SA councils launch campaign against Liberal push to cap rate rises

THE Local Government Association is launching a campaign against an Opposition push to cap council rate rises and will target marginal seat candidates who support the policy ahead of the state election.

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THE Local Government Association is launching a statewide campaign against an Opposition push to cap council rate rises and will target marginal seat candidates who support the policy ahead of the state election.

The state’s peak representative body for councils argues capping rates — part of the Liberal party’s election campaign — would force cuts to services including libraries and food safety inspections.

LGA President Mayor Lorraine Rosenberg said the campaign was “designed to ensure that council services are not compromised by political opportunism” in the lead up to the March 2018 election.

It will begin with social media messages and flyers sent to ratepayers but Ms Rosenberg said the campaign would build to “actively oppose” the policy of rate capping through “targeted and marginal seat campaigning”.

This would be funded through LGA investment returns, not membership contributions, she said.

Ms Rosenberg has written to the mayors of South Australia’s 69 councils asking them to commit to supporting the campaign.

“Should rate capping legislation be passed, councils would be forced to cut services, as we’ve seen when rate capping has been implemented interstate,” she said.

“This could include libraries, food safety inspections, aged care support and economic and business development programs.

“We will let our communities know what’s at stake if they lose their democratic right to decide the services they want their councils to provide.”

Annual increases in council rates regularly outstrip inflation.

The Opposition introduced legislation to Parliament last year to set a maximum percentage increase in council rates from one financial year to the next, through an independent watchdog.

However, it was voted down.

Opposition treasury spokesman Rob Lucas said ratepayers were facing “ever-increasing” council bills and the LGA’s priorities were misplaced if it “wastes money defending unlimited rate increases”.

“Families who are struggling to pay their bills are asking the question what is it that they (councils) do to justify that cost,” Mr Lucas said.

Local Government Minister Geoff Brock said there was evidence interstate that rate capping “can restrict the level of services councils can provide and result in increases in fees and charges, community assets becoming run down and infrastructure backlogs”.

He encouraged more residents to engage with their councils when they set their rates.

Opposing rate capping was part of an agreement Mr Brock signed with the Labor Party to help it form Government following the 2014 state election.

Greens MP Mark Parnell said his party would oppose any move in Parliament to cap council rates.

“If councils are restricted in raising revenue they will have no choice but to cut services,” he said.