President’s Update – July 2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us in Canberra for this year’s National General Assembly.

More than 1,100 mayors, shire presidents, presidents, councillors and local government leaders came together to share ideas, debate the issues affecting our communities and speak with a strong, united voice.

What we achieved together is something to celebrate. The Assembly was not only a successful gathering of our sector, but a powerful demonstration of local government advocacy in action.

Delegates gave overwhelming support to our emergency motion calling for fairer Financial Assistance Grants, and every state and territory local government association backed our joint letter to the Australian Parliament.

That collective effort sent a clear message to the Federal Government and Parliament that councils need a stronger and more sustainable funding partnership to continue delivering the services and infrastructure our communities rely on.

Thank you to every delegate who contributed to the debate, shared the experiences of their community and helped strengthen our national advocacy.

The resolutions passed at the NGA will continue to guide ALGA’s work and our engagement with ministers, parliamentarians and federal departments in the months ahead.

Our next opportunity to come together is now fast approaching, with the 2026 National Local Roads, Transport and Infrastructure Congress to be held in Cairns on 25 and 26 August.

This Congress has always been one of the most practical and valuable events on the local government calendar.

Local roads and infrastructure touch almost every part of community life. They connect people to work, education, health care and essential services, support freight and tourism, enable new housing and underpin local economic development.

Councils are also managing growing asset renewal backlogs, rising construction and maintenance costs, workforce shortages and the impacts of more frequent and severe weather events.

These are national challenges, but councils are dealing with them on the ground every day.

This year’s Congress will bring together council leaders, infrastructure managers, technical specialists, policymakers and industry experts to share practical solutions and new ideas.

The program will explore issues including funding and sequencing for housing-enabling infrastructure, road safety, heavy vehicle management, accessible and inclusive design, workforce capability and the use of technology and data to improve infrastructure planning and delivery.

Delegates will also have the opportunity to learn directly from councils and experts who are finding new ways to stretch limited budgets, improve safety and deliver better outcomes for their communities.

The technical tour of the Gordonvale water security project will provide another valuable opportunity to see major infrastructure planning and delivery in practice.

The Congress is particularly important for the people in our councils who turn policy commitments into practical outcomes. I encourage mayors, councillors, chief executives and council staff to attend. Early registration is available until Friday 24 July.

Delegates will return with practical insights, stronger professional networks and new ideas they can apply in their own communities.

The Congress will also help strengthen our national advocacy by bringing together the experience and expertise of councils from across Australia.

As the NGA showed so clearly, we achieve more when we share our knowledge, agree on our priorities and speak with one voice.

I look forward to seeing many of you in Cairns in August.