Two of the City of Karratha’s advocacy positions have been adopted by the Local Government peak body and will be presented to Federal Government.
The motions were passed at the Australian Local Government Association National General Assembly in Canberra this week.
ALGA is the peak body for Local Governments representing 537 councils through federated structure of state and territory associations.
The two motions involved a revenue-sharing model for local governments in high-output economic regions, and Fringe Benefit Tax reform to encourage home ownership in mining-affected communities.
City of Karratha Mayor Daniel Scott said the backing of these motions by the National General Assembly meant they would now be presented to the Federal Government.
“We are calling on the Australian Government to establish a revenue-sharing model allocating a fair proportion of Commonwealth tax revenue back to local governments in high-contributing regional areas,” Cr Scott said.
“This revenue would be directed toward the delivery of social and community infrastructure to sustain the workforce and liveability of the towns that underpin economic performance.
“Our second motion called for reforms to Fringe Benefits Tax legislation to provide 100 percent exemption for housing-related benefits in designated mining-affected communities, such as Karratha.
Cr Scott said having the backing of ALGA showed how important these reforms are for local governments.
“We know how important regions like ours are to the nation’s economy, however there are issues directly facing our communities because of the strain mining projects place on them,” Cr Scott said.
“It’s fantastic to have these two motions passed by ALGA, demonstrating strong national support for our advocacy as we continue working to deliver meaningful improvements for our community.”