BALRANALD Shire Council has thrown its support towards a national Federal Election campaign that will support every council to play a bigger role delivering local solutions to national priorities.
Mayor Cr Louie Zaffina moved at the March ordinary meeting to support the national Federal Election funding priorities identified by the Australian Local Government Association and to support and participate in the Put Our Communities First Federal Election campaign.
The council also moved to write to Farrer incumbent Sussan Ley and all other known election candidates for the Federal electorate and the president of the ALGA expressing support.
Cr Zaffina said ALGA has developed a framework and resources for a national advocacy campaign that will run in the lead up to the May 3 election.
“Based around the tagline of Put Our Communities First, the goal is to secure additional federal funding that will support every council to play a bigger role delivering local solutions to national priorities,” he said.
“All councils have been asked to participate in this campaign to ensure a co-ordinated approach that will deliver the best possible outcomes.”
Cr Zaffina said the campaign will advocate for new federal funding to be distributed to all councils on a formula basis, similar to the Commonwealth’s Roads to Recovery Program, or the previous Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program.
“This will ensure that every council and community benefits, and support local decision making based on local needs.”
Cr Zaffina said participating in a national advocacy campaign does not preclude Balranald Shire from advocating on additional local needs and issues, but “it will strengthen the national campaign and support all 537 Australian local governments”.
The five national funding priorities have been determined by the ALGA board and align with key national priorities.
These five funding priorities are $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 $400 million per year for climate change adaptation.
