House of Assembly Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1) 55 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Estimates Replies Local Government Grants Commission Local Government Grants Commission In reply to Mr TELFER House of Assembly Flinders Local Government Grants Commission In reply to Mr TELFER (Flinders) (5 July 2023). (Estimates Committee B) The Hon. G.G. BROCK House of Assembly Stuart Minister for Local Government Minister for Regional Roads Minister for Veterans Affairs Local Government Grants Commission The Hon. G.G. BROCK (Stuart—Minister for Local Government, Minister for Regional Roads, Minister for Veterans Affairs): I have been advised: The South Australian Local Government Grants Commission (the commission) makes recommendations to the Minister for Local Government on the allocation of untied Commonwealth Financial Assistance Grants (FA Grants), in accordance with the South Australian Local Government Grants Commission Act 1992. In order to make these recommendations, each year the commission: distributes requests to all councils, known as 'returns', to capture information regarding council finances, revenue, and expenditure; receives information from the Valuer-General of South Australia on property values across all council areas; uses this data to calculate each council's relative need based on each council's revenue raising capacity and expenditure needs compared with the state average; considers the impact of changing grants on all councils and makes adjustments as it deems fair and reasonable; and makes recommendations to the Minister for Local Government on the allocation of FA Grants to the 68 South Australian councils and the six other local governing bodies that receive FA Grants. Other work that is regularly undertaken by the commission includes: regular visits to councils to inform its recommendations and to ensure that all councils understand the commission's methodology in relation to the FA Grants they receive; consideration of any changes that may be needed to its methodology which may be raised by councils or by the commission if it identifies improvements or adjustments that assist it to better meet the national principles that are contained within the Commonwealth Local Government (Financial Assistance) Act 1995; and considers the allocation of funding for the special local roads program following recommendations from the Local Government Transport Advisory Panel and Local Government Association of South Australia, to make recommendations to the Minister for Local Government on the distribution of funding to support work on roads of regional significance. Over 2023-24, the commission will continue to progress this annual work program.