LGNSW election priority focus: Stronger Communities
As the sphere of government closest to the people they represent, councils work hard to create social cohesion and a sense of belonging for all members of the community.
Local government is a significant provider and supporter of essential services to all members of the community.
It is often local councils that fill the gaps in the provision of essential human services when there are no other providers, including where other spheres of government have been unable to deliver on their responsibilities.
It is local government that is at the forefront of providing equal access to essential services, the fair distribution of resources, prioritising the health and safety of all community members, and recognising and providing for the vast array of different groups within our communities.
Similarly, councils provide a wide range of cultural services within their local areas. From the thousands of community cultural events hosted each year, to the 350 council-run libraries across the state that attract tens of millions of visitors each year, local government sits at the heart of the artistic and cultural scenes for our communities.
But to provide these essential social and cultural services, local government needs recognition, increased funding and targeted support.
For these reasons, and supported by multiple Annual Conference resolutions over many years, LGNSW is calling for all candidates and parties at the 2023 State Election to commit to:
- Introduce a local government Closing the Gap grant program to ensure councils can contribute to the success of Closing the Gap.
- Provide funding to support councils to implement the Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Toolkit for local government.
- Commit to council-run early childhood education and care facilities being eligible for all new funding opportunities and grant programs for the early childhood education sector.
- Distribute arts and culture funding equitably across NSW.
Ask #1 - Introduce a local government Closing the Gap grant program to ensure councils can contribute to the success of Closing the Gap.
Councils are an essential partner in ensuring Closing the Gap initiatives are locally tailored and relevant for each community.
Closing the Gap data released by the Productivity Commission 2022 highlighted the following outcomes nationally:
- Four of the 17 targets are on track to be met in the next decade: the birth weights of Indigenous babies, preschool kids attending early childhood education, and youth detention rates are trending in the right direction, while gains are being seen in land and sea rights.
- The report found that targets to reduce rates of suicide, adult incarceration, and First Nations children in out-of-home care were not on track. It also found that Indigenous children were less likely to have reached developmental milestones when they began their schooling.
These outcomes highlight the need for greater collaboration to ensure all targets are on track to be met.
Councils in NSW are in a unique position in being able to provide place-based closing the gap initiatives which respond to local need in partnership with local Aboriginal communities.
A grant program for councils will ensure local government can contribute to the success of Closing the Gap and the NSW Implementation Plan.
Ask #2 - Provide funding to support councils to implement the Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Toolkit for local government.
The 2020 House of Representatives inquiry into family, domestic and sexual violence recommended additional resources for local government to take a more active role in preventing and responding to family, domestic and sexual violence.
This resourcing would make an enormous difference in increasing the capacity of councils in those States to counter domestic and family violence at the local level through targeted, ongoing support.
The federally funded Domestic Violence Toolkit for Local Government, developed with input and support from councils and state and territory local government associations, underlined the fact that councils are “uniquely placed to influence and drive social change to reduce domestic violence”.
While prevention of domestic and family violence is not a core responsibility of local government, as the closest level of government to their community councils are often particularly aware of the effects of domestic violence on their residents and understand which approaches are likely to work best for their communities.
LGNSW is calling for funding to support councils to implement the Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Toolkit for local government.
Ask #3 - Commit to council-run early childhood education and care facilities being eligible for all new funding opportunities and grant programs for the early childhood education sector.
All children deserve support to access high quality early learning.
Councils operate more early childhood education and care centres than any other provider in NSW, and in many regional and rural areas are the sole provider of this important service.
Council services also often cater to children with higher needs and deliver care to a very high standard.
It is critical that council-run early childhood education and care facilities are eligible for all new funding opportunities and grant programs for the early childhood education sector.
Ask #4 - Distribute arts and culture funding equitably across NSW.
There is a historic tendency for state governments to fund their cultural assets in the Sydney CBD to the detriment of other areas in greater Sydney and the state.
If left unchecked, unequal distribution can entrench disadvantage and harm economic growth.
Local government itself invests heavily in the arts, with 2018 research by KPMG showing that there was $520 million invested in NSW arts, screen and culture by NSW local government over 12 months, on par with the $549.1 million invested by the NSW Government in the same period.
In regional areas cultural infrastructure is highly valued where often few other cultural destinations are available. Moreover, as local government usually provides low cost or free entry to its museums and galleries, they are seen as highly accessible for all, and as a community space.
LGNSW is calling for a commitment that arts and culture funding will be equitably distributed across the state.
The four commitments for “Stronger Communities” are detailed in LGNSW’s 2023 Election Priorities document along with the other nine priority areas.
Councils are also invited to utilise the resources contained in the Local Government Pre-Election Advocacy Toolkit.
Download LGNSW’s 2023 State Election Priorities
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