Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA), Media Release, 29 January 2026
Chairman of the Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA) Mayor Rick Firman OAM of Temora Shire has welcomed the opportunity to meet with the NSW Premier, the Hon Chris Minns MP and NSW Treasurer, the Hon Daniel Mookhey MLC to discuss the Federal Productivity Commission’s Review of the GST Distribution.
“While GST distribution has traditionally been seen as an issue between the State and the Commonwealth, Local Government is an important stakeholder. Councils across remote, rural and regional NSW depend on the State Government for a diverse range of funding, everything from roads to libraries, from community services to economic development initiatives,” Mayor Firman said.
“The appropriate distribution of GST revenue to the States is therefore an issue that the CMA NSW has a keen interest in. Our meeting with the Premier Minns and Treasurer Mookhey was very important in determining the CMA NSW’s advocacy in relation to the GST Review,” Mayor Firman said.
“The CMA NSW recognises that the State Government’s ability to financially support the work of Local Government is at least partially dependent on ensuring that NSW receives its fair share of GST revenue from the State,” Mayor Firman added.
The CMA NSW plans to make a submission to the Productivity Commission’s GST Review.
“CMA Board member and NSW JO Chairs Network Chairman – Mayor Sue Moore (Singleton) and I had very productive discussions with our Premier and Treasurer. The Board now have planned ongoing discussions with Treasury officials, which will inform our submission. We believe that it is important Local Government steps up to the plate for reviews like this. We are the third tier of government and the impacts of the distribution of the GST is felt across our sector,” Mayor Firman said.
‘We’ve emphasised to our Premier and Treasurer that we’re prepared to roll our sleeves up and work hard beside the State Government to present the strongest possible case for our fair slice of the GST pie – our communities deserve nothing less’.
