Local Government NSW (LGNSW) President, Forbes Shire Council Mayor, Phyllis Miller OAM has congratulated Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Australian Labor party on the weekend’s electoral win.
President Miller (pictured) said LGNSW looked forward to continuing to work with the Federal Government to deliver much-needed services and infrastructure for the state’s communities.
“The strong result for the Government has delivered them an undeniable platform and I encourage them to be bold and courageous in delivering their agenda over the next three years,” she said.
“In particular, I encourage them to continue the work of the Commonwealth Parliament’s inquiry into the financial sustainability of councils across Australia.
“LGNSW and many of our councils contributed to that inquiry and we were heartened by the release of an interim report back in February this year.
“I call on the Prime Minister to allow that inquiry to continue so it can deliver its final report and support the new Government in implementing its recommendations.”
President Miller also encouraged the Prime Minister to “do the right thing” by local government and communities by finally restoring Commonwealth funding to Councils to the appropriate level of 1% of taxation revenue.
“Doing so will mean that councils can continue to deliver on the needs of our communities without raising rates or cutting services,” she said.
“I’ll be travelling to Canberra regularly in my role as a Director of ALGA and I look forward to meeting with relevant Commonwealth Ministers to continue our strong advocacy for the sector.
“For those of you yet to register for ALGA’s National General Assembly in June, I encourage you to do so to ensure that Canberra hears a strong and unified voice from the local government sector.”
