Local government is no longer all about “roads, rates, and rubbish”, according to Local Government and Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain.

McBain addressed representatives of 537 local government areas (LGAs) at last week’s Australian Local Government Association’s (ALGA) national general assembly.

She said the growing role of local government in service delivery and disaster relief makes it clear councils have moved well beyond “the three Rs”.

“One of the biggest things that has changed is the expectation in our communities for how local governments will deliver, service, and respond to them.

Things have moved well past the traditional three Rs of roads, rates and rubbish … those historic three Rs are just utter crap these days.

For many of our local councils, you are providing access to child care, to aged care, to community transport, to youth services, and to the NDIS.

You provide school holiday programs, seeing these programs at performing arts centres.

Now, more than ever, you play a regulatory role in the development of infrastructure and asset management, not to mention housing, environmental conservation, the renewable energy transition, and climate adaptation.

We recognise that these changes have placed significant stress on the resources that local governments have to address so as to navigate these complex issues.”

A report released the day after McBain’s address pointed to local governments’ growing bills for climate and disaster mitigation.

According to research commissioned by the ALGA, councils will spend $2 billion over the next five years on preparing for environmental changes wrought by climate change.

The interim report from the parliamentary inquiry into local government sustainability describes a funding model inadequate to councils’ growing role in service delivery.

Competitive grants were unpopular with the councils that gave evidence. A number of smaller councils said these were swept up by LGAs who can afford co-contributions, and grant writers.

The committee acknowledged that local councils face serious resourcing challenges and is considering council-proposed remedies in its final response.

McBain said she has no doubt LGAs are under financial strain. She said the government’s response to this problem would be guided by the inquiry’s final report.

“[The committee] received a substantial amount of information and it’s painted a real picture of how local government services have changed in the last two decades, the impact that has had on resources … particularly those jurisdictions with rate capping.

This isn’t about cost shifting from state governments to the Commonwealth. We, of course, have our own budget pressures. The inquiry is about how the system can be made to work better.

When the final report and its recommendations are made available, we will carefully consider each in turn as part of the government’s response.

This article appeared in Narrandera Argus, 17 July 2025.