DETERIORATING INFRASTRUCTURE MUST BE ADDRESSED

Raised as a matter of urgent business by Cr Linette Treasure and endorsed as a resolution by the East Gippsland Shire Council 12/4/05

"The State budget accrued surplus this last year of around $746million higher than the budget estimate and primarily as a result of increased taxation revenue totalling some $10.2billion.

However instead of dealing with infrastructure needs most of the surplus is being absorbed into recurrent departmental expenditure, particularly public sector employment costs (during the three year period (excluding essential services of teachers, nurses and police) has increased by some 11.9%.

In many ways the State situation is a macro picture of what is reflected at local government level. In East Gippsland for instance, staff costs have more than doubled in a six year period despite the fact that since amalgamation few outside staff are employed.

In East Gippsalnd we have tried to hold back rate increases as much as possible and also to continue to reduce our large debt inherited from the time of amalgamation (initially $17million).

But we are under increasing pressure to expand our activities  through VicHealth and the Health and Wellbeing Plan as a major vehicle for broadened responsibilities to all sorts of welfare and community activities.

Insurance is now a major block to community activity and capacity building but instead of putting legislative over-riders to feasance requirements to deal with the matter, governments now employ "community development" officers to help communities get together. On the one hand I believe that communities are being strangled by red tape, on the other they need to be rescued by professional "capacity builders."

To be cynical one must realise that the State and Federal Government both have an interest in encouraging, not curbing  insurance – the State Government drew in $1026m in tax on insurance this year, a massive leap from $390m in 1999/2000. Then of course the Federal Government takes its grab by means of GST on top of all that.

As a rural shire with average incomes in the lower end of the demographic we simply cannot afford to become involved in new services, however worthy. In East Gippsland our rate income is less than the takings of a city’s parking meters and while a metropolitan Council may have a responsibility to 6km of roadways, we have responsibility to more than 3,000 kms as well as 165 bridges, not to mention decaying footpaths, amenity blocks and jetties.. We are more than $8million behind in our resealing programs, plus gravel resheeting, and of our 165 bridges 103 are in need of repair. Clearly this is untenable with the increasing impositions by State government in areas of environment, waste management, planning, and increasingly health and welfare.

The overflow of the State tax coffers should not simply be absorbed into more bureaucratic activity but invested in the repair and renewal of our aging infrastructure.

There is an urgent need for concerted pressure on government to recognise the plight of ageing infrastructure particularly in rural shires. Rates cannot be hiked expedientially but infrastructure will eventually collapse if not renewed on a large scale . The role of local government must be reviewed in context with other government responsibility as the stresses are escalating.

I hereby move * That the State Government be requested through the State Treasurer and the Minister of Local Government to provide substantial increase in allocations to rural local governments for infrastructure maintenance and renewal. Pointing out the impacting situation of ageing infrastructure in rural shires, the limited rate base and huge road areas compared to metropolitan municipalities.          *That copies be provided to local MPs as well as copy to the MAV and its association of Rural Shires." (Motion passed unanimously)