Cr Geoff Lake

Recent Speaker

March 31, 2010

Labor supporting a future referendum on constitutional recognition of local government and many arguing that local government is the backbone of federalism in an Australia with an increasingly centralised system of government. Local government has emerged as a growing force under the Rudd Government. Never before has there been such direct engagement between the Commonwealth and councils with Australia’s 565 mayors now meeting annually with the Prime Minister and ministers at the Australian Council of Local Government. With federal funding to councils expanding through new programs such as the $1 billion Community Infrastructure Program component of the stimulus package, the $25 million Local Government Reform Fund and the continuation of the Roads to Recovery program, the future for local government looks bright. However, there are significant challenges ahead. The High Court's Pape decision creates uncertainty over the power of the Commonwealth to continue to directly fund local government.  There are also long-term resourcing and financial sustainability issues stemming from an inadequate and antiquated revenue base that was set up in a time when local government had a very different set of responsibilities. Cr Lake will argue that local government has a key role to play in realising 'co-operative federalism' and he will offer a perspective from his position as a full member of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) on how intergovernmental relations have changed under the Rudd Government. He will outline his vision for reform of the $25 billion per annum local government industry and he will highlight the need for the sector to pursue bottom up reform with greater vigour.  He will also share some of the findings from recent polling commissioned by ALGA into the public's attitude towards the Constitution and constitutional change.

At the age of 29 Cr Lake represents the new face of local government in Australia. Elected as President of ALGA in November 2008, over the past year he and ALGA have notched up a number of significant achievements including:

  • Successfully advocating for over $1 billion in stimulus package funding for local government;
  • Participating in four COAG meetings and various ministerial council meetings;
  • Presiding over a Local Government Constitutional Summit where more than 500 councillors from across the country achieved a consensus view on the preferred option for constitutional change; and
  • Being invited to attend the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference as a member of the official Australian Delegation.