The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport’s inquiry into local government funding and fiscal sustainability has concluded public hearings for the inquiry.
Twenty-six public hearings have been held between 5 February 2026 and 17 September 2026, where the Committee heard from 390 witnesses across Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, Wodonga, Wagga Wagga, Taree, Townsville, Roma, Brisbane, Launceston, Adelaide, Port Lincoln, Perth and Northam.
The witnesses included representatives from 187 organisations, including 17 government departments and statutory authorities, 98 local councils, and seven union bodies.
The Committee also heard from 38 local government alliances and associations, including the Australian Local Government Association and peak bodies from each state and the Northern Territory.
The witnesses reflected the diversity and reach of local government across Australia, from Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean to King Island in Tasmania, and from the Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley in the far north-west to the Torres Strait Island Regional Council.
Committee Chair, Mrs Fiona Phillips, said ‘the Committee is incredibly grateful to all the witnesses who appeared at the public hearings. We have heard from a variety of organisations and individuals from all of Australia’s states and territories. Local government funding and fiscal sustainability impacts all aspects of Australia’s communities, and we have seen that reflected across the breadth of issues raised at public hearings and in submissions. The Committee’s focus will now shift to delivering the final report.’
Central Coast Council’s submission to the inquiry, (number 64) is available on the Committee’s website.
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