Local Government

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (15:46): I want to speak today about the important work undertaken by local government in order to provide amenities and services for residents of their cities. Local government is often derided by higher levels of government—and indeed, I have occasionally observed, by the general public—as quaint at best, and at worst sometimes irrelevant. As a former elected member in the City of Tea Tree Gully before my elevation to this place, I must disagree with that disappointingly prevalent perception.

It is my consistent experience that the work of local government and elected members in local government has the capacity to make considerable positive contributions to the quality of life for residents within their cities. An example of this is in a place close to my heart: Modbury. New business investment, redevelopment and public space upgrades are fast transforming the face of Modbury within the City of Tea Tree Gully.

The council, of course, is playing a large part in these efforts. It will be investing over $1.7 million in Reservoir Road. This is on top of the Civic Park investment, which included the $670,000 upgrade of the playground, supported by $325,000 from the Weatherill government. Investment in public art, technology, activation events and the Modbury Sporting Hub is the focus, and will continue to transform Modbury into the vibrant heart of the City of Tea Tree Gully.

These investments are clearly having an effect for the council in its efforts to support business and economic development within the community, with recent private investments including aged-care developments, Westfield's proposed expansion and the interest of Datacom moving into the area, just to name a few. The council is clearly committed to investing in creating vibrant, attractive public places and focusing on key activities that encourage that investment.

In response to community feedback in 2016-17, the council has continued to fund the development of additional parks, roadside verges and entrance gateways. Like many councils, the city will invest in many capital projects that can go unnoticed by the casual observer: capital projects in recreation and arts centres, public toilets and bus stops, to name a few. This will enhance the appearance of streetscapes and the overall beauty of the city and the community.

However, the council has also further committed to upgrading the public space generally. With a proposed $89 million operating budget, the council has been activating a plan to spend a combined $20 million on maintaining roads, building stormwater systems, footpaths and waste collection. I want to make reference to a few specific community projects. A total of $1.2 million has been invested in upgrading 14 playgrounds across the City of Tea Tree Gully this financial year. The state government has contributed $925,000 towards these upgrades.

There has been a surge in female participation in football, something that many members of this place would be aware of, but also in cricket and soccer, which has created a need for more female change room facilities across the City of Tea Tree Gully. To better cater for women, the Modbury Sports and Community Club has opened its new $230,000 female change rooms, with the state government contributing over $140,000 towards this cost. The council will start building female change rooms at the Modbury Vista Soccer Club in September this year and the Golden Grove Football Club will also modify its existing change rooms.

There has also been a $1 million synthetic pitch installed at the Modbury Soccer Club, with Tea Tree Gully and the state government evenly sharing that cost. To fund these measures there has been a 2.5 per cent general rate increase; with growth that would go to 3.2 per cent but, of course, residential rate charges will still only be 2.5 per cent. The council has forecast a debt level with a targeted range of 25 per cent to 35 per cent of revenue and this year that will be 33 per cent. The council surplus will go towards paying down this debt.

It is clear, when looking through these numbers, that the City of Tea Tree Gully, like many councils, has demonstrated a long-term commitment to ensuring a sustainable financial future for its community. This is a particularly remarkable effort and achievement given the increases in the cost of service delivery, reductions in government grant income for some services, and the stalling of federal assistance grants to this and many other council bodies.

That council deserves credit for maintaining a focus on stability, debt management, continuous improvement and fiscal consolidation. It does not deserve to receive a penalty for its conscientious fiscal management and voluntarily keeping its costs in line with community expectations. This is the kind of penalty that we have seen imposed upon New South Wales councils with rate capping. This is the kind of penalty which has seen higher fees and charges for services, decaying infrastructure and cost shifting between the various levels of government in New South Wales, as future generations suffer the increased costs that rate capping has promoted there. I am glad that this government stands against such an ill thought out policy.