Shadow Minister for Local Government, Chris Hartcher has today called on the Iemma Government to stop cost shifting the State’s problems to NSW Councils.

“The cost shifting by Iemma to NSW Councils, most notably, the cost of the Local Government Elections in September - is going to be the final nail in the coffin for the already financially struggling NSW Councils”, said Chris Hartcher.

“Local Governments are increasingly forced to come up with funds due to the Iemma Government failing to provide adequate essential local services and infrastructure.

“Labor must address local government finance. The funding shortfalls have included resources for the NSW and Rural Fire services, pensioner rates rebates, water and sewerage, educational services, medical services, and roads infrastructure”, Chris Hartcher said.

“The shortfall in 2006/07 was as much as $412 million, up $33 million from 2005/06. We can only expect 2007/08 to be higher,” he said.

“The Fiscal Star report into Local Government released recently backs up the Financial Sustainability of Local Government Report in 2006 that a vast majority of NSW Councils are financially unsustainable.

“With the September Local Government election costs being passed onto the Councils themselves, some Councils have been billed up to three times the cost of that which the Government funded in 2004. NSW Councils are expected to pay in advance for the September Elections and at a profit to the Iemma Government”, said Chris Hartcher.

“When the Local Government Minister, Paul Lynch, was asked about this in Budget Estimates last year, he simply shrugged his Ministerial shoulders and passed it back to the Premier’s office. It is simply unacceptable for the Minister to put his head in the sand and ignore this. The Minister for Local Government should go the Premier’s office and secure Councils the funding they appropriately deserve”, Chris Hartcher said.

“It is clear that over the past 13 years, NSW Labor has let infrastructure go by the wayside, forcing local Governments to pick up the pieces.

“Instead of investing in the services it has the responsibility to provide, the Iemma Government has simply given up.

“It is the typical attitude of the Iemma Labor Government – if it thinks something is too hard or can’t be bothered with it, it just tiptoes away hoping no one will notice.

“Questions have to be asked of what has been done with the $7.5 billion in extra taxation revenue the NSW Government has collected over the past 13 years.

“At the end of the day it is ratepayers who suffer. NSW working families and businesses who are left to go without by a state Government who cares more about lining its own pockets than providing the essential services NSW residents need”, said Chris Hartcher.