Opening address by Minister for Local Government, Anthony Albanese MP - Transcript Part 1 and 2

Welcome to this historic meeting of the Australian Council of Local Government. This meeting delivers on the election pledge made by the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd during the election campaign last year. This is a government that delivers on our promises.

Today's meeting is a new chapter in the history of local and national government. It is an opportunity to forge a new partnership between our two levels. As many of you are aware, local government has a long history here in Australia, going back almost 168 years to the establishment of the Adelaide Corporation, the first local council, in 1840, and of course the Lord Mayor of Adelaide today, Michael Harbison, is here and I welcome him.

The first municipality of Brisbane was established even before Queensland was declared a separate colony and, of course, the Lord Mayor of Brisbane would have been with us tonight - last night and again this morning but he, of course, is understandably dealing with the situation in Brisbane so we send Campbell Newman and his team all the best and, of course, the Prime Minister has diverted his plane to Brisbane. He has looked at the - the damage that was caused there at, I notice, his morning, at 6.15am was his press conference in order to make sure that he will join us here later this morning.

Since those early days local government has evolved into the third tier of this federation, the level of government closest to the community. It is in recognition of the role that you play in your local communities that the Rudd Government has brought you to the heart of government here in Parliament House.

We have much to work together on. Today we will discuss practical ways to work together to advance the interests of local communities which we both represent. This includes reform to improve the efficiency and financial sustainability of councils, making our cities and regions more productive, more sustainable and more liveable, partnering to make housing more affordable, promoting social inclusion, responding to climate change and the environmental challenges which we face and moving towards constitutional recognition of local government.

On all of these issues we have shared goals and we have shared responsibilities. That's why we have brought together cabinet ministers, from the Prime Minister down, leaders from local government and expert speakers to lead discussion in the sessions that will take place this morning and again this afternoon.

At a time when global circumstances - economic circumstances have deteriorated, partnering to secure our communities is a more urgent task than ever before. You face many long and great challenges particularly in regards to the infrastructure that you provide to your local communities.

Local government infrastructure is essentially egalitarian in its nature. It is those young people who don't have access to a computer at home who most need their local library, it is those families who don't have a big backyard for whom the local playground or the local park is so important. Everyone, each and every Australian, is equal when they go through the turnstiles at their local municipal pool. That's why this is a social justice issue not just an economic issue and that is why this is a social justice issue, not just an economic issue and that is why it is consistent with the Rudd Government's approach of achieving economic growth not as an end in itself but for what it achieves in terms of the living standards and quality of life of the Australians who both tiers of government represented here as well as state government, also represented here through state local government and planning ministers, seek to represent.

The Rudd Government has delivered significant funding to local government, $1.9 billion, a record, in untied financial assistance grants this year, $355 million this year alone through the Roads to Recovery program. As well we've delivered $512 million through the Housing Affordability Fund, again the Commonwealth working in cooperation with local government and a $2.25 billion Caring for our Country program also will be held in conjunction with local government activities.

We understand the difficulties that you face in dealing with the rising costs of infrastructure. Inadequate and inefficient infrastructure is not just an economic cost, it affects our way of life. That is why today we are announcing that the Rudd Government will deliver $300 million for this financial year to local governments through the new Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program.

This immediate action will build infrastructure and support local economies during uncertain global circumstances. It will be good for local jobs and it will be good for stimulating local economies. It will go towards local infrastructure such as libraries, stadiums, community centres, town halls, swimming pools, showgrounds and local town centres and the Prime Minister will be outlining further details of this program later on this morning.

We expect that the Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program will have a major multiplier effect right across the nation and this is a downpayment on our long term plan to provide community infrastructure through the Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program.

We know that local government has the potential to deliver fast results with minimal bureaucracy to build the infrastructure that our communities need now.

For the long term we want to spend today talking with you about how the Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program will work.

The House of Representatives Standing Committee for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government has delivered an interim report which has proposed a model for the program that works closely with local government to deliver community infrastructure. That model is a good starting point for our dialogue.

The Rudd Government is committed to long term reform of federal-local government relations. We see this as a critical part of reforming the federation but we're going to do this with you rather than impose it from above.

And today it's important that we lift the level of dialogue beyond individual wish lists to the next level, to the new partnerships, policies and frameworks we both need to have to respond to the challenges facing our local communities. It is about giving local communities a strong voice and the Australian Council of Local Government is not a one-off event.

We see a long term relationship beginning today. There will be an annual event such as this but there will be ongoing dialogue with a smaller group of representatives on the Australian Council of Local Government, made up of the ALGA representatives, the state local government and shires associations and selected other local government representatives including involving management and engineers and expertise, including the representatives of the workers in local government, to make sure that we have that ongoing dialogue between the national government and local government and we look forward to ideas in this afternoon's session about how that can best be structured.

So I hope you engage in debate, I hope you offer ideas and work together with us to deliver a better deal for local communities.

Last night there was quite clearly such an extraordinarily positive feel around the room and I think of the 400-plus mayors who are here, I think I met most of you yesterday, it would appear, but today is an opportunity to engage one-on-one, local government leaders with national leaders and with also state and territory ministers who are represented here like never before.

This is an opportunity; this is a new beginning and a new partnership between the Commonwealth and local government. Thanks very much.