Inverell Shire Mayor Kate Dight will use her Mayoral Minute at today’s council meeting to support and participate in the Put Our Communities First federal election campaign to push for more federal government funding for local government.

The campaign will advocate for new federal funding to be distributed to all councils on a formula-basis, similar to the Commonwealth’s Roads to Recovery Program, or the previous Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program.

The five funding priorities are $1.1 billion per year for enabling infrastructure to unlock housing supply, $500 million per year for community infrastructure, $600 million per year for safer local roads, $900 million per year for increased local  government  emergency  management  capability  and capacity, and $400 million per year for climate change adaptation.

Mayor Dight says is supportive of local government moving back towards the 1% Financial Assistance Grant, which is critical for the long-term financial sustainability of local government.