Kristy McBain (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) Share this | Hansard source

They know the communities they represent, and they know how to serve them best. That is why we've brought local government back to the table of National Cabinet. ALGA President Linda Scott attended National Cabinet in February of this year. I've also reinstated local government ministers meetings. We've held two in the last year, with a third one scheduled for August.

The National General Assembly of the ACLG started on Tuesday with the Regional and Rural Forum and continues until this afternoon. It's the largest ever turnout with 1,100 representatives from across the country. With the theme 'Our Communities, Our Future', the assembly will see local government representatives come together to build policies that will help them build stronger communities across the country. The reinstatement of the ACLG will be our opportunity to hear from local government representatives what they need from our policies—policies that support local councils to build the communities into the strong and resilient places they need to live and work. We are committed to providing funding to all councils in need because on this side of the House we value fair and equal treatment of our councils, not those based on colour-coded spreadsheets. In the May budget this year our government committed $3.1 billion through the Financial Assistance Grant program, $500 million to Roads to Recovery and $85 million to the Bridges Renewal Program. Our budget also delivers $22.3 million to councils to undertake engineering assessments of local roads because we know the pressures councils are under. The Financial Assistance Grant program—which was enshrined in legislation, thanks to the Whitlam government—provides local governments with long-term certainty, transparency and the flexibility to focus on their priority areas.

Shamefully, those opposite froze indexation on the important funding stream. This act has had an adverse impact on every town and village across the country—an impact that is still being felt today. On this side of the House, we take seriously the role that local government provides to our communities across the country. We'll continue to ensure that they have a voice at the table, and we will not forget them as a trusted delivery partner of the federal government.

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