Kristy McBain (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for that question. She is a big advocate for her local councils. I met with the City of Bendigo only last week. In her electorate alone, 66,000 taxpayers will be receiving, on average, a tax cut of $1,424; that's 88 per cent of taxpayers who will be better off under Labor's tax cuts.

On this side of the House we take local government seriously, valuing the work they do for our communities, undertaken by thousands of workers across our country. We want to make a real difference to the cost of living for those who work in our local government sector. We want them to earn more and to keep more of what they earn, and we have delivered. People across Australia will see an increase in their pay packets. Under Labor, our outdoor teams, who keep our streets clean, our parks tidy and our rubbish collected, will receive an average tax cut of $1,760. A hardworking grader operator—who we know is in high demand right across the country—who earns around $74,200 will receive a tax cut of $1,535. A council parks and gardens supervisor on $105,000 a year will receive a tax cut of $2,304. On this side of the House, we believe people should learn more and they should keep more of what they earn. That's why Labor's tax cuts will deliver on that promise from 1 July, unlike those opposite, who want people to work longer for less.

I've met with over 200 local governments across Australia who have told me that cost-of-living pressures are biting in their communities and that attracting workers to the sector can be difficult. I now hear from them that Labor's tax cuts will make a real difference to the sector. On this side of the House, we've always backed local governments. We brought them back to the table of National Cabinet, we re-established the Council of Local Government, we've increased road black spot funding and we're doubling Roads to Recovery. We take our job seriously and we know that there are trusted delivery partners across the nation.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: on this side of the House, we believe in what we do. We deliver what our communities ask for, and they asked us to make sure that local governments were looked after. That's exactly what this side of the House is doing. We have delivered more for local government in nearly two years than those opposite did in 10, and that's why they continue to engage with the Albanese Labor government. We've already had over 400 registrations for the Australian Council of Local Government later this year, and every member of this House engages with local councils because we know how important they are to delivering the services our communities need.

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