MAY 2023
Australia’s National Local Government Newspaper
Guiding Hobart The Central Hobart Plan is ready to move to the next stage after finishing its extensive consultation period earlier this month. Future Hobart Portfolio chair Helen Burnet said they were now moving towards implementing the plan, which the council had been working in partnership with the Tasmanian Government and the community. The plan will be a comprehensive guide to future develop in the city over the next 20 yeas. “All of the stakeholder and community feedback will be carefully considered to further enhance the draft plan to even better reflect the diversity of voices, ahead of its presentation to the Hobart City Council for adoption later in the year,” Cr Burnet said. “After the adoption of the plan, the City of Hobart will start to deliver, partner and advocate for the implementation of its actions.”
Hobart Urban Design Advisory Panel chair Scott Balmforth and Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds.
Billions in relief This year’s Federal Budget has been seen as largely positive by the local government community, with the peak body seeing it as a solid investment in the sector. The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has praised the $3.1 billion in Financial Assistance Grants being provided to councils in the coming 12 months. ALGA said the funding was a vital investment in the nation’s productivity, allowing councils to employ nearly 200,000 Australians and provide local services “in every corner of our nation”. However the group said in a statement, “it was disappointing that another Federal Budget has passed without the government delivering on their pre-election promise of ‘fair increases’ to these grants”. “Alongside your state and territory associations, we will continue to work with the government to see this happen, returning local government funding to at least one percent of Commonwealth taxation revenue,” the statement read. “We all know our local roads are in a state of significant disrepair, with increasingly frequent natural disasters as a result of dangerous climate change.
“We appreciate the local roads funding we receive, but will continue to advocate for a significant increase to the Roads to Recovery Program that will support all councils to build better, more resilient roads. “It was also disappointing to see that the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program wasn’t extended in tonight’s Budget, beyond the government’s $750 million preelection commitment delivered in the October 2022 Budget.” The Housing Industry Association welcomed the government’s continued focus on social housing but branded the budget “light on housing supply”. “Social and affordable housing is one important part of Australia’s housing continuum,” HIA deputy managing director – industry and policy, Jocelyn Martin said. “Social and affordable housing has suffered from prolonged under-investment. Greater investment in new housing servicing this part of
the market will assist in reducing the number of households experiencing housing stress. The additional rental assistance support will also offer some relief. “The ‘Housing Australia’s Future Fund Bill 2023’ is an important step towards achieving this goal. “While necessary, the government’s investment in improving the supply of social and affordable housing will do little to put downward pressure on rental costs and housing affordability in the wider market. “Housing affordability challenges facing Australian households can only be addressed if the supply of housing can align with demand. HIA estimates that Australia needs 1.66 million additional houses by 2030, just to keep up with the demand from population growth.” The peak body representing councils in Greater Western Sydney, the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC), has welcomed some of the federal govern-
ment’s 2023 budget initiatives – particularly those providing relief for people struggling on low incomes – but says much more needs to be done. “The Prime Minister Mr Albanese has said the federal budget aims to build ‘a stronger economy and a fairer society’, but with Australia’s wealth gap widening, the modest measures announced in the 2023 federal budget, while welcome, simply won’t be enough to lift some of our most vulnerable out of poverty,” said WSROC president, Cr Barry Calvert. “Supporting vulnerable communities is a key consideration under all WSROC’s strategic priorities. “The cost of housing and rents has become a crushing burden for many Western Sydney families, so we were pleased to see that people getting fortnightly Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) – a program for low-income Australians – should receive an additional 15 per cent in financial support from 20 September.”
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