Serpentine GP and Legalise Cannabis MP Dr Brian Walker has announced that his party will go into the state election campaign with a commitment to cap local government rates across the state, at or near the level of CPI.
The party, which won two upper house seats at the last state election, is proposing legislation that would allow the Minister for Local Government, in consultation with the state’s Economic Regulation Authority (ERA), to enforce an annual rates cap that reflects not only the struggle to maintain council bottom lines, but also the very real pressures impinging on household budgets.
Speaking at this year’s Local Government Elected Members Association (LGEMA) conference in Cottesloe, Dr Walker committed his party to delivering rates relief for thousands of homeowners, in line with legislation already in operation in both Victoria and NSW.
“Rates caps have been shown to work,” Dr Walker said. “And it’s long past time that struggling West Australian families saw the same benefits and reductions as their eastern-state neighbours.”
In Victoria, rates for this financial year have been capped at 2.75 percent, while the NSW model has resulted in variable caps of starting at 4.2 percent.
“We know that councils are doing it tough in this economic climate, but it’s tough on everyone, and we simply can’t afford to give the local government sector a free pass, year on year,” he said.
“Rates have doubled in some parts of WA over the past decade, and that isn’t sustainable.
“Economic reality cuts both ways, and it’s time we put the resident and the ratepayer front and centre in our policy decisions. If the next government won’t introduce the capping legislation that we’re advocating, then we’ll introduce it into the parliament ourselves.
“Residents need to be our primary focus right now, not facilities, and the fact that I have to say that out loud only shows how broken, and in need of radical overhaul the current funding system is.
“WA Labor previously promised to introduce a cap, but promptly forgot about it when they got into power. You can be sure that LCWA does not propose to make the same mistake.”
