Hansard debates

Mrs McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (12:49): My question is to the Treasurer. New councils across western Victoria will soon emerge from local government elections and the coronavirus cocoon. Newspaper reports are already asking how much local governments should borrow to help economies recover. The roads, rates and rubbish mantra has been long forfeited by cost shifting from higher tiers of government. Regional ratepayers already burdened with larger and more inequitable rate bills than Melbourne through rate-in-the-dollar charges do not need huge council debt burdens to add to their disadvantage. The ratepayer ultimately pays. My question is: what measures are the state government considering in its budget to ensure the coronavirus debt burden is neither placed upon western Victoria councils nor exacerbated through burgeoning cost-shifting liabilities?