David Bradbury (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

They do love it. I acknowledge the honourable member’s interjection. They love it because of the massive demands on local authorities when it comes to maintaining their local infrastructure. Roads are only part of the equation. Certainly, when it comes to roads and other forms of infrastructure, local governments have many obligations and many liabilities, but they do not necessarily have the capacity to raise the funds in order to adequately address and maintain those obligations. In addition to the direct assistance in the Roads to Recovery grants, we also have funding in the order of $1.9 billion that goes not directly to local government through the Grants Commission process but through the financial assistance grants that are made available by the Commonwealth.

I note that there was some criticism at the time the Australian Council of Local Government meeting was held, but I want to reflect on the comments of the mayor of Penrith, who I should note is an independent mayor and would probably describe himself as a conservative, having previously been a member of the Liberal Party. He made some very favourable comments in the Western Weekender on 21 November 2008. He said:

“This is keeping a promise made by the Rudd Government to have direct discussion with councils right across Australia. The PM announced it would become an annual event because he believes in direct dealing with local government,” …

The article goes on to a few more flattering comments:

Believing the trip to Canberra was worthwhile, Cr Aitkin now hopes to present ideas that were discussed on the day to his fellow councillors.

“It’s been a wonderful experience to share Penrith’s journey with mayors from across Australia and also to learn about some of the marvellous projects delivered to each mayor’s respective cities, some of which I will follow up and see if Penrith would like us to go down the same roads,” …

He also noted that the council was well and truly underway in its efforts to draw up a hit list of projects that could be funded with the $1.7 million that had been allocated to Penrith City Council by the Rudd government. I note that the council was already in the process of considering those projects, and next week the council will formally determine its list of priorities. There are some very worthy projects on the list in the business paper prepared by the council. From my background on the council, I know that many of these infrastructure projects, particularly the refurbishment of neighbourhood centres, are very much needed. The capacity and the funds to deliver them has been something that has prevented local government from being able to do what they would like to do in order to present the facilities that their communities need. This funding is one down payment, one step, in the process of providing the council with the wherewithal to do that.

In my community, the council is looking at the Ridge Park Hall, the Arthur Neave Memorial Hall, the Namatjira Neighbourhood Centre, the Emu Plains Community Centre and the Quarterdeck, which is co-located with the Penrith Swim Centre. These community facilities will either benefit from or are proposed to be the beneficiaries of the new investment in local infrastructure coming from the Rudd government. The Penrith Senior Citizens Centre will be fenced, and I know that that has been an ongoing issue. Victoria Park in St Marys—which is a tremendous park with a lot going for it but which does need a little bit of work in order to restore it to its once grand state—is also a proposed beneficiary of these works. As well as numerous other playground replacements and equipment upgrades, the funds will also supplement the proposal for the Cranebrook Skate Park, which ended up falling short of funds. The project costs for that park exceeded what the council was able to deliver on the original estimates, largely because community consultation with the young people in the area demanded facilities that were of a higher quality in some respects. Hopefully, those enhancements will be delivered as part of this program.

In conclusion, I note that this is the direction that the report sets out in terms of future funding for regional and local community infrastructure. I think that it is a direction that has the support of the community, and that it is the right direction. I am sure that, with the continued resourcing that this government will commit to these projects, we will see local government authorities right around this country having an even greater capacity to deliver for their communities. (Time expired)

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