The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport will hold a roundtable hearing with councils from the Northern Territory and the Kimberley region of Western Australia this week as part of its inquiry into local government funding.
The Committee wants to better understand the funding challenges faced by local government across the Northern Territory and remote Western Australia, particularly those councils that are providing services and infrastructure to regional and remote Australians.
The Committee will hear from the representatives of the Alice Springs Town Council, Barkly Regional Council and the Roper Gulf Regional Council from the Northern Territory and also from the West Australian Shire of Wyndham on behalf of the Kimberley Regional Group.
These councils submitted to the inquiry that the sustainability of local governments in the Kimberley and also in regional Northern Territory was challenging. This is due to extreme remoteness, high service delivery costs, constrained revenue-raising capacity and expanding responsibilities that are not matched by funding. The councils often operate across vast distances servicing highly disadvantaged communities, often providing essential services such as health access, childcare and community safety where other levels of government may be absent.
Committee Chair, Mrs Fiona Phillips MP, said “The Committee is looking forward to learning more about the fiscal sustainability of local government across the Northern Territory and also the Kimberley region, the different challenges these councils are facing, and the opportunities for enhancing services and infrastructure.”
A program for the public hearing and further information on the inquiry, including the terms of reference and how to contribute, is available on the Committee’s website.
Public hearing details
Date: Thursday, 25 June 2026
Time: 11.00 am – 12.30 pm
Location: Committee Room 1R3, Parliament House, Canberra
Public hearings are broadcast live on the Australian Parliament House Streaming Portal.
Details for upcoming public hearings and more information about the inquiry, including the terms of reference, submissions and transcripts of previous hearings, is available on the inquiry webpage.
