This call was made through a submission to the Federal Government’s inquiry into Local Government Sustainability, published on Monday, July 1.
The main issues on the agenda were unlocking housing supply, fixing local roads and building recovery after natural disasters.
RCV also reiterated calls for the Federal Government to do more to attract and retain critical workers to Victoria’s regions.
It highlighted the local government sector, which is experiencing extreme workforce challenges due to a statewide shortage of planning building and engineering staff.
RCV’s submission stressed that regional council expenses outstripped inflation, small populations did not always cover costs of services required, and legislative impediments — like rate capping — constrained capacity to raise revenue.
“Regional cities are the heart of our nation — underpinning regional economies and supporting the nation’s growth, liveability and access to services for people living in regional and rural areas,” RCV chair Shane Sali said.
“We absolutely want to make it quicker, easier, and cheaper for people to call regional Victoria home — and for it to be safer in the face of ever-present natural disasters.
“We just can’t meet the expectations of government commitments to grow our regions and improve liveability if we don’t have the professionals to do the work — such as planners, engineers, building surveyors and project managers — or the funding and investment to make it happen.”
Cr Sali will attend the Australian Local Government Association National General Assembly Conference being held in Canberra this week. The theme is Building Community Trust.
Public hearings for the inquiry, being conducted by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport, are now under way.
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