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I encourage all councils to support ALGA’s 2025 federal election priorities, and our push for a significant and ongoing increase to federal funding for local government.

We are asking the next Australian Government to by providing:

• $1.1 billion per year for enabling infrastructure to unlock housing supply,
• $500 million per year for community infrastructure,
• $600 million per year for safer local roads,
• $900 million per year for increased local government emergency management capability and capacity, and
• $400 million per year for climate adaptation.

The success of our advocacy relies on the collective strength and engagement of your councils, so please highlight the importance of this funding to your local members and candidates.

I also urge you to get behind state-based campaigns highlighting local issues, which will complement our proposed funding reforms to deliver local solutions to national priorities.

We’re already starting to see traction with our campaign, with the Coalition’s commitment of $5 billion to fund essential infrastructure for housing developments released last year, and now significant stakeholders are also calling for to fund enabling infrastructure.

Financial sustainability inquiry

Last month, we welcomed the from Federal Parliament’s inquiry into local government sustainability, highlighting the urgent need for increased funding to Australia’s 537 local governments.

The inquiry – which received more than 280 submissions, including from councils – confirmed Australia’s local governments were at a breaking point, after years of being asked to deliver more with less.

It’s clear our current funding model is broken and needs to be fixed.  That’s why we need your support this federal election to deliver ‘fair funding’ for local government and put our communities first.

We look forward to the final report and recommendations being released.  However it’s critical the inquiry recommends more funding support for our councils – not just re-cutting the limited and insufficient funding currently provided.

Hurry, book now for Tech Leadership Summit

Time is running out to register for next week’s  in Sydney on 12 March.

This not-to-be-missed event, at the Sheraton Sydney Hyde Park Hotel, will highlight how local governments are embracing technological change, and feature council case studies and new research on cyber security.