Federation Council has formally expressed “extreme objection” to the proposed changes to the distribution methodology, which would see its annual grant funding slashed by 22.7 per cent, from $9,543,209 to $7,374,691.
“Almost all councils in my Farrer electorate will be adversely affected,” Mr Farley said.
“It will have dire implications for a council’s ability to maintain essential services and
upgrade aged infrastructure assets.
“The ramifications would be especially potent given regional shires have thousands of kilometres of roads to maintain at a time of soaring costs for fuel, bitumen, concrete, steel, and insurance.”
Mr Farley said the reductions were being planned under the guise of an arbitrary NSW Local Government Grants Commission methodology to short-change communities and that the methodology failed to align with the principles of equality, transparency, consistency and accountability.
He said it was entirely removed from the intent of the Federal Financial Assistance Grants Act of 1995 and “a distortion of Federal Government intent”.
“What makes it even more offensive is the lack of accountability,” he said.
“The NSW Government refuses to disclose the exact methodology or formulas driving these reallocations.
“This issue needs to be addressed by both the NSW and Federal Parliaments.
“I stand by all shires across Farrer’s 124,000 square kilometre footprint in calling out
and condemning this grants methodology.”
