Two regional Victorian councils have given evidence to the Parliamentary Inquiry about the challenges faced by local governments including maintaining services from a small ratepayer base and attracting workforce.

The Rural City of Wangaratta and Murrindindi Shire Council addressed the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport in Wallan last Thursday.

Independent Federal Member for Indi, Helen Haines, who is a member of the committee, said “Fixing our roads, building critical infrastructure to support more new homes and providing childcare, aged care, disability and local health services are all so important to people in Indi which is why this committee’s work is important.

“I have increasingly heard from councils that a range of factors are making it more difficult to fulfil these roles in our communities and people are missing out. “The issues include the small ratepayer base in regional areas, difficulties accessing federal funding for capital works and attracting a skilled workforce, an increase in service demand as our population ages and an increase in the cost of building and maintaining important infrastructure due to inflation.

Dr Haines said the committee was seeking to find solutions to ensure the sustainability of local councils.

“The challenges regional councils face are different from metropolitan equivalents and it’s important we tailor solutions with this in mind,” she said.  

This article appeared in the  Corryong Courier, 3 October 2024.