The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport will hear from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and constitutional law expert Professor Anne Twomey as part of its inquiry into local government funding.
The Committee is keen to learn more about how the department manages its responsibilities in relation to the financial sustainability of local government. This includes how local governments are responding to climate change, and managing environmental, heritage, energy and water issues.
Committee Chair, Mrs Fiona Phillips, said “Following our recent hearings in South Australia and listening to coastal councils struggling with the cost of maintaining and rebuilding local jetties, the Committee wants to hear more about the impact of climate change on local governments and the support available to them.”
The Department manages a range of programs accessed by councils such as the Local Environmental Projects Program and the Urban Rivers and Catchments Program. The Committee will explore the barriers to accessing funding and how the Commonwealth can improve the effectiveness and coordination of funding provided to local governments.
The Committee will also hear from Professor Anne Twomey, who is an Australian academic and lawyer specialising in Australian constitutional law. The committee will explore how the lack of constitutional recognition affects the financial sustainability of local governments.
Further information on the inquiry, including the terms of reference and how to contribute, is available on the Committee’s website.
Public hearing
Date: Thursday, 10 September 2026
Time: 11.00 am – 12.30 pm
Location: Committee Room 1R3, Parliament House, Canberra
