Paul Bell elected as ALGA President
9 December 2004
The President of the Queensland Local Government Association and long serving member of the Emerald Shire Council, Councillor Paul Bell, has today been elected as the President of the Australian Local Government Association.
Cr Bell was elected by the ALGA Board of Directors to fill a casual vacancy following the recent defeat of former president, Ms Rae Perry, at local government elections held in Victoria on 25 November.
Cr Geoff Lake, the President of the Municipal Association of Victoria, was elected to fill the position of Vice President vacated by Cr Bell. The other Vice President remains Cr Bill Mitchell, the President of the Western Australian Local Government Association.
Cr Bell paid tribute to Ms Perry, saying she had made a solid and impressive contribution to the work of local government during her time on the ALGA Board, particularly as chair of the committee reviewing the National General Assembly of Local Government.
"At the national level, I see three significant issues for local government over the next two years," Cr Bell said.
"The top priority must be securing a meaningful intergovernmental agreement between the three spheres of government to help put an end to cost shifting - a practice that is estimated to cost Australia's 675 councils between $500m and $1.1bn a year.
"There is already plenty of good will to tackle this problem and meetings are already underway to make this agreement a reality. The work ahead will, however, be difficult and complex. It will require a great deal of skill and careful negotiation.
"But it's critical we see it through to secure an effective framework to guide the financial relationship between state and local government and between federal and local government.
"Second, we must re-double our efforts to achieve fair funding for local government - and this means access to a fair share of national taxation revenue.
"We must build momentum for change and ensure all federal MPs and senators understand the need for major reform of the federal/local government financial relationship. There is growing recognition that local government in under resourced to meet the needs of 21st century communities. We need to ensure lasting solutions to the financial pressures facing councils.
"Third, we must continue to strengthen and grow our partnerships with the federal government. We are already working together on issues such as transport, ageing, information technology and natural resource management.
"We now seek to grow these partnerships and look at other areas, such as water resources and sustainable urban transport, where we can work together more effectively to provide better outcomes for Australian communities.
"I look forward to working with the Australian Government over the coming two years to implement effective reform that will enhance the capacity of local government to deliver for their communities," Cr Bell said.
Cr Bell was first elected to the Emerald Shire Council in 1985. He was elected as mayor in 1991, a position he held for nine years. Emerald is about half way between Rockhampton and Longreach.
Cr Bell was elected as Vice President of the Australian Local Government Association in November 2002 and became President of the Local Government Association of Queensland earlier this year.
Cr Bell chairs Australian Local Government Training Limited, a national industry training advisory board, and is Deputy Chair of Queensland Rail and a Director of Ergon Energy Corporation.
