Media Releases

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) and the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) are calling on the next Federal Government to include local government representation on National Cabinet. ALGA President Linda Scott said including local government on National Cabinet and key ministerial meetings and forums such as the Council on Federal Financial Relations would help create+

Working with the Commonwealth, councils can reduce the 20 million tonnes of rubbish sent to Australian landfills each year while creating new jobs across our nation. ALGA President Linda Scott said Australia faces a looming waste and recycling crisis without immediate and sustained investment from all three tiers of government. “We are running out of+

Councils are committed to partnering with the next Federal Government to reduce the social and economic disadvantages experienced by many Indigenous Australians. ALGA President Linda Scott said local governments are seeking a $100 million per year fund that would support the capacity of councils to Close the Gap and help implement the Local and Regional+

Australians can’t afford a lack of action from the next Federal Government on disaster mitigation. ALGA President Linda Scott said natural disasters currently cost Australia $38 billion a year and are forecast to rise to as much as $94 billion by 2060. “We know we can’t completely avoid future disaster events, but we can better+

With stronger funding partnerships, councils could help deliver more affordable housing, reduce cost-of-living pressures for families, provide safer local roads, and increase profits for Australian businesses. ALGA President Linda Scott said sustained investment in local government infrastructure would unlock a wide range of benefits. “Expanding the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program would support councils+

Local libraries, playgrounds, sporting grounds and community centres are at risk unless the Federal Government addresses the downward slide in Financial Assistance Grants provided to councils. Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) President Linda Scott said the total value of these grants as a percentage of Commonwealth taxation revenue had dropped in this week’s Federal Budget+

Strong advocacy from the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) and Australia’s 537 councils has delivered a $500 million extension of the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program in tonight’s 2022-23 Federal Budget. ALGA President Linda Scott said this extension would help councils deliver more libraries, sporting facilities, community centres, bike paths and playgrounds in their local+

Alongside Australia’s 537 councils, the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) is urging the Government to extend its highly successful Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) Program in Tuesday’s Federal Budget to create jobs, drive economic development, and ensure no community is left behind. ALGA President Linda Scott said this $2.5 billion program has assisted Australia’s+

With more than three million Australian homes and businesses at risk, the Government must prioritise funding for natural disaster mitigation in next week’s Federal Budget. Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) President Linda Scott said the NSW and Queensland floods showed Australia is failing to adequately plan for natural disasters. “These floods have devastated our communities,+

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has called for more disaster mitigation and climate change funding to help increase Australia’s future resilience to fires and floods. ALGA President Linda Scott said local government is seeking a targeted $200 million per year disaster mitigation fund, as well as $200 million over four years for a Local+

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has welcomed $5.5 million in Commonwealth regional arts funding through the Australia Council’s Playing Australia touring program. President Linda Scott said this funding was timely, given the challenges Australia’s performing arts sector has faced over the past two years. “Our community arts sector has been hit hard by the+

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has welcomed a pre-election commitment from Federal Labor to invest up to $200 million per year in disaster prevention and resilience. President Linda Scott said that ALGA had asked all political parties to support such a program through its 2022 Federal Election Platform. “Currently, less than five percent of+

New research shows that around one in 10 Australian libraries, recreation and sporting facilities, community centres, stormwater systems, swimming pools, local airports, bridges and roads are in poor condition with significant defects, requiring increased maintenance or in some cases replacement. ALGA President Linda Scott said this finding in ALGA’s 2021 National State of the Assets+

A Morrison Government pledge to increase the recycling of waste plastic, glass, paper, and other products has been welcomed by the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA). The Remade in Australia recycling initiative announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Sydney on Monday includes a renewed focus on improving recovery rates by getting consumers to buy+

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has welcomed the release of guidelines for the $150 million community infrastructure component of the Commonwealth’s $600 million Preparing Australia Program. The Program is focused on disaster preparedness and responds to recommendations of the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements aimed at better preparing communities for more severe+

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has welcomed a new Commonwealth Remote Roads Upgrade Pilot Program that will offer councils 80 to 100 percent of required funding to make unsealed local roads safer and more productive. Over 75 percent of Australia’s road network by length – about 678,000km in total – is owned and managed+

A new resource to accelerate efforts to provide greater opportunities for Indigenous Australians at the local community level has been published by the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA). Developed by ALGA and its state and territory association members, the guide sets out key actions councils can undertake to meet the priority reforms laid out under+

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has applauded calls for the nation’s 537 councils to be given greater backing to protect local communities from the accelerating impacts of climate change. A landmark Climate Council/City Powers Partnership report published this week found extreme weather events driven by global warming are taking a growing toll on community+

Australia’s efforts to address and respond to climate change are not taking full advantage of the opportunity to partner with local government for more effective emissions reduction, mitigation, and adaptation solutions. Speaking after a meeting of the Global Covenant of Mayors Oceania, Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) President Linda Scott said the impacts of global+

Local government has renewed its commitment to preventing violence against women and children, saying it wants to work more closely with other levels of government to drive outcomes. Attending this week’s National Summit on Women’s Safety, Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) President Linda Scott called for dedicated domestic and family violence prevention officers in every+

23 August, 2021 The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has welcomed extra funding to help council-run early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres survive current lockdown restrictions. As a result of advocacy by Australian local governments, from today, early education and care centres impacted by extended Covid-19 lockdowns in NSW, Victoria, and the ACT will+

Joint Federal and NSW government financial assistance for businesses and households impacted by the Greater Sydney lockdowns has been welcomed by the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA). The $5.1 billion package includes payments for businesses and households impacted by current lockdowns, and followed calls for support from Local Government NSW, an ALGA member. A Federal+

23 June 2021 The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has welcomed Labor’s pledge to include local government in the National Cabinet. Federal Labor Leader Anthony Albanese told delegates at the 27th National General Assembly of Local Government today that people expected the three tiers of government to work together on their behalf, particularly as the+

22 June 2021 Delegates to the 27th National General Assembly of Local Government have backed moves to give Indigenous Australians a greater say in how they address entrenched disadvantage in their local communities. A motion put forward by East Arnhem Regional Council to support nationally consistent recognition of Aboriginal controlled councils was carried unanimously at+

20 June 2021 A national forum will today look at how rural and regional councils are successfully delivering jobs and economic leadership to ensure the COVID-inspired bush renaissance of 2020-21 is enduring and widespread. Convened by the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), the forum will take the bush’s temperature, examine economic and political trends, and+

18 June 2021 Municipal leaders from across Australia will meet in Canberra next week to call for local government to be reinstated to National Cabinet. They are also expected to press the Federal Government to increase financial assistance to local government to ensure councils can respond more effectively to the social and economic impacts of+

The Australian Local Government Association has welcomed the announcement by the Federal Government of investments in major projects totaling more than $10 billion and called for similar commitments in local government infrastructure. The new commitments, expected to create more than 23,000 direct and indirect jobs, form part of the Commonwealth’s 10-year land transport and infrastructure+

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has hailed the Federal Government’s National Plastics Plan 2021 as an important milestone on the road to a more environmentally and economically sustainable future. Released following long-standing ALGA advocacy for stronger action on national waste reduction and recycling, the plan will help achieve many of the 2020 National Waste+

The Federal Government’s new tourism and aviation support package will do little to ease the crisis facing many regional airports, the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) said today. While acknowledging the $1.2 billion package will help the struggling aviation and regional tourism sectors transition past the end of the JobKeeper program, ALGA said it offered+

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has welcomed Federal Opposition Labor leader Anthony Albanese’s commitment to include Local Government in National Cabinet should the ALP win the next federal election. ALGA had been a member of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) until it was abolished and replaced by National Cabinet last May. ALGA President+

Infrastructure Australia’s new focus on ensuring that all communities have access to quality infrastructure has been welcomed by the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA). The infrastructure advisory body has added 44 new proposals to its 2021 Infrastructure Priority List prioritising: Improved digital connectivity; Support for economic development in regional communities; Road and freight connectivity to+

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has renewed calls for public grants to councils and community organisations to be assessed against transparent criteria and awarded on merit. It comes amidst allegations that some state and commonwealth government grants and funding programs, including the Safer Communities Fund, have been “gerrymandered”. ALGA President Linda Scott said the+

To ensure the Covid-19 vaccination program is delivered safely and efficiently, the Federal Government should include frontline council workers in the cohort receiving the first shots, the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) says. Councils employ a significant number of aged care and disability care staff and ALGA is pleased this cohort has already been identified+

Recognising and supporting local government’s proven ability to work on behalf of its communities will help cement Covid-19 recovery, the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) said this week. In its 2021-22 Pre-Budget Submission, ALGA has urged the Morrison Government to prioritise local jobs, infrastructure investment, and community wellbeing initiatives. Economic recovery from Covid-19 and the+

Australia’s premier local roads conference being held in Wagga Wagga NSW this week has been expanded to address 2020’s biggest events – the Black Summer bushfires and the Covid-19 pandemic. The profound impacts these two disasters have had on local communities will be a major focus of the expanded two-day event being convened by the+

Sydney City Councillor Linda Scott has been elected President of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) – the national voice of local government representing over 500 councils nationwide. Councillor Scott was elected to the position unopposed at ALGA’s annual general meeting on Friday – and will succeed David O’Loughlin, whose second (and maximum) two-term stint+

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) is partnering with the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) to address the country’s $30 billion national local government infrastructure backlog. The two organisations will work together – and with local councils around the country – to produce the “National State of the Assets” (NSoA) report providing detailed+

Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has long called for a $200 million Commonwealth Disaster Mitigation Fund to be established, the same amount nominated by the Australian Productivity Commission in its most recent advice on disaster mitigation. “Not only is the Federal Government’s current commitment of only $26.1 million a year clearly inadequate in this light,+

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) says planned national federation reforms announced today are a lost opportunity to drive jobs growth and economic reform at the local level. “The National Cabinet is continuing with a broader remit than the health response for which it was first established, and ALGA, as the national voice of Local+