Elected Member Leadership Program | Solid Waste Levy | Productivity Commission Inquiry No Images? Click here Vol 4: Issue 15 - Monday 8 July 2019 Over the past few weeks our sector has been united in its opposition to the State Government’s sudden and unprecedented increase to the Solid Waste Levy. As a sphere of government we take no joy in disagreements with the State, but there are times when we need to stand up for our sector, and our communities. The Government knew that putting the levy up by 40% would cause great upset to councils, but they did it anyway. If we don’t work together to push back hard on these decisions, then we continue to be a soft target for even more cost shifting in the future. Despite this setback, we are continuing to meet with Ministers, and working with the Government on their local government reform process. Our goal is always to work in partnership with the Government of the day to achieve the best possible outcomes. However, when we don’t stand against decisions and policies that hurt our local areas, we are doing our communities a disservice. LGA President Sam Telfer The LGA’s Elected Members Leadership Program has been designed to further build the skills we need to maximise our effectiveness on council. The next session will be held at LG House on 19 August, and I would encourage you to attend if you can. The morning will be an opportunity to build connections with members from across the sector and reflect on some of the lessons learnt since last year’s council elections. The afternoon session will focus on leadership during challenging times, and also provide you with tips for managing difficult conversations. For more information, or to register to attend, visit our Training website. Solid Waste LevyOver the past fortnight many councils have met to endorse their budgets for 2019/20, and been forced to account for the 40% increase to the Solid Waste Levy. Given the timing of the Government’s announcement, most metro councils had little choice but to pass the increase on in full to ratepayers. Others were forced to raid their surpluses. Some regional councils have been able to absorb the increase, while others have increased their stand-alone waste service charges. The Government remains unapologetic both about the size of the increase, and how the extra money raised will be spent. It’s up to us to do everything we can to let the community know how this impacts on them through their council rates. A number of councils have committed to inserting flyers about the Levy in their rates notices, and the LGA has developed artwork to assist that can be downloaded from our website. We’ll also be providing our submission to Parliament’s Inquiry into Recycling next week, which will advocate for relief for councils from rising waste and recycling costs and increased investment in developing a true circular economy in our State.Working with our communities to improve household waste habits is an important part of diverting recyclables and food waste away from landfill, and reducing the cost burden of the Solid Waste Levy. However, achieving change at a state-wide level requires huge investment and councils don’t have that kind of money – but we know who does! Productivity Commission InquiryThe LGA recently provided its first submission to the Productivity Commission, on the proposed methodology for their Inquiry into local government costs and efficiency. You can download this submission here. We’re currently preparing a second submission on the methodology that will build on the first, and include tangible examples that councils have provided us of State Government cost shifting. We’ll also use this second submission to highlight our plan for sensible local government reform, and explain how our proposals will improve efficiency, transparency and accountability. The Inquiry is moving fast with a draft report expected by next month, but I will keep you updated on progress, and opportunities for the LGA and councils to provide input. Councils in the mediaThe LGA has highlighted that the State Government’s heritage reforms will put thousands of historic buildings at risk (subscriber link). Both metro and country councils have been heavily impacted by the spike in the Solid Waste Levy (subscriber links). For further information or to submit |