Rudd Government Announces Wa Councils' Share Of $221 Million In Financial Assistance Grants

Rudd Government Announces WA Councils' Share Of $221 Million In Financial Assistance Grants


The Rudd Labor Government today announced the funding amount for each council from a record $221 million in financial assistance grants for Western Australian local government.

The aggregate grants are up nearly $16 million since last year (2007-08). The funding includes:
$132 million in general purpose grants; and
$89 million in local road grants.

More than three-quarters of the grants or $170 million are for rural and regional councils in Western Australia, which deliver jobs and services in local communities.

Western Australia's 139 councils will be able to spend these funds on a range of priorities including local roads, parks and pools, libraries, community centres, health and child care services.

The grant allocation is determined independently and is untied so that councils can spend them in accordance with local priorities.

The $221 million is in addition to the $53 million available to Western Australian councils this year from the Australian Government's Roads to Recovery program.

The Government is putting local government at the heart of our nation-building agenda.

Local councils are not only critical to maintaining vibrant local communities but make a vital contribution to the nation's productivity.

We also understand how important the grants are for rural and regional councils, where these funds can comprise more than half of council revenue.

Nationally, the Rudd Government will provide nearly $1.9 billion in financial assistance grants to local government, with Western Australian councils receiving 11.7 per cent of the total amount.

Grants to individual councils were recommended by the Western Australian Local Government Grants Commission, a body established under Western Australian legislation for the purpose of determining the distribution of the grants to councils in Western Australia.


(Details of the allocations are available at http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/local/assistance ).

Media Contact: Moksha Watts 0413 389 070 27 August 2008

PARLIAMENT HOUSE CANBERRA ACT 2600
TELEPHONE: 02 6277 7680 Fascimile: 02 6273 4126

SOURCE: Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government