The Mayor of Wentworth Shire Council, Cr Daniel Linklater, is calling on the Australian Government to restore proper funding for local councils as part of the Country Mayors Association of NSW’s (CMA) ‘Invest in Us’ campaign.
The campaign urges the Commonwealth to return Financial Assistance Grants to at least 1% of total Commonwealth taxation revenue so councils can continue delivering the essential services and local infrastructure communities rely on.
“Local government is the backbone of our community. We maintain roads, parks, libraries, sporting facilities, waste services and more — but funding from the Federal Government has not kept up. Restoring Financial Assistance Grants to 1% would allow councils like ours to keep delivering the services our residents depend on” Cr Daniel Linklater said.
For many years, Commonwealth Financial Assistance Grants have been reduced to around half of what they were intended to be. Most other federal programs are project-based and cannot support day-to-day operations.
The Country Mayors Association of NSW members across rural, remote and regional NSW are jointly advocating for change.
