This week @ LGANT newsletter
Local Government Association of the Northern Territory
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2010-11-05
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Local Government Association of the Northern Territory; Local government; Politics and government; Periodicals
Local Government Association of the Northern Territory
Darwin
This Week @ LGANT
Newsletter, issue 21, 5/11/2010
What's on : LGANT
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Local Government Association of the Northern Territory
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/224245
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/684171
This Week @ LGANT Issue 21: 5 November 2010 4 Roads and Infrastructure NSW Councils demand more state government funding to fix roads NSW councils are continuing to call on the State Government to provide adequate funding and remove rate pegging so they can fix their roads and streets. President of the Shires Association of NSW, Cr Bruce Miller, said the maths just doesn't add up when available funding for councils does not match the huge infrastructure responsibility. "Councils manage 85 per cent of the road network and nearly all footpaths in NSW. Government funding provides about 30 per cent of what councils spend on roads each year," said Cr. Miller. "Approximately 70 per cent is left to councils to source through rates. This is particularly hard, when you consider the fact that rates are pegged in NSW by the State Government," he said. "We've been warning the State and Federal Government for quite some time that our streets will continue to deteriorate if funding is not increased and rate pegging is not abolished, an issue we again raised at the National Local Roads and Transport Congress in Bunbury last month." "After being in drought for so long, we're very grateful for the recent rain. However, this has contributed to an increase in potholes and damage to our roads." NSW councils face an annual funding shortfall of $600m to address maintenance needs of local roads, according to research by the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia. Across the nation, the Australian Local Government Association estimates the figure is as high as $1.2 billion per year. President of the Local Government Association of NSW, Cr Keith Rhoades AFSM, said providing communities with safe infrastructure and roads is a key priority for councils. "Councils are continuously building, maintaining and repairing roads under scheduled work programs and in response to emergency and critical repair needs," said Cr Rhoades. "Our communities deserve an excellent road system, and councils are working hard to achieve this, but we can only do so much with the amount of funding currently available," he said. "Especially when councils also provide hundreds of other services with funding from rates - such as libraries, community centres, senior citizen and youth services, public parks and swimming pools. "Given the amount of work required, councils must apply a strict process of risk assessment and prioritisation which is managed by specialist engineers and asset management staff. We're not in a position to be able to address every road maintenance issue instantly - though we're truly trying our best with the limited resources we have. "Letting your local State MP know you're unhappy with the lack of funding for councils to fix your street will also help the situation," said Cr Rhoades Sustainable population: an urban transport perspective Recent strong population growth in Australian cities has drawn attention to a range of national transport, and transport-related, sustainability issues. Key areas of national sustainability concern in relation to urban land transport include traffic congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, road fatalities and serious injury accidents, social exclusion associated with poor mobility options and the risks that are associated with Australias high reliance on fossil fuels for transport. Effectively tackling these national concerns requires an integrated policy and program focus on desired outcomes in each of the critical problem areas. The national dimension demands federal leadership and a number of recent initiatives are promising in this regard (for example, Infrastructure Australia processes, the Council of Australian Governments Capital City Strategic Planning initiative, and high speed broadband). Sustainable solutions will require concerted action over a number of years, with a clear focus on http://www.lgsa.org.au/