With a close but clear election result determined this week, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull convened the Coalition's leadership team to determine their political agenda and map out details of their path forward with a 'new-look' Ministry to be announced on Monday.
Following this announcement, ALGA will review and refine its advocacy approach for the local government policy initiatives outlined in our Local Government Plan for Innovation and a Prosperous Australia, taking into account any significant and relevant changes to the Cabinet.
This review process also includes next week's important meeting of the ALGA Board to specifically consider the resolutions passed by the delegates at last month's National General Assembly of Local Government (NGA). The ALGA Board is always keen to take early action to consider and make progress on the resolutions of the NGA, including assessing the most effective approach to take forward the priorities identified by NGA delegates.
The debate of motions forms an important part of the NGA and this year many of the resolutions align with, and reinforce, ALGA's current policy initiatives. The resolutions cover a broad range of topics including Financial Assistance Grants, Roads to Recovery and other government grant programs, freight improvements, rate capping, tax reform, community infrastructure funding proposals, migration and settlement, climate change and the environment.
These resolutions demonstrate that the concerns of local government are truly national. The ALGA Board will review the resolutions and reconcile them with current ALGA policy, look at what action is feasible, and ensure the consistency of any action with the policy and approach of the collective State and Territory Local Government Associations.
An outline of the Board's decisions on NGA resolutions and the outcomes of any subsequent actions will be made available on the ALGA website: www.alga.asn.au.
Mayor Troy Pickard
ALGA President