the Federal Government is bringing forward the first two
instalments of the estimated 2021-22 Federal Assistance grant funding, a
prepayment of $1.3 billion, we will continue to strongly advocate for a
significant increase of funding – to 1 per cent of Commonwealth GDP – for the
future. It is disappointing this has not been delivered in tonight’s Federal Budget.

Our capacity to lead a locally-led economic and social recovery from COVID has never been in doubt – and I welcome the Federal Government’s recognition of this in tonight’s Federal Budget.

This Budget
will provide us with further means to create more jobs and enable full and
lasting recovery – and in the process add weight to our claims to be included
in National Cabinet.

 Thank you to those Mayors, councilors and
council staff who met with their local members, advocating for a better deal
for local governments and our communities across the nation. Your voices have
been heard, and your efforts recognised.

Onwards to the Federal Election!

Linda Scott,
ALGA President