Local Government  -  NSW Policy
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What We Believe

The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party recognises that councils in many cases are the largest local employer in many regional communities and play an important and vital role in delivering a broad range of services and employment opportunities. Without these services, many rural communities would struggle to survive or to attract and retain their local populations. Local Government represents grassroots democracy. It is the closest Government entity to citizens and best positioned to hear their concerns. We will work to keep it this way.

Our Action Plan

No forced amalgamations
Forced amalgamations put local jobs and services at risk. We vehemently oppose this Liberal Party idea and continue to call on the state and local governments to respect local integrity and identity. If the people don’t want it, neither do we.

Jobs, strength, and community
Local government’s contribution towards employment in regional and rural NSW, and the sectors capacity to build stronger communities has largely gone unnoticed. We support an increase in investment and funding for local government infrastructure and projects.

Local democracy and accountability
We support the introduction of measures and regulations to ensure integrity and accountability of local representatives, including meetings and developer material.

Homelessness
The homelessness rate in NSW has been steadily rising in recent years. Homelessness is often perceived to be a metropolitan problem. In actual fact a significant proportion of people experiencing homelessness are in regional, rural and remote NSW. We will call on the local and state government to provide greater services in order to assist them to resolve the issues leading to their homelessness.

What This Means For You

We will oppose any reduction of local employment in the Local Government sector. We will encourage an open, transparent and accountable Local Government sector underpinned by the core principles of democracy. The focus will be on recognising the value of local jobs and services, and continuing this model.