Blood, Sweat and the Third Tier Councillor term 2012 - 2016

The nation

Commonwealth policies that impacted local government Fifteen hours of kindergarten Constitutional recognition for local government HACC Reforms NDIS Roads to Recovery increased funding Financial assistance grants freeze

The State

State policies that impacted local government Country Roads and Bridges Program Putting locals first Local Government Infrastructure Program Performance Indicators Negative messaging Rate Capping

Rate capping

Some comparisons Victorian Government Local government Property taxes   Victorian Government Local government Property taxes 2015  2016 14.7% growth $6.97 b  $7.99 b 2.5% capped $4.9 b Estimated employee expenses 7% forecast increase (State Budget Papers 2016) Expected to be less than 3.4% based on 40 EBA renegotiations Defined benefit entitlements $47 billion $27 billion unfunded $4,500 for every Vic resident Fully funded

“But what is clear is the Victorian government can’t have it both ways. If Premier Daniel Andrews and Local Government Minister Natalie Hutchins insist rate caps are necessary to give ratepayers a ‘fair go’, they must be prepared to come to the table when it comes to contributing to services like the library. Without adequate funding, services that keep us safe, like the SES, or improve our quality of life, like the library, cannot function effectively”. - Jason Walls, journalist

Local Government

Trust in Institutions September 2016 (Source Essentialvision.com) No Trust State Police 63% Federal Police 63% The High Court 57% The ABC 53% The Reserve Bank 47% Charities 43% Enviro Groups 39% Your local council 36% Commonwealth PS 36% Business Groups 27% State Parliament 26% Federal Parliament 26% Religious Organisations 26% Trade Unions 25% Political Parties 14% 10% 8% 13% 14% 22% 24% 17% 27% 35% 40% 49%

Wangaratta

Geelong

The good… Roads to Recovery: doubling of funds in 2015, 2016 & 2017 Public libraries: review following reinstatement of State recurrent funding cuts and Love Your Libraries campaign MCH funding: 15.8% increase in 2016 State Budget restored MCH to 50:50 arrangement Planning fees: Long awaited review - RIS contained one option to increase council fees by $40 million pa Australia’s first municipal bonds: MAV LG Funding Vehicle Street lighting: 80% of Vic councils completed energy efficient street light installations by 2016 - 300,000 lights installed

The not good… Defined benefit shortfall: $396.9 million payable from 1 July 2013 Constitutional Recognition of LG: vote abandoned due to 2013 Federal election FAGs: Three-year freeze on Financial Assistance Grants indexation from 2014 – estimated loss of more than $130 million to Victorian councils over three years Loss of funding: $160 million Country Roads and Bridges program; $100 million Putting Locals First and $100 million LG Infrastructure Programs Landfill levies: $430 million collected/unspent by State Rates Capping and the erosion of autonomy

The LG sector Councillors at beginning: 628 Councillors at end: 602 Councillor retirements in the term : 66 7 resigned within 6 months of next election 8 Councillors died 1 Councillor jailed 18 by elections 41 count backs

CEO Positions CEO movements Left the Victorian sector 39 between 2013 – 2016 Left the Victorian sector 31

We should be proud of our achievements Things local government started Electricity Tramways Maternal and Child Health Home Care State Emergency Service, etc. How the community was supported through the last four years

The Next Term Challenges Impact of constrained revenue and the need to maintain services State Government continuing challenge to council autonomy Ongoing negative media from State Managing the challenges of massive population growth or slow population decline Retaining the creative spirit

My view We need to work together, disunity is death. Manage internal challenges with an eye to the community view. Be innovative about the way we operate. Recognise the financial contributions from Commonwealth and State Be watchful about attempts to undermine sector independence.

MAV Chief Executive Officer Rob Spence MAV Chief Executive Officer #MAVconf16