PUT OUR COMMUNITIES FIRST THIS FEDERAL ELECTION

Published on 11 April 2025

Glen Innes Severn Council has called for all parties and candidates in this year’s federal election to put our communities first and commit to increased funding for Australia’s 537 local governments.

At the Ordinary Meeting held in March, Council endorsed five national funding priorities for local government, including:

$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 capacity, and
$400 million per year for climate change adaptation.

This funding should be provided to all councils on a formula-basis – similar to the way Financial Assistance Grants and Roads to Recovery funding have been for many years – so that every Australian community benefits.

Mayor Margot Davis agrees that long-term and sustained funding helps our communities have good conversations on how to focus the effort of our Council beyond the competitive grant round cycle.

“For longer-term community projects to happen and place-based solutions to be realised we need secure and regular funding streams that will also reduce the burden of borrowing and co-funding of major projects and initiatives on Council”

“On top of these funding priorities we also need the Australian Government to adopt Place-Based, Needs-Based, and Outcome-Driven Funding Models to strengthen councils as enablers of essential community and social services,” Cr Davis said.

On the topic of connectivity, Mayor Davis is advocating for improved digital infrastructure grants.

She added, “The current federal approach to digital infrastructure funding prioritises efficiency over equity - favouring urban areas where returns are faster and populations are denser. Rural communities, despite often having the greatest need, are left behind by competitive grant models and high co-funding requirements that small councils simply can't meet.

Unless we shift toward place-based, needs-driven funding, regional Australia will remain digitally disadvantaged, limiting access to essential services and future opportunities."

To learn more, visit: https://putourcommunitiesfirst.com.au/

Media enquiries: (02) 6730 2314 | media@gisc.nsw.gov.au