Below please find another press release from the Australian Local Government Association

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) welcomes and strongly supports the proposal today by the ALP to direct the revenue from the first two years of the fuel excise indexation, estimated to be $1.1 billion, towards additional Roads to Recovery funding for Local Government.

The President of ALGA, Mayor Troy Pickard, said: “We applaud the Opposition’s focus on Local Government and their recognition in this policy initiative of Local Government’s important role in developing local economies and creating jobs through projects funded through the Roads to Recovery Program.

“The Roads to Recovery program is vital for improving the state of our local roads network and the initiative put on the table by the Opposition is a great option for delivering substantial increases in resources for councils to continue this important work.

“This initiative is particularly welcome at a time when Local Government is under financial pressure following the decision to freeze the indexation of Financial Assistance Grants, costing councils an estimated $925 million in the period to 2017-18.

“Local Government faces a huge task in managing our local roads infrastructure, which is more than 670,000 kilometres in length and valued at more than $165 billion. This infrastructure plays an essential role in sustaining local economies by connecting freight networks across regions.

“The proposal underlines the continued commitment of the ALP and, in particular of Anthony Albanese, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, and Julie Collins, Shadow Minister for Regional Development and Local Government, to the Local Government sector.

“It also underlines their capacity, even in Opposition to put Local Government at the centre of policy initiatives aimed at enabling councils to deliver essential infrastructure for their communities, create jobs and contribute to productivity improvements across the nation. Councils across Australia will be appreciative and thankful to the Shadow Ministers for this great initiative.

“We’re calling on the Government to accept the ALP’s proposal and confirm that the revenue collected from the first two years of a return to indexation of fuel excise will be directed towards additional Roads to Recovery funding.”