At its March Council Meeting, Council endorsed four notices of motions for submission to the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) State Council meeting in May 2026, with a key focus on ensuring councils are better supported to meet growing community needs.
The MAV State Council brings together delegates from councils across Victoria to consider issues of strategic importance and advocate collectively to the Victorian Government.
Bass Coast calls for long-term financial reform to restore the capacity of local government, including the introduction of a Local Government Cost Index that more accurately reflects the real costs faced by councils.
Councils are experiencing increasing financial pressure driven by rising construction and infrastructure costs, environmental compliance requirements, natural disasters and the need to plan for climate adaptation. These pressures are being felt across the sector and are not fully captured by current funding and indexation settings.
Bass Coast Shire Mayor, Cr Rochelle Halstead, said councils play a critical role in delivering essential infrastructure and services, and need the right settings in place to continue meeting community expectations.
"Local government is responsible for a significant proportion of the infrastructure and services our communities rely on every day, from roads and public spaces to community facilities and local services," Cr Halstead said.
"We are seeing increasing cost pressures across the board, and it is important that funding frameworks better reflect those realities."
The motion also calls for structural relief for councils facing sustained cost pressures, particularly in areas such as environmental compliance, responding to natural disasters, and delivering climate adaptation works.
"Councils are on the frontline of many of these challenges, particularly in coastal and regional areas like Bass Coast," Cr Halstead said.
"Ensuring councils have the capacity to respond is not just a local issue, it requires support and reform at other levels of government."
In addition to financial sustainability, Council has also endorsed motions relating to emergency services funding and regional public transport, and planning reforms (Bass Coast calls for greater transparency, consultation and community engagement in State planning… | Bass Coast Shire) reflecting key issues impacting communities across regional Victoria.
These motions align with Bass Coast Shire Council's Advocacy Priorities 2026-2028 and will contribute to broader sector advocacy through the MAV.
If supported by MAV State Council delegates, the motions will help shape collective advocacy to the Victorian Government on issues affecting councils and communities across the state.
