February 20, 2019
Toowoomba Regional Council is backing a campaign to increase the Financial Assistance Grants available for local governments throughout Australia.
The campaign is being led by the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) and the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA).
“Few organisations deliver the range of services that local governments provide for their customers on a daily basis,” Toowoomba mayor Paul Antonio said.
“Despite this, local government receives just 0.55 per cent of funding from the Federal Government, which simply isn’t enough.
“This campaign calls on the Federal Government to restore the level of Financial Assistance Grants for local governments to at least 1 per cent of Federal taxation revenue.
“This will reverse the 20-year erosion of Federal support, and allow local governments to better deliver services and maintain essential infrastructure for their communities.”
Local councils raise 3 per cent of all the taxation revenue in Australia and are required to manage 33 per cent of public assets.
In comparison, the Federal Government collects 80 per cent of taxes and manages 11 per cent of public assets.
“There are high expectations on local government and it’s vital we receive an equitable allocation of funding from the upper levels to support local government organisations throughout Australia,” Mayor Antonio said.
“In particular, the smaller-sized councils need this model changed or they simply won’t be able to stay afloat.
“Local government can not be left to shoulder the full cost of providing essential infrastructure to our growing communities in addition to meeting residents’ expectations across our other activities.
“We will continue to advocate for our fair share of funding to achieve the best results for our community.”
The motion to support the LGAQ and ALGA campaign was passed unanimously at TRC’s Council meeting Tuesday.
