Weekly column from Council Courier e-newsletter by CEO Greg Hallam, Friday 6 May 2016.
The Federal Budget was mostly good for councils.
After strong lobbying by the ALGA and the LGAQ the additional bonus Roads to Recovery payments that have been in place this past year and next financial year were extended by a further year to 2017-18.
Roads to Recovery funding for Queensland councils will be $163.7 million in 2016-17 and $142.4 million in 2017-18 (an extra $70 million), twice the 2014-15 level of funding consistent with the commitment by the Federal Government.
Also as promised, indexation for Financial Assistance grants will be restored in 2017-18, meaning more untied funding for councils in the years ahead. In constrained times that was not too bad an outcome.
The one real worry emerging from this Budget is the fact that $1 billion in NDRRA payments to the Queensland Government due in 2016-17 has been "delayed". That's a lot of money in anyone's terms and could have serious consequences for future disaster events if not resolved quickly. Expect to hear a lot more about this issue in coming weeks during the federal election campaign.
Still in Canberra our LGAQ advocacy team had a mighty win, securing last minute vital changes to the Northern Australia Investment Fund legislation. The changes will ensure councils must be consulted on project proposals over $100 million to be funded under the NAIF.
The advocacy team pushed this issue right through to the passage of the legislation, with the LGAQ’s intergovernmental relations staff on the ground in Canberra this week to make sure MPs and senators knew about this and other matters affecting local councils, virtually up until the final hours of this Parliament.
President Margaret de Wit also should take great credit for her personal lobbying of Minister Matt Canavan and Queensland senators. These were last-minute changes we secured for our northern member councils.
Finally it was great to see the immediate past Cassowary Coast mayor and former LGAQ Policy Executive member Bill Shannon appointed to the board of the NAIF.