The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has welcomed the release of the Federal Government’s COVID-19 response inquiry report, which it says found that Australia’s 537 councils were critical for the implementation of National Cabinet decisions during the pandemic.
The inquiry also recommended National Cabinet would benefit from having more structured engagement and active consultation with local government to ensure future decision-making is informed at a local level.
ALGA provided a submission to the inquiry last year, outlining that as the closest level of government to the community, local government was in a unique position to identify community needs and ensure solutions were delivered in an appropriate way during the COVID-19 response.
The submission also outlined local governments’ digital transformation delivered efficiencies and deepened community engagement.