From the Lord Mayor's Office
Advocating for Wollongong at the Australian Local Government Conference
Last week I attended the Australian Local Government Conference in Canberra along with the Deputy Lord Mayor and Councillors Richard Martin, Jess Whittaker and Thomas Quinn. With 1300 delegates from 536 councils across our diverse country in attendance, it was evident that we share many of the same challenges around finances and ageing infrastructure. But, thankfully, we don't share the tyranny of distance that many rural councils endure.
We heard from the Governor General, Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC, about the critical importance of civics and building trust in government institutions through participation and engagement. Her comments aligning closely to my passion project of engaging our local primary schools on how government works and particularly the role of local government as part of our democratic process. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with a number of local schools in the Wollongong City Council Chamber and I’m keen to engage with more - have your school reach out to my office if you would like your students to share this experience.
A key focus running through the conference was the impact of natural disasters on local communities and their councils. The increasing frequency and intensity of weather events, such as this week’s coastal low, is having a huge impact on community wellbeing and the financial position of local government.
One of the motions Wollongong City Council put forward at the conference was to call on the Australian Government to establish more efficient policy, procedures and funding to improve Local Government response and preparation for natural disaster. This was supported unanimously by voting delegates as were our other motions: one calling for the Australian Government to adequately fund active transport infrastructure and the other to address chronic shortages in residential aged care beds which is having a severe impact on health services and communities across Australia including Wollongong. These are national issues that have a significant impact on local communities and I was pleased to highlight our concerns in Canberra.
A reoccurring theme raised throughout the conference was the financial sustainability of local government and calls for increasing Federal support for the sector to meet infrastructure demands and community expectation. I spoke with Kristy McBain MP, Federal Minister for Regional Development, Territories and Local Government and Minister for Emergency Management and highlighted how Wollongong City Council is looking closely at how we can ensure our ongoing financial sustainability. I also stressed we are working to deliver two libraries this term, and greatly appreciated the $10m to come from the Federal Government for the Southern Suburbs Community Centre and Library.
The Conference was also a great opportunity to connect with Mayors and CEOs from our neighbouring Illawarra Shoalhaven Councils as well as Wollondilly, Camden and Campbelltown (pictured). We continued our discussion around greater collaboration and a collective approach to fighting for the region and will be gathering again soon to formalise this alliance.
