21 July 2024
Rates Pain Needs to End
Legalise Cannabis WA has announced that it will go into the state election campaign with a commitment to cap local government rates across the state, at or near the level of CPI.
The party, which won two upper house seats at the last state election, is proposing legislation that would allow the Minister for Local Government, in consultation with the state’s Economic Regulation Authority (ERA), to enforce an annual rates cap that reflects not only the struggle to maintain council bottom lines, but also the very real pressures impinging on household budgets.
Speaking at this year’s Local Government Elected Members Association (LGEMA) conference in Cottesloe earlier today, Dr Brian Walker MLC committed his party to delivering rates relief for thousands of homeowners, in line with legislation already in operation in both Victoria and NSW.
“Rates caps have been shown to work,” Dr Walker observed, “and it’s long past time that struggling West Australian families saw the same benefits and reductions as their eastern-state neighbours.”
In Victoria, rates for this financial year have been capped at 2.75%, while the NSW model has resulted in variable caps of starting at 4.2%.
“If you’re living in Fremantle as I do, with it’s 5.4% increase, you’d have to be looking at the Victorian model with envy. If you’re in Busselton, with its 7% increase, or in Murray with its 8.95% spike, you’d have to be close to tears.”
“We know that councils are doing it tough in this economic climate, but it’s tough on everyone, and we simply can’t afford to give the local government sector a free pass, year on year.”
“Rates have doubled in some parts of WA over the past decade, and that isn’t sustainable.”
Dr Walker also took the opportunity, while addressing the meeting of councillors from across the state, to introduce his fellow upper house candidate, Dr Craig Buchanan, as the party’s local government spokesperson going into the election campaign.
Dr Buchanan is a two-term, serving councillor in the City of Rockingham, and a long-time proponent of limited rates increases.
“Sadly, the majority of our councils have proven that they either can’t or won’t rein in rates increases voluntarily,” Dr Buchanan argued, “so we need to legislate, and let the Minister impose a sensible limit.”
Pre-empting potential criticism from local government insiders, including WALGA who have traditionally opposed the introduction of a cap, Dr Walker was clear:
“Economic reality cuts both ways, and it’s time we put the resident and the ratepayer front and centre in our policy decisions. If the next government won’t introduce the capping legislation that we’re advocating, then we’ll introduce it into the parliament ourselves.”
“Residents need to be our primary focus right now, not facilities, and the fact that I have to say that out loud only shows how broken, and in need of radical overhaul the current funding system is.”
“WA Labor previously promised to introduce a cap, but promptly forgot about it when they got into power. You can be sure that LCWA does not propose to make the same mistake,” Dr Walker assured listeners.
ENDS