Highly successful 2024 NGA
It was wonderful to welcome more than 1200 of you to our historic 30th National General Assembly in Canberra.
There were so many memorable highlights, including the historic first public speech of Australia’s new Governor General Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC.
During the week, we also heard from Federal Ministers the Hon Catherine King MP and the Hon Kristy McBain MP, as well as Shadow Ministers the Hon Senator Bridget McKenzie and the Hon Darren Chester MP, and many outstanding keynotes and panellists.
I was honoured to speak at the National Press Club on 2 July, where I highlighted how councils improve the lives of Australians every day in many ways that other levels of government simply can’t.
We also considered a record number of your council motions this year, and I look forward to bringing these NGA resolutions to our next ALGA Board meeting, and using them in our federal advocacy.
Win! Second round of HSP funding
At the Australian Council of Local Government Forum on 5 July, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the second stream of the Government’s Housing Support Program (HSP) is now open for applications from state, territory and local governments.
The $450 million Community Enabling Infrastructure Stream will provide funding for enabling infrastructure and community amenity projects, and applications are due by 16 August.
We advocated for this new funding program, and I urge you to think about the shovel-ready projects your councils can nominate.
New reports released
During the NGA, I was delighted to officially launch the 2024 National State of the Assets report Future proofing our communities.
Prepared with the support of IPWEA, the report showed since 2021 the amount of local government buildings and facilities in poor condition has dropped from 10 per cent to eight per cent.
We also released new research from SGS Economics and Planning, which shows a sustainable local government sector could boost Australia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by up to $7 billion per year.
National housing summit
Finally, a reminder to register for ALGA’s inaugural National Local Government Housing Summit at the Adelaide Town Hall on Friday, 16 August. This is an important opportunity to have local government’s voice heard on a complex but pressing issue across the nation.
We will be releasing a more detailed program this week which will focus on the key role we can play addressing Australia’s affordable housing crisis.
I hope to see you there!