ALGA impressed with new minister's grasp of core issues
21 July 2004
The President of the Australian Local Government Association, Councillor Mike Montgomery, said today he was impressed with the newly appointed Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads, Jim Lloyd, and his quick grasp of core issues facing Australia's 675 local government authorities.
ALGA met with Mr Lloyd in Canberra this morning, his third day as a federal minister. It was the Minister's first meeting with a stakeholder in any of his three portfolio areas.
"We congratulated the Minister on his appointment and look forward to working with him in the months and possibly years ahead. The Minister has a clear empathy with local government and its role within the Australian Federation," Cr Montgomery said.
"The Minister's appointment comes at a critical time for local government. He will have carriage of the Australian Government's formal response to the landmark Fair Share report on cost shifting and local government financing, expected to be released in the coming months.
"He will also complete arrangements for the implementation of the renewed Roads to Recovery program, providing an additional $1.2 billion from the Australian Government for local roads over a four year period.
"We also had the opportunity to discuss planning reform issues and, again, we were impressed with the Minister's approach to the issues involved.
"The Minister is clearly a hard worker who takes a practical approach to the problems we face.
"We look forward to working with him as we seek to address the significant issues facing local government and the communities we collectively serve," Cr Montgomery said.
