Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Mallee for this motion. In the 47th Parliament, I was proud to be a member of the regional development, infrastructure and transport committee and participate in our inquiry into local government sustainability. In Indi, we have nine local governments or councils. They look after communities of all shapes and sizes, from forests to farms, big cities, small villages and everything in between. Since being elected as the Independent member for Indi, I've worked closely with each of them. In addition to twice-yearly roundtables I hold with all the mayors and CEOs of Indi's nine councils and the extensive work my office does with them on the annual Indi budget submission, I'm always on the phone to them or hitting the road to visit their patch. As an MP, I've come to understand that local councils are not just about rates, rubbish and roads. Make no mistake, though; these remain important services.

But as population shifts, community needs shift, resulting in local council services becoming increasingly diverse and complex—health care, aged care, child care, enabling infrastructure for houses, climate adaptation and emergency management to name but a few. Councils are also managing ageing assets that are integral to the wellbeing and general functioning of our communities—bridges, roads, community buildings and more. What I hear time and time again from mayors, councillors and CEOs is that, as the roles and responsibilities of councils have evolved and increased, their budgets have not. More than ever, we are asking councils to do more with less. For regional and rural councils like those in Indi, it's a real challenge to raise revenue through rates and other means. Grants are not always distributed equitably and often require a financial co-contribution that rural councils simply don't have.

As a member of the previous parliament's House of Representative Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport, I welcomed this inquiry to examine the financial sustainability and service delivery obligations of local governments. We looked at the changing infrastructure and service delivery role of local councils and the obstacles in delivering this, the trend in attracting and retaining a skilled workforce and the role of the Australian federal government in addressing these issues.

I want to thank my committee colleagues, particularly the committee chair, the member for Solomon, and the deputy chair, the member for Barker, for their engagement, interest and understanding of the issues facing regional communities like mine and for their hard work in putting together the comprehensive interim report. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the secretariat for their guidance, hard work and logistical support.

This 12-month inquiry saw the committee travel across the length and breadth of Australia to hear from local governments. I want to thank everyone who gave evidence and made a written submissions. Indi local councils, including the City of Wodonga, the Rural City of Wangaratta, Mansfield Shire and Indigo Shire, made submissions to the inquiry. Wangaratta and Murrindindi councils gave evidence at a hearing at Wallan, which the committee found incredibly compelling. I thank them for their contribution.

The interim report referred to in the member for Mallee's motion includes invaluable comments that I agree should direct this government in its work in this term of parliament. I will name just three, but there are many more. First, there should be a review of the financial assistance grants program, including whether minimum grants should be restored to one per cent of Commonwealth taxation revenue. This review should also explore ways to improve the delivery of grants, including the requirement of fixed co-contributions and short delivery timeframes. Second, the allocation of grants should be consistent with horizontal equalisation. Contributors to the inquiry recognised the vital role of horizontal equalisation in providing a level playing field, and most describe the current design as failing to achieve that goal. Third, there should be efforts to address skill shortages by increasing programs to improve labour availability, such as incentivising local council workers to relocate to regional, rural and remote areas.

I hope to continue to work collaboratively with the minister and the department to see this report acted upon for the benefit of my communities and for the benefit of all rural, regional and remote Australians, who rely so heavily on their local councils to truly thrive.

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