Shoalhaven Council's calls to extend the pensioner rebate and introduce a tourism tax, received unanimous support at the National General Assembly (NGA) of Local Government.
More than 500 councils were represented at the 31st NGA in Canberra last week, with Shoalhaven Council tabling three motions during the three-day event.
Shoalhaven called for the Australian Government to increase the pensioner rebate and extend eligibly to low-income earners. The pensioner rebate, which assists pensioners and concession-card holders to cover the cost of council and water rates, has not increased in 13-years.
Council also urged the government to consider collecting a percentage of Gross Regional Product as tax revenue from tourism industries, to be directed back to councils to help pay for the maintenance of local infrastructure and assets.
"I was delighted to see these motions unanimously supported by the record number of delegates in the room," said acting CEO James Ruprai, who attended the assembly alongside Mayor, Patricia White.
"These are important issues that have an enormous impact on communities across Australia, and the local government sector broadly. I was incredibly proud Shoalhaven was able to drive advocacy in these areas to encourage the Federal Government to make positive change and drive fairer outcomes for our residents," he said.
Shoalhaven Council also joined 16 other LGAs in demanding the Australian Government increase funding to councils by restoring the taxation revenue of Federal Assistance Grants. The grant is paid to Local Governments via their State or Territory Grants Commissions but the percentage of taxation revenue being paid has been reduced by successive governments over four decades.
"Councils across the country are continuing to struggle to cover the cost of basic services and maintenance, partly due to government cost shifting," said Cr White.
"Restoring the taxation revenue to two per cent would assist our council and others to address the financial pressures we're currently experiencing," she said.
"I'm pleased we were able to add our voice to this important issue and advocate on behalf of our community, and the local government sector broadly," she said.
The NGA is the largest annual gathering of local government leaders in Australia, providing an opportunity for councils to advocate for better federal funding, policy reforms and effective partnerships.
Dozens of topics were discussed at the NGA with over 200 individual motions tabled.
