Address to the Local Government Association Tasmania (LGAT) Annual Conference

KRISTY MCBAIN: It’s a pleasure to be here in Tassie. I jumped off a plane, not out of one. They don’t let me do that. As the Minister for Territories, the Talisman Sabre Games on Norfolk Island falls within my portfolio and they told me that the Australian and the American Defence Forces had been to inspect the local hospital just in case anything went wrong. They were going to be doing helicopter evacuations, which means jumping out of one. I said, “Can I join?” They said, “Absolutely no way.” I thought, well, why not, that would have been fun, but apparently not for me.

Thank you so much for the introduction. Thank you very much to Mick for having me here. It’s always a pleasure to be in Tassie. I was here only a few months ago when we launched the RDA Tasmania Strategic Plan, so it’s nice to be back in your beautiful state again.

Can I start by acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the lands on where we meet and pay my respect to elders past and present.

Over the last 18 months, I’ve done a lot of travel in my role and spoken with a lot of councils. Of the 546 councils across the country, I’ve met with over 250 of them now. So many of them have the same ideas, the same opportunities, the same challenges, but all with us the same shared commitment to deliver for their communities.

We want to make sure that we are there supporting you in what you know and what you do best, and that is community collaboration.

You are much more than roads, rates and rubbish, and I say this all the time, especially to people who aren’t in the sector. Local councils deliver the services that we need, they maintain the roads and community spaces that we know and love, and they make sure that their community is kept up‑to‑date with things that are happening day‑in‑day‑out.

I’m really pleased to be joined by my colleague today, Senator Anne Urquhart, who is such a strong advocate for Tasmania. It was actually Senator Urquhart who got me here earlier this year and we had a beautiful trip down to the West Coast – lovely to see you again – and through Burnie and back to Devonport. Then with my colleague, Assistant Minister Carol Brown, we launched that RDA Tasmania Strategic Plan.

One of the things that was so great to see with that RDA Strategic Plan is that it was a collaboration of all levels of government. It was working with local communities about what you want to see happen in Tasmania, a plan that recognises that the key to growth in Tassie is innovation and adaption, especially in the local government sector.

One of the reasons that I’m so pleased to be in this role is that the Albanese Labor Government is serious about working with the local government sector. We’ve brought you back to the table of National Cabinet, and for the first time in a decade, we re‑held the Australian Council of Local Government. The opportunity to literally sit down with Ministers from across the Government and speak about those shared challenges, those shared opportunities, and making sure that you are there when we are doing the policy development for our nation as a whole.

There were nine councils from across Tasmania that took part in the ACLG, and I really hope that number increases for next year. As part of my job, I am giving more and more time to making sure that that collaboration between our government and your sector is front and centre. In the Prime Minister you have a former Minister for Local Government, somebody that actually understands the sector, that took significant steps to - one, establish the Australian Council of Local Government when the Labor Party was last in government, but number two, took significant steps to work towards a Referendum. Unfortunately, that didn’t take place.

The one thing that we all know though is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach, and that’s why collaboration with the local government sector is so key, not only for my government, but for each and every one of you. We need to know what is working and what’s not working, and the best way for us to do that is to work and talk and listen to the experts in the communities, which is the elected representatives of our local council areas.

I know that there is so much innovative and significant work happening across the local government sector, and it was so great to see councils nominate themselves for the National Local Government Awards. It’s not something that the sector does well. We don’t celebrate the things that are working well, we tend to move on to the next challenge, but it is so important that we take the time to nominate for these awards, because the challenges that you’re facing and you’re overcoming, other councils have and can learn from you.

I want to just take this moment to give a quick shout out to Brighton Council’s Climate Change and Sustainability Education Program. The Brighton Council helped prepare its community for climate change impacts by implementing its Climate Change and Resilience Strategy. It focused on fostering environmental resilience and supporting communities to reduce the likelihood of more frequent and challenging climate impact events. The Break O’Day Council and its Festival of Wellbeing. The annual community event connects local and visiting support services and encourages healthy conversations regarding matters of wellbeing.

And Georgetown Council for their all-abilities recreation area on East Beach. The first of its kind for northern Tasmanian beaches, as part of the council’s Diversity, Equitable Access and Inclusion Policy, which strives for fair and equal access for all people within their community.

This year, five Tasmanian councils nominated projects for the National Awards, and that is compared to only a single nomination in 2022.

I know it takes time, and I know celebrating the things that we’re doing well is not something that we do, but we should. It’s important that our community understands what you’re doing. It’s important that other councils know what you’re doing, because there are shared challenges across our sector. If you’ve come across it and have come up with an innovative way to deal with it, other councils will be able to take your examples.

So please nominate for those awards. Congratulations to those five Tassie councils that nominated in the awards in the last year.

The Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program is something that so many councils have talked to me about, supporting high-value and high-impact projects across your communities through untied funding.

Over $25 million is flowing to Tasmanian councils under Phase 4 of that program and that builds on the hundreds of projects that are already under way in Phases 1 to 3 so far. Things like local parks and community halls, ensuring we’ve got safe and reliable roads due to the increased demand - not only of people now living in our regions, but all of the tourists that are now back and flowing through Tassie.

LRCI project funding like the Benjafield Childcare Redevelopment Project, which allows for additional childcare areas and new accessible toilet and shower facilities to be built, over $578,000 in federal funding to get that project off the ground. The Newtown Retail Precinct Upgrade, re‑imagining the shopping area along Newtown Road. The development will create a more vibrant, inviting and accessible precinct with $1.37 million in federal funding to make that nearly $1.6 million project happen. That untied funding going to priority projects that your councils have been nominating.

We’ve spoken about the need for us to reimagine grants programs, to do so in a manner that is more transparent and fair across the sector. We’re now investing a billion dollars in regional grant programs. Over $600 million through the Growing Regions Program, to deliver regional infrastructure and community projects that meet local needs.

Round 1 has just closed and those successful projects will soon be announced. Over $400 million in the regional Precincts and Partnerships Program, which will really look at transforming our local economies, diversifying our economic opportunities and unifying some of the places that we’ve got across our communities.

For the first time ever, we now have a grant program for every council in Australia with not only growing regions but also our Thriving Suburbs Program. $200 million going to those metropolitan councils to deal with some of their growing needs as their suburbs boom.

We want to make sure that projects are dealt with transparently, and for the first time ever we now have a multi-party panel assessing those initial expressions of interest in the Growing Regions Program. We’re really interested to talk to councils following this first round to see how that has worked for you.

Not only are we funding those shovel ready projects, but we’re looking at how we can support and fund business cases, master plans and planning and design for councils. So many of the councils I speak to say, “It’s great that you’ve got this big fund, but what we actually needed was the upfront dollars to deal with the business case issues.” We’re helping with that, which I think is really important.

A great example of all levels of government working together can be seen in some of the city deals we’ve got across the country. The Launceston City Deal, which is a 10‑year, $603 million investment is delivering a range of transformative projects to enable Launceston to be one of Australia’s most liveable and innovative regional cities. Funded projects from delivering water infrastructure upgrades and improving catchment management actions, through the Tamar Estuary River Health Action Plan. Relocating and redeveloping the University of Tasmania’s main Launceston campus from Newnham to Inveresk in the central business district. The $43.6 million Northern Suburbs Community Recreation Hub, which I get to go to this afternoon, which will be fantastic. The state’s largest multi-purpose indoor sporting and community facility, with over 10,000 square metres of indoor space. This is going to be a game changer for Northern Tasmania.

This again demonstrates our commitment to working in partnership with other levels of government. We can’t do everything alone as a Federal Government. We need our state governments and our local councils to help us deliver for communities right across the country.

It’s also important that we are focused on our energy transition. I know it’s a top priority for many councils. Over 75 per cent of councils across Australia already have transition plans in place.

It’s one of the reasons we’ve established the Community Energy Upgrades Fund. $100 million to partner with local governments to upgrade things like sporting lights, heat pumps for pools - to make sure that you’re running costs come down and those dollars can be better spent invested in services for our communities.

The guidelines for that are on the way, and I really look forward to working with you on that Community Energy Upgrades Fund. It’s going to be a game changer for councils going forward.

Local government plays such an essential role in so many of the aims that the Federal Government have. None more so than your essential role in dealing with the housing crisis that we’ve got across this country.

ALGA is a signatory to the National Housing Accord, which brings local government to the table and talks about the role that they have specifically in housing. We’re delivering the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, the biggest investment in over a decade in housing, and we know that it is going to take all three levels of government working together to deal with the crisis on our hands.

In August, National Cabinet announced the $500 million housing support program. A program for local and state governments to put in place that critical enabling infrastructure to see housing developments take place. I want to congratulate the local government sector for the work that they’ve done in advocating this as a key priority.

So many councils I spoke to said, “We could help with the housing crisis, but we need dollars upfront to deal with some of the infrastructure asks first.” In particular for councils, water and sewer.

Your advocacy has led to that announcement in National Cabinet in August this year.

I want to thank each and every one of you for your commitment to the sector. A cliché that I used to hate when I was a Mayor was, “You’re the closest level of government to the people”. It’s very frustrating, but there is nothing like being in a local government sector. When you go about your every day‑to‑day business, whether it’s Woolworths or Coles or Aldi or IGA, wherever you are, someone will come up to you and say, “I don’t normally do this, but…” and they’ll ask you a question. Or whether it’s a kids’ sporting event or playing lawn bowls, whatever it is that you undertake in the community. Your community knows you do it. They come up to you and they feel okay to ask you a question. You are approachable. You are someone that they know. You are someone that gets their lived experience because you’re living the exact same thing as well.

That is why this sector needs to be respected. It’s because you have that everyday contact with your community members, you’re living in them, you are the experts in your community in what your community’s asking you to do.

I want to say thank you, because I know it takes a tonne of time, and I know it takes a lot of commitment to get things moving in the direction you want them to as a Councillor. Thank you for your time, your energy and your commitment to the sector. It doesn’t go unnoticed. It doesn’t go unnoticed by your community members, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by the other levels of government.

Your work is essential in building a stronger, safer, smarter Tassie. Your work is essential in growing the Tasmanian economy, and the economies of each town and guild you represent.

Thank you so much for having me here today. I hope the conversations you have over the next couple of days are productive, and I’m more than happy to answer any questions if you have any. I’m sure there will be none about financial assistance or business grants.

QUESTION ONE: I have two questions, and one is related to FA grants increases. Will you commit to increases? And secondly you mentioned LRCI, but there are no intentions at this point to continue that?

KRISTY MCBAIN: We – the Labor Party have a policy for fair increases to Financial Assistance Grants. We have not gone down the road of previous governments in freezing indexation of those grants, which I think many councils are still dealing with, and that lack of dollars has compounded over a number of years now.

We will continue to work with the sector on how we can make sure we get more untied funding to the sector. I’m really focused on making sure that that funding is equitable.

There are councils who have the ability to raise their own revenue, and do not need Financial Assistance Grants as much as other councils across the country. We will continue to work with Local Government Ministers and with the Grants Commissions in each State and Territory.

The Grants Commissions from around the country are actually meeting in Tassie next week. I’m having a conversation with them next week, and I’ve got a Local Government Ministers’ meeting coming up at the end of November.

We’ve got a shared commitment to making the sector more financially sustainable, and that will be a combination between the levels of government. I want to make sure that we are getting untied funding to the sector as much as possible.

In regards to LRCI, it was a COVID stimulus measure, and that was made very clear at the outset. We added an additional round to that, an additional $250 million, and focused that commitment on outer metro, regional and rural councils to deal with a number of the natural disasters that had impacted councils, and in particular road networks.

We’ll be looking at what other measures we can put in place to assist councils with that untied funding mechanism, so keep an eye out for those things.

QUESTION TWO: Hi Minister, Tony from Launceston City Council. First of all, thank you for the last few LRCI funding rounds, it’s been fantastic for our sector, and thank you for the funding for the childcare centre improvements. We are grateful for that funding. The second question, or the question I have is around the Hobart City deal. I understand the Government’s doing a review of funding commitments from the previous government. I just wondering where that’s at?

KRISTY MCBAIN: Thank you for the question. The Hobart City Deal is not one that sits with me. The Launceston City Deal does sit with me, but I can absolutely go and get you some information about the Hobart City Deal.

Thanks very much and enjoy your next couple of days. I’ll see you at the dinner tonight.