[Greens-Media] (Sylvia Hale MLC) State Should Pay for Big Rises in Local Government Election Costs

[Christopher Holley]

State Should Pay for Big Rises in Local Government Election Costs 

NSW Greens MP and Local Government spokesperson, Sylvia Hale, today
called for the state government to pay for any increase above the
inflation rate in the cost of next year’s local government elections.

“The State Government has capped the ability of councils to raise
revenue beyond the CPI (Consumer Price Index), which has measured cost
increases at around 12% since the last local government election. Yet
some Councils are being told they will be charged increases of well over
50%.”

Ms Hale pointed to the large increases in the bills to local Councils
from the State Electoral Office for the running of local government
elections next year as the latest example of the state government
shifting costs and responsibilities onto local government while denying
them the ability to raise additional funds.

“Local Councils are often vocal critics of the state government,
especially when it comes to the sale or leasing of public assets,”
said Ms Hale.

“This enormous increase in election costs is another strategem to
muzzle local government, to strip councils of funds to provide essential
community services, and to divert criticism from the state government
for the resultant inadequacies in services,” said Ms Hale.

“The State Government refuses to grant legislative autonomy to local
government, has the power to dismiss councils and install
administrators, dictates planning policies, puts a cap on local
government revenue and regularly shifts costs to local councils.”

“The state government can’t have it both ways. It wants to restrict
local council revenues while imposing additional costs. It can do one or
the other but doing both simply forces councils to cut services or
drives councils broke.”
 
Contact: Chris Holley (02) 9230 3030 / 0437 779 546