I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, and I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
I’d also like to acknowledge Australian Local Government Association President, Mayor Matt Burnett and ALGA Board and Vice Presidents, Councillor Darriea Turley and Mayor Stuart James.
As well as councillors, mayors, shire presidents, delegates and distinguished guests, including guests from remote and Indigenous councils. I know that for some of you it’s been a long journey coming here and I thank you for it.
And, of course, our terrific Minister for Local Government, Kristy McBain.
It’s an honour to be with you as a Prime Minister who has always recognised the vital role that local government plays in the life of our nation, and the fact that a crucial ingredient in the strength of our nation is our two tiers of government working together.
And a crucial ingredient of that is local government having a seat at the table, where it is listened to.
That is why, as Minister for Local Government in 2008, I established the Australian Council of Local Government.
And that is why we reinstated it in 2023 after a decade in which the Coalition government dismissed as surplus to requirements.
I am proud of the role I played both times.
And I am proud that the spirit that drove those initiatives is a spirit that continues to drive our Government.
A Federal Government with a track record of backing local government with real funding, a record we have continued in this year’s Budget.
A Government with a long, proud roll call of members and who have had the privilege of serving their communities on their local councils.
As councillors, as mayors, absorbing all that it means to be on the ground and to be the first port of call for their communities.
Exhibit A, of course, is Minister McBain, who is a former mayor – in so many ways the perfect choice as Local Government Minister.
Since we last met, the Government’s ranks of local government alumni have been bolstered by four more members:
Trish Cook – the new member for Bullwinkel and former Mundaring councillor;
Kara Cook – the new member for Bonner and former Brisbane City councillor;
Claire Clutterham – the new member for Sturt and former Norwood Payneham and St Peters councillor; and
Ash Ambihaipahar – the new member for Barton and former Georges River councillor.
They understand that you are delivering for your communities every day.
They know you are the level of government that Australians most practically interact with every day.
I’m very pleased that we have with us tonight a couple of remarkable individuals who truly embody that spirit.
I want to start with a long-standing elected member of the City of West Torrens in South Australia.
He is 92 and is the oldest serving councillor currently in local government in the Southern Hemisphere.
Please give a very big hand for Councillor George Demetriou.
Councillor Demetriou has served the City of West Torrens community as Morphett Ward Councillor since 1989.
He exemplifies the very best of local government service – thoughtful leadership, strong community advocacy, and a deep understanding of the needs of the people he represents.
Tonight, we celebrate his lifetime of dedication to public service and community leadership.
I’d also like to make a special mention of Michael New.
Michael has worked for ALGA for nearly 20 years.
Officially, Michael is ALGA's Finance Manager, but he is also the organisation's go-to for everything – a search engine in human form, who remembers every councillor and mayor. And, I am reliably informed, all the good stories.
If you know ALGA, you know Michael.
Speaking of friends and supporters of local government, many of you know I worked as a young adviser in the office of my friend and mentor, Tom Uren.
Tom spent time as Minister for Local Government, and it was a mission he truly believed in. Tom’s passion rubbed off on me.
Like Tom, I firmly believe that to serve in local government is a noble calling.
And it is profoundly encouraging to see a new generation answering that call, putting up their hands and devoting their time, energy and talent to their communities.
Local government is what makes it possible to turn a neighbourhood into a community.
Not just somewhere you live – but somewhere you love living.
Somewhere you have that all important sense of belonging, alongside others who feel the same way.
Somewhere that has everything that adds up to a sense of home.
Local government is at the heart of it all, in the good times and, crucially, the bad. As we have seen so often, when disaster strikes, the role of the local council is vital.
They are the frontline and they are where I turn to first. I will always try talking with the mayor in the disaster zone first to find out what’s actually going on. What’s working, what isn’t, and what is needed.
Councils have told us that the current disaster funding arrangements are too slow and complex. We will continue to support councils like we always have, in partnership with the states and territories.
The funding relationship between the Commonwealth and councils will not change. Minister McBain has commenced consultations on disaster funding arrangements to make the process simpler and faster for councils to navigate.
We want to speed up that process because no council should be out of pocket.
No matter what is happening in the world – no matter what challenges the world keeps throwing at Australia – you are there, keeping your communities ticking.
That is why I am determined that the councils of Australia have a Government that has your back.
Our support for local government is instinctive, and it is meaningful.
After years of stagnation, investment in local government is not merely growing – Commonwealth investment in local government is at record level.
Through the 2026-27 Budget, our Government is providing $3.6 billion in untied Financial Assistance Grants.
Real money that local governments can spend on their own priorities.
This includes bringing forward payments of $2.9 billion – or 80 per cent of the 2026–27 FA Grant estimate – to assist with immediate cost pressures during this period of unpredictability in the global economy.
We have been restoring support that councils across Australia can rely on.
In stark contrast to what the Coalition managed in their last five years in power, Labor is delivering more than two-and-a-half times the growth in Financial Assistance Grants.
To back community infrastructure, we are providing $750 million over four years from 2026 for further rounds of the Growing Regions and Thriving Suburbs programs, expanding delivery of competitive grants to fund capital works for community infrastructure across our communities.
As part of strengthening your communities, we not only want you to build more housing, we want to help you do it.
That is why we are making $2 billion available for the Local Infrastructure Fund under the Housing Support Program to help local governments and state-owned utilities build the critical ‘last mile’ infrastructure needed to support new housing developments, and to help unlock development-ready land by fast-tracking enabling infrastructure such as water, sewer and electricity connections.
There will also be funding over 4 years from 2026-27 to modernise environmental information, data and digital systems, enabling simpler, faster approvals under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
We also need you building more roads. So, we have doubled funding for the Roads to Recovery Program, committing $4.4 billion nationally over the current five-year funding period.
Councils have access to new infrastructure funding opportunities including:
The 10-year $500 million Active Transport Fund
$750 million under future rounds of Growing Regions and Thriving Suburbs
And the existing $200 million per year Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure Program
Figures show that in 2023-24 alone, almost $6 billion flowed from the Commonwealth to local government, supporting local jobs, local infrastructure and local services.
This partnership is continuing to grow.
Every dollar invested in local government helps councils deliver the services and infrastructure Australians rely on every day, from every local road and bridge to every community facility, every park and, of course, every example of that great building block of a better, brighter future: the local library.
I am proud to lead a Government that is backing councils to build stronger communities based on local priorities.
A Government that recognises the critical role councils in delivering the services Australians rely on every day.
And together, we’re making the best country on earth even better.