14 March 2022
Tough road to recovery after devastating floods
As the flood waters recede, we are only just beginning to see the true extent of the devastation across NSW and just how tough the road to recovery is going to be for so many of our councils and communities.
The NSW Government’s announcement that councils in disaster-declared areas – 57 at the time of writing – would each receive $1 million in joint Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding was good news.
But even better news was the advice that this funding is getting out the door quickly, allowing immediate action and avoiding the costly delays that can drag out the process and traumatise communities even further.
I commend Local Government Minister Wendy Tuckerman and the Minister for Emergency Services, Resilience and Flood Recovery, Steph Cooke, for their acknowledgement that councils carry a heavy load as they try to get community infrastructure, including local roads, back into action.
It is hard to determine the full cost of the repair job our councils will face, with damages to roads continuing to mount every day. It is crucial that councils receive sufficient funding and support from government to not only rebuild our roads, but also rebuild to withstand future disasters.
I have contacted mayors from councils across NSW that have been heavily impacted by the tragic floods, and we are continuing to work with them to make sure they get the support they need.
But I am also pleased that Minister Tuckerman has asked the Office of Local Government to reinstate the Local Government Emergency Recovery Support Group, first established during the bushfires of NSW’s Black Summer in 2019.
The group allows councils that are not impacted by the floods to help those that are, by providing staff, heavy plant and equipment, and other resources – yet another example of local government in action.
Rate Peg Relief
Our unanimous Special Conference resolution about the insufficient 0.7% rate peg, backed by extensive whole-of-sector advocacy, has also delivered a quick result.
Minister Tuckerman has announced councils will have almost two months to apply to IPART for a special one-off rate variation, if we can show the funding is critical to planned work identified in last year’s financial planning process.
The one-off variation will still be capped at a maximum of 2.5% - still less than inflation - but is in line with what councils expected when we finalised our budgets, work planning and community consultation process last year.
As foreshadowed last week, IPART has also been tasked with undertaking a broader review of its rate peg methodology, including the Local Government Cost Index, to prevent a reoccurrence of the 2022-23 anomaly.
Regional Housing Flying Squad
In response to our ongoing advocacy about unprecedented pressure and demands on council planning teams, the NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) has announced a Regional Housing Flying Squad and CoPlan Spaces.
As part of the Regional Housing Flying Squad, DPE is engaging a panel of planning consultants to conduct assessments for DAs for regional housing on behalf of councils.
Councils will be asked to nominate DAs that deliver regional housing and DPE will allocate consultants to assess those DAs. Once assessment reports are completed to the satisfaction of council, council or the relevant regional planning panel will determine the DA.
DPE has also introduced a CoPlan Spaces 18-month pilot program, which supports councils in recruiting planners who live in metropolitan areas and regional centres, by giving council staff access to a DPE workplace in these areas.
These remote council staff can have a workstation at a DPE office and travel to the respective council area as needed for meetings, site visits, consultation, etc. Council staff who take part in the program will also have the opportunity to co-learn and network with other council staff as well as form stronger relationships and work more closely with DPE planners.
LGNSW is pleased the NSW Government has listened to our collective concerns and we will continue to advocate for additional short, medium and long-term solutions to tackle skill and resource shortages across NSW.
Upcoming Events
The next two events on the LGNSW calendar are always highly subscribed, so get in quickly if you would like to attend our Employment Law Seminar on Friday 6 May at the Hotel Swissotel Sydney.
Also opening to registrations soon is the 2022 Destination and Visitors Economy Conference, which will be held with the support of Orange, Cabonne and Blayney councils in the beautiful Central West from 17-19 May.
BACK TO MAIN PAGE