Media Releases

Local Government Minister Richard Wynne has admitted washing his hands of the responsibility for Neighbourhood Safer Places (NSPs) while under questioning by the Victorian Parliament Public Accounts and Estimates Committee (PAEC), Shadow Minister for Local Government Jeanette Powell said today.

When asked what assistance his government was providing to councils to meet the ongoing cost of maintaining designated NSPs the Minister said ‘It is, in the view of the government, a responsibility of local government to have these facilities in place’.

Mrs Powell said John Brumby had initially promised to fully implement the Bushfires Royal Commission interim recommendations which included that the government identify, establish and advertise designated community refuges and NSPs.

“It is clear that rather than implement the Commission’s recommendation as he promised to do, the Premier has shifted responsibility for NSPs to local councils,” Mrs Powell said.

“I have met numerous councils from bushfire-prone areas who tell me it will cost each of them hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop and maintain NSPs.

“This extra burden will put a strain on councils’ already stretched finances and could jeopardise other local projects.

“Only $500,000 from this year’s budget has been allocated overall for municipalities to develop and maintain NSPs, yet the Municipal Association of Victoria requested $12 million to cover costs for the next two years.

“Once again the Brumby Government has treated local government with contempt by passing on state responsibilities without adequate funding.”

Mrs Powell said ratepayers would have to pay an increase in rates because of the Brumby Government’s constant foisting of state responsibilities on to local councils.

“Unless the government provides local councils with additional funding for NSPs it's going to be the ratepayers of these municipalities who have to wear the cost,” Mrs Powell said.

Local government is the big loser in Victoria’s State Budget, Shadow Minister for Local Government Jeanette Powell said today.

“Due to the lack of support from the Brumby Government, councils will be forced to raise rates or borrow large amounts of money to maintain and upgrade ageing infrastructure,” Mrs Powell said.

“Under John Brumby councils are being increasingly lumped with state government responsibilities without enough funding to carry out the associated duties, which means the added burden falls on ratepayers to cover the gap.

“One of the major concerns for local government is the very limited funding provided for councils to identify and maintain Neighbourhood Safer Places in this Budget.

“The Victorian Government was handed this responsibility in the Bushfires Royal Commission Interim Recommendations, but John Brumby shifted it to councils with just $500,000 total funding.

“This State Budget has provided another $500,000, but the Municipal Association of Victoria has estimated councils would need a total of $12 million for NSPs.”

Mrs Powell said the Brumby Government had also once again failed to properly fund upgrades to public libraries across Victoria.

“The State Budget allocates $3 million to extend the Living Libraries capital works program for another year which is considerably less than the estimated $20 million needed to provide new information technologies and maintain staffing and operational requirements,” Mrs Powell said.

Mrs Powell said local councils would also be disappointed with the limited funding provided for pest management and control of roadside weeds.

“After waiting years for a decision by the State Government on who is actually responsible for managing roadside weeds, councils will now be forced to wait until after the election to find out,” Mrs Powell said.

“The Brumby Government continues to burden councils with increased responsibilities and inadequate support.”

The State Budget should include increased funding for councils to designate and maintain Neighbourhood Safer Places (NSPs), Shadow Minister for Local Government Jeanette Powell said today.

Mrs Powell said councils in high fire risk areas were doing a great job but they were being undermined by a lack of State Government support.

“NSPs provide vital refuge for bushfire-prone communities and they must be established and maintained as a matter of priority,” Mrs Powell said.

Mrs Powell said the Bushfires Royal Commission interim recommendations included directives for the Brumby Government to identify, establish and advertise designated community refuges and NSPs.

“The State Government created new laws shifting this important task to councils but only provided a meagre $500,000 total funding to the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) for Victoria’s 79 councils to meet their obligations under the legislation,” Mrs Powell said.

“Councils received on average $7,000 each from the State Government to bring refuges up to an appropriate standard, but the real cost is estimated at up to $1 million, not including maintenance.

“The requirement of councils to fund NSPs will have a major impact on ratepayers as it has not been costed in councils’ own budgets for 2010-2011.

“I have spoken with a number of rural councils who tell me they have limited capacity to develop and maintain NSPs due to their low rate base.

“The Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition has repeatedly called on the Brumby Government to provide additional support to help councils in bushfire-prone communities bring existing NSPs up to standard and the 2010-2011 State Budget should include funding to do just this.

“Under John Brumby and Local Government Minister Richard Wynne councils are shouldering an increasing number of State Government responsibilities but without appropriate funding.

“In the interests of public safety, the Brumby Government’s Budget must provide additional measures for councils in bushfire-prone areas to implement and maintain NSPs,” Mrs Powell said.