Renmark Paringa Mayor Peter Hunter recently penned a letter to the editor for the Murray Pioneer regarding the call for fairer federal funding.

“As Mayor of Renmark Paringa, I welcome the Coalition’s recent election pledge to invest $1 billion into a revitalised Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) Program.

This program has been a lifeline for councils like ours – allowing us to deliver essential community infrastructure without placing additionalburden on ratepayers. It’s encouraging to see recognition of the vital role local government plays, especially in rural and regional areas.

However, one-off announcements during election campaigns are not enough. What councils across Australia truly need is a fair and sustainable funding model that supports the work we do year in, year out.

The Financial Assistance Grants, which once provided 1% of the Australian Government’s total tax revenue, have shrunk to just 0.51%.

This has placed enormous pressure on local communities, with councils trying to maintain services, infrastructure and staffing in the face of rising costs.

Despite years of consistent advocacy from local governments across the country, there is still no commitment – from the Government, the Coalition, or any other party – to restore these grants to a sustainable level.

While the Coalition’s pledge to bring back the LRCI Program is a step in the right direction and one we welcome, it cannot be where the conversation ends.

Council is now looking for a clear commitment from the Labor Government to match this funding, so that no matter the outcome of the election, local communities do not miss out.

Our rural, regional and remote communities deserve better than rare funding announcements.

Our communities deserve your support to build and maintain our nation’s infrastructure.

They deserve a system that ensures councils have the resources to deliver the services their communities rely on, regardless of the election cycle.”