Q
PRIME MINISTER
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SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER THE HON PF J KEATING MP
INAUGURAL NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
NATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE CANBERRA
7 NOVEMBER 1994
Well, it's a pleasure to address this your first National General Assembly.
And let me congratulate those of you who took the initiative, who exercised the
leadership, to make this historic meeting possible.
Although it is IG0 years since the first local council was created in Australia, I think it
is timely that you should come together to identify the key issues facing Local
Government. After all, these are times of great change for all levels of government, times that
demand we take stock of whcre we are so that we can have a bigger say in where we
go. I think it's particularly appropriate that it is a Labor Prime M~ iister that speaks to your
first National General Assembly because Labor governments have long recogniscd the
key importance of Local Government in our Federal system.
it was the Whitlam. Government that first introduced direct untied assistance to local
government. It was the Hawke Governmcnt that proposed the Constitution be amended to reflect
the critical role of Local Governiment in our national life.
Despite that referendum not getting up, the current Labor Government has continued
to work to strengthen the role of Local Government.
We have sought to give it a status in the community that it descrvcs, a status
commensurate with a tier of government that employs around 160,000 Australians and
spends around 10 billion a year.
It's why we introduced the annual consultations between Local Government and the
Commonwealth in 1989.
And why we also moved to give Local Government fMl membership of COAG.
This Government is committed to seeing that your aspirations and needs, and those of
the people you serve, are heard in the highest forums of the land.
But it's more than just giving you a forum in which to speak * important as that is.
It's also about making things happen in partnership.
Back in 1992 when the Federal Government was looking to give the economy some
much needed stimulus the Statcs were found wanting.
It was Local Government wh~ ich stepped into the breach to join up with the Federal
Government and deliver a Capital Works Program on time and beyond expectation.
It was a -major exercise with Local Government and community groups putting in more
than S$ 120 million to match the Commonwealth's contribution of $ 350 million.
This was a great example of the Commonwealth working with Local Government to
harness local knowledge, comrnitmcnt and organisational strengths to achieve an
important national objective.
And it reminded us that programs work best when they are delivered at the local level
and reflect local needs.
That's something people in both Local Governmcnt and the Labor Party understand.
We also both understand how important it is to bring thc people along with you, to
hold a community together when times gct tough.
This is the case now for many communities, particularly the rural communities in
Queensland and New South Wales which are experiencing the worst drought on
record. For them, times have never been tougher than they are today.
There will be some of you here who have firsthand experience of the devastation that
the drought has brought, of the enormous personal and financial burdens it has placed
on so many ini our rural communities.
Being in Local Government means that you have that special sort of relationship with
people that only a local person can.
And more often than not it usually means you too shoulder part of the burden when
things are tough, that you too lend a hand way beyond your professional
responsibilities because that's the way things are done in the bush.
To those of you here and to the many others in Local Govcrrnent who have played
such an important role in helping to ease the hardship of the drought, let me take this
opportunity to express the Government's great appreciation for all that you have done.
Yours is a contribution that will be remembered.
The drought is a big issue for the Labor Party -we're determined not to leave the
people on the land behind.
We're concerned about the future of family farming, of the impact of the drought on
rural society.
That's why we put in place the drought package that we did, a package which includes:
the establishment of a Drought Relief Scheme which provides familics with
cash for basic necessities and gives thcm access to Family Payments and the
Healthcare card
the removal of the existing Austudy farm assets test for all families in
exceptional circumstances
increased resources for financial and social counselling-,
and further measures under the Rural Adjustment Scheme to assist farm
businesses both now and during the recovery phase.
Since we announced the drought package just over six weeks ago, we've already been
able to make a substantial contfibution to helping farming families in the most severely
affected areas.
So far, nearly 1,000 fanilies have had their claims approved under the Drought Relief
Scheme, and another 2,000 plus have lodged their claims with the Department of
Social Security.
On top of this, another 6,000 families have applied for a certificate for the drought
relief payment which is the first step in the process.
So, we are getting the payments out there, but we need to push this process hard to
make sure all those eligible receive the assistance they so desperately need, and
quickly.
To those of you that will be returning to communities experiencing severe drought, I
would urge you to keep up your efforts to encourage those who are eligible for
assistance to apply.
And also to let the local people know that if thc situation deteriorates further that the
Government is prepared to provide additional assistance on top of the $ 164 million
that has already been allocated.
The drought is a good reminder that the activitics of Local Governent extend right
across [ lie Australian community, that what might be a burning issue for some one in
inner suburban Melbournc might have little relevance for someone in far north
Queensland. But whatever different challenges we might face from time to time, there is, I think,
one challenge that we all face continuously.
And that is the challenge of Icadership.
For my part, I have always thought that one of the keys to leadership is imagination,
having a sense of what's possible and taking the odd risk
Because if you don't have that you won't be moved to chance your arm, to push for the
big changcs, the ones that really matter, the ones that affect peoples lives for the better
and over the long term.
Leadecrship is not, and never has been, the preserve of any one person.
Nor is it somcthing that flows from occupying a particular position.
It's about getting things done and being effective.
Its about generating and maintaining miomentumn
It's about making sure the place is better off for your effort a sense of stewardship if
you like.
In sum, it's about recognising and seizing the right opportunities to make a meaningful
difference to people's lives.
That's the thinking that lay behind the drought assistance measures and it's certainly the
thinking that. lay behind Working Nation, the White Paper on Employment and
Growth. In Working Nalion we wanted to ensure that unemployed people, particularly long
term unemployed people shared in the economic recovery.
We also wanted to ensure that regional Australia got its share too, that this wasn't just
a recovery in the big cities.
And it was for this reason that we aninounced thc Regional Developincnt Strategy, a
strategy designed to harness the enormous leadership potcntial that lies in the men and
women of rcgional Australia.
It not a strategy that seeks to replicate the quick fix solutions of the past or to adopt
a scatter gun approach.
Nor does it see throwing buckets of money as the answer to the regions' most pressing
problems. As McKinsey revealed in their Lead Local Compete Global study, given the task of
rejuvenating a region, regional leaders said they would far prefer $ 2 million and
committed local leaders rather than $ 50 million minus the local leaders.
And that's why I believe the challenge of regional Australia is primarily a challenge of
leadership. As McKinsey also pointed out, you can take two different regions in Australia with the
same factor conditions, the same level of infrastructure, the same level of human and
natural resources but one region will prosper while the other fails.
And the reason one region succeeds is because it has leadcrship.
It has leaders who share a vision for their region and who arc prepared to bring all the
key players together to chart a common course.
And what's true of the regions is just as true for local councils that go to making up
regional Australia.
Of course, adopting a Regional Devclopment Strategy that focuses on leadership
assumes that the lcaders exist, that regional Australia has within it a real wealth of
talented men and women.
Well, it has.
it's something that was clearly borne out in the work of the Regional Development
Taskforce which was chaired by Bill Kelty, and included your energetic President,
Councillor Peter Woods.
The Taskforce itself played an invaluable leadership role in getting regional
communities to think about their long-term future.
It found that right across the country there were people looking for new opportunities
to quicken the pace of economic development in their region, people who wanted to
build on the strength of their region and find their region a place in thc international
economy. And I think this is something that will come increasingly into play as more local
councils become involved in competitive tendering, contracting out, resource sharing
and enterprise bargaining.
Our overall economic policy objectivc of sustainable low inflation growth can only be
achieved if the right conditions for growth can be created in the regions.
And in this endeavour, the Commionwealth and local government share considerable
common ground.
We agree that effective local government participation is vital to the success of
regional developmcnt activities.
We agree that the three tiers of government should work in partnership to plan for
economic and regional development and to deliver appropriate programs.
And we agree that the need for effective local government has never been greater.
And it's because of this common ground that we want to see Local Government take a
leadership role in implementing the Regional Development Strategy.
Since its announcement in Working Nativ-1, the Regional Development Strategy has
remained very much on track.
By Christmas, we hope to have around ten regions active in the program.
And over the life of the program we hope to extend it to around forty Regional
Economic Developmntn Organisations.
The first region to take advantage of the program is likely to be the Northern Rivers
Region of New South Wales which I visited earlier this year.
During my visit, I was particularly heartened to see how the people around Lismore
share a common vision for their region and are committed to breathing life into that
vision. They have got themsclves together and are now planning a regional development
strategy based on sustainable, value adding agricultural production and niche export
marketing.
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Importantly, they have developed bi-partisan political support for the regional
developmcnt activities.
Thcre are also a number of other regions in Queensland, Victoria, Wcstern Australia
and South Australia which are getting ready to participate in the program.
This is great news.
It shows a nation with regions that are prepared to work on a future for themselves
rather than rely on outside funding only,
Recent analysis of economic data shows that quite a number of regions are strongly
outgrowing the capital city areas in activity and employment.
And some of the regions have even greater potential with significant growth in
population. These are the areas giving the lead to regional Australia.
Before I finish let me make reference to one other area where Local Government can
support the cfforts of the Federal Government and that is in the area of social justice.
I'm thinking here of two groups whose potential to add to our national endeavour has
not been sufficiently recogrniscd or tapped
I am thinking of our indigenous peoplc and our women.
Over recent times, the Federal Government has taken unprecedented steps to accord
our indigenous people a proper and just place in the nation.
So I'm pleased to see that your National Agenda reflects that same objective.
And I trust that it's something that you will give effect to in the course of your
deliberations at this historic meeting.
I'm also pleased that Local Government has more women representatives than for most
other Australian governmcnts.
But at around 20 per cent it is still too low.
Achieving more equitable representation of men and women in Local Government, as
elected representatives and mayors, and also in senior managemcnt, is about keeping
faith with our democratic and egalitarian traditions.
It is also, fundamentally, about recognising and using the full array of leadership and
talent at our disposal.
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I would urge you to look carefully at this issue, to consult with women Councillors and
women Local Government staff, and to put in place a practical strategy to increase
women's participation in Local Government decision-making and management,
Let me wind up.
As a key player in regional Australia, Local Government bas both the opportunity and
the responsibility to provide the sort of leadership that the Commonwealth's new
approach to regional development seeks to encourage.
It is an opportunity arnd a challenge I know you arc more than capable of accepting.
And through it, I want us to continue to work together in partnership -for the
good of the nation.
How etfectively we work together will, however, depend to a great deal on the
outcomes of this first National Gcneral Assembly.
And while I know your diversity makes it difficult, Local Governent will play a far
greater role in achieving national objectives if it speaks with a unified voice.
That is the challenge before this first National General Assembly.
But whatever the outcome, the Federal Government will continue to look for a Local
Government system that plays an increasingly important role in the affairs of our
nation, a system that combines local priorities with broader national goals.
Thank you.