As Mayor, I was proud that the Scenic Rim was able to host the recent public hearing as part of the Australian Government’s inquiry into local government sustainability.
Following written submissions to the inquiry by the House of Representatives’ Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport, Scenic Rim was joined by representatives of councils from Logan, Brisbane, Toowoomba, Banana Shire, North Burnett and the Western Queensland Alliance of Councils for the recent roundtable discussions at The Centre Beaudesert.
The public hearing highlighted the challenges facing many councils in balancing financial sustainability against community needs and expectations.
Scenic Rim Regional Council provides a wide range of services and infrastructure to meet the needs of residents, business operators and visitors to our region who contribute substantially to our local economy.
Meeting these needs is an ongoing challenge for Council which has a relatively small ratepayer base from which to raise funds.
With a population estimated to grow to 67,000 by 2041, we will also have to meet the expectations of current residents as well as future residents, attract new businesses to provide employment opportunities and assist existing businesses to expand.
Currently, 70 per cent of Council’s income is from rates, with the remaining 30 per cent from grants, fees and charges.
As I told the public hearing, this is not sustainable in the short term, and particularly over the next decade, as Council will need to allocate funds for the renewal, replacement and maintenance of more than $1 billion of community infrastructure as well as new infrastructure to accommodate the region’s forecast growth – all against a backdrop of rising construction costs.
Central to this issue is the continuing failure of federal budgets to address the core need for infrastructure, the foundation of a prosperous economy and social wellbeing.
Clearly, a line needs to be drawn in the sand to address the nationwide infrastructure shortfall which is now 30 years behind.
I appreciated the opportunity presented by the hearing to share our perspectives on the challenges facing the Scenic Rim and rest assured I will continue to advocate for improved outcomes for our region throughout this Council term.
