Australian Council of Local Governments
I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet and I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
I’m proud to lead a government that will give all Australians the opportunity to give constitutional recognition to our First Nations People in a referendum that will be held in the last quarter of the year.
It’s fantastic to see you all again today. I fulfilled a commitment, there were four people missed out on photos last night, but many now have multiple photos as a result of me getting here early this morning.
It is a great forum, the Australian Council of Local Government. It’s an idea that we didn’t take to an election in 2007, it’s an idea that I came up with when I was appointed Minister for Local Government in the Rudd Government.
To bring together in a face-to-face way the national government with local government, in order to hear from you what your needs are, what issues you’re facing, your policy agenda, right across the country.
Because we have so much in common. The national government is nothing more than an agglomeration of different communities. It’s not something that’s abstract from the people who you represent, as diverse as they are right around the country.
Being better prepared for natural disasters, delivering essential services, driving the transformation to clean energy that is occurring and delivering secure and affordable housing for all. These are all challenges that the different levels of government are dealing with.
And it’s much better if we deal with these things co-operatively, because whilst they are all national priorities, they are of course, also priorities where local government has a real responsibility.
Take Housing. The most effective solution to improving housing affordability is boosting supply. This requires co-operation between every level of government.
Which is why at the most recent meeting of National Cabinet, we put better planning on the agenda, to build on the work being done through the National Housing Accord. I’m pleased state and territory governments have committed to working with us to improve planning and zoning to unlock more supply.
You need appropriate development, ones that are consistent with the needs of local communities.
In my local community, there are great examples of good development, indeed prize-winning development in some cases, with the Mirvac development that contained a library for the local community, contained open space. There’s other examples of density along the railway lines and next to railway stations so you don’t need the car parking spots.
But of course, we know that when it has gone wrong you can have very bad outcomes which don’t serve the local community.
So we want to make sure that good projects and developments can survive and be built because we do need to deal with the pressures that are on.
We need also to recognise that there are communities out there in the regions that are crying out for more people as well, suffering from skill shortages. We need places for people to leave in order to fulfil the jobs and tasks which are there.
So I want to work with you to get this done. I see your role as being absolutely critical in being the voice of local communities about these issues.
Our government does recognise the importance of what you do. And we back that up with our presence here, we have a whole row of ministers sitting at the front.
But we back it up with engagement, I know that there have been literally hundreds and hundreds of meetings held this week in Parliament House.
But we back it up as well by getting out and about in the community and visiting you where you are. And delivering on that is something that I’m absolutely committed to doing.
This is in the best traditions of Labor Governments.
Beginning with the Financial Assistance Grants program that was established by the Whitlam Government in 1974.
We know the difference these grants make, that’s why we are bringing forward the 2023-24 allocation, to make it available to it is paid as a pre-payment.
Coming out of the pandemic, we’ve heard the message from local government. We thought about even 75 per cent, but we’re going to allocate the full bringing forward here this morning, because I think that is an appropriate thing.
And I thank those of you who’ve made representations to ensure that that has occurred.
We want to give councils the certainty to be able to deliver on those issues. And I understand there’s an ongoing conversation about financial assistance grants that will continue as well.
We’re also providing $500 million in Roads to Recovery funding to help all councils build better, more resilient roads. And we’re providing $750 million to the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program.
This will help councils deliver much-needed local infrastructure, including roads, community centres, parks, sports grounds, bike paths, playgrounds, and libraries.
And I must say last night, from places as diverse as Bourke and Moree, to Campbelltown in South Australia this morning, to projects in Tasmania, in Queensland. It’s been quite heartening that people come up and say ‘you opened’ or ‘you fixed the Moree Baths’ or ‘you opened a project that was begun as part of the Regional Local Community Infrastructure Program’.
We know that it makes a difference when that funding goes through.
The truth is that they can make an enormous difference in the quality of life for your local communities – the right projects in the right places – making sure that that’s improved.
It has been quite nostalgic to come back as Prime Minister to this forum, looking at the gains that were made.
I’m absolutely convinced that in ten years’ time, you will look back at the period in which Kristy and Catherine were responsible for local government, and talk about the major difference that they have made in shaping your local communities.
I’m determined to build on this record as Prime Minister. Working with you – and listening to you.
Because local governments know the priorities of local communities. You’re the ones using the roads and bike paths. Your children are going to the local schools, playing community sport, learning how to swim at the local pool, enjoying the neighbourhood park.
That’s why it’s so important that you get that say in determining how your infrastructure funding is spent.
Firstly, because it’s a way of getting more integrity and transparency and accountability into the process. Gone are the colour-coded spreadsheets. We want to listen to you about what the priorities are.
And second, because it means better value for taxpayers and ratepayers by going through local government.
An example of this that has always stayed with me from my time as Minister is the upgrade of the Einasleigh River Bridge in Far North Queensland, right up there in the Gulf.
Once every few years there were floods and the Einasleigh River Bridge would be knocked over and the communities up there, Kuramba and Normanton, would be isolated. You would have to have food and health care flown in by chopper at an enormous cost.
And then they would build back the bridge to the same standard. Because if you could have done the same thing, you get the same outcome. And some people don’t seem to realise that.
So they would build it back to the same standard, which is what the rules bizarrely were. And of course, it would get washed away again few years later the next time there was a flood.
So we got costings from state governments. The Queensland Government costed it some ridiculous amount. The Mayor of the Shire there, I don’t know if that Shire’s here today, said ‘we can do it, we’ve got our own costing using day labour using local resources, local contractors’.
We allocated $31 million, it was the second largest amount allocated under the Regional Local Community Infrastructure Program.
Well, not only were they able to build the bridge for that amount that was less than half what the state government at the time said it would cost.
They upgraded the bridge. It hasn’t been washed away since. And they delivered it under budget.
So they came to us and said ‘we’ve got this money left over but there’s another bridge we’d quite like to have over the Copperfield River’.
In fact, the savings were so substantial they were enough to fund an entire second bridge, over the Copperfield River. So they built that too.
Two for the price of one is a good deal at the local supermarket. It’s an even better deal when we’re talking about the value of a bridge to protect a local community.
To me, it just underlined the importance of doing it this way. And in infrastructure projects, it’s no accident that local government was put with infrastructure, because quite often it is far more efficient to go with you.
And it means too that the money that ‘s spent, rather than people flying in from outside to get the jobs, the money stays in the local community as well.
The story also underlines the fact that local governments are the ones on the front line of natural disasters.
Since 2020, more than 80 per cent of Australia’s Local Government Areas have been impacted by disasters.
Just think about that, 80 per cent. Some multiple times.
Homes have been destroyed. Businesses severely impacted. And, tragically, people have lost their lives.
The impact of floods, bushfires and cyclones has been devastating. That’s why we need to prepare better rather than wait for these things to happen.
Our Disaster Ready Fund will provide state governments — in partnership with local councils and other organisations — with support to better prevent damage from natural disasters.
Common sense solutions like in Mackay, fixing up the levee and making sure that there’s greater protection there rather than waiting to see what happens again.
I refer to that old saying, that if you do the same thing the same way you shouldn’t be surprised that you get the same outcome.
We need to think in advance and better prepare for that.
We’re also establishing a National Emergency Management Stockpile to support states and territories when their capacity is exceeded during a natural disaster.
The Stockpile will include emergency housing, generators, drinkable water and other life-saving equipment and services, helping meet the acute needs of disaster-impacted communities.
We’re also helping councils better protect communities from flooding with a $236 million investment over decade to upgrade and better maintain the flood gauge network right across Australia.
This is a big investment in flood-prone communities.
It will ensure we have a system of flood gauges that warns people when floods are coming, tells them more about what they’re likely to experience and better protects our emergency services personnel.
Local governments are also absolutely critical to creating a sustainable, clean energy future.
And in so many ways, it’s local government that have been ahead of other levels of government with this transition. You’ve been leaders in this space for a long time.
You’re transitioning your fleets to electric vehicles, undertaking carbon accounting, increasing tree canopy cover and biodiversity, making council-owned buildings more energy efficient, and investing in low-emissions transport.
You’re doing so much to reduce your communities’ carbon footprints. And we’re going to do more to back you up.
Today, I’m pleased to announce that our Government is creating a new Community Energy Upgrades Fund.
We are putting forward $100 million to fund energy efficiency projects with local government.
This will enable high-impact energy upgrades to pool heating systems, lighting for sports grounds and courts, new storage technology at community centres and libraries. Projects that will reduce Australia’s emissions and cut your power bills.
We will open this program before the end of the year. And we will partner with you, the councils and the Australian Local Government Association, to get maximum value for every project.
It is great to see so many local governments have made the commitment to net zero.
Our Government is determined to seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity and transform Australia into a renewable energy superpower.
And Chris Bowen, of course, my Minister with responsibility for this significant task of economic transformation is a former mayor and understands the important role that local communities will play in this transition and he’ll be speaking to you later this morning.
We want to make sure that we hold to our promise to not leave communities behind. We want to help workers find good jobs in emerging industries while keeping communities strong.
And that’s why our new Net Zero Authority will work closely with local governments through this process.
As a nation, we’re only as strong as our communities. And we need to make the most of this opportunity to work together and build a better future for all Australians.
Our nation will only grow and prosper if all three levels of government — local, state and federal — work together to deliver policies and programs for the community.
So I thank you for coming to Canberra this week. I know many of you have travelled a long way.
You’ve brought constructive ideas, you’ve come together in a remarkable spirit of goodwill.
All of which gives us in the Federal Government great optimism for the journey ahead.
And I look forward to working with you to build a better future for Australia.