A Western Australian country town is giving 16 per cent of its annual rates income to keep a local doctor. The Shire of Narembeen pays the local medical practice $370,000 a year and also provides a building, a car and a house. Shire President Holly Cusack says the arrangement is financially unsustainable but that losing the GP would mean a 120-kilometre round trip to the nearest doctor. In Kalbarri, a community group crowdfunded more than $70,000 to set up a not-for-profit, bulk-billing clinic after the town's only GP closed in June.
Local Government NSW is calling for a $5 billion interest-free loan scheme to help councils build roads, drainage and other infrastructure needed for housing. Councils would repay the loans through developer contributions as development progresses. The peak body says thousands of homes are being delayed by inadequate infrastructure, particularly in outer metropolitan Sydney and regional areas. LGNSW president Darcy Byrne urged all political parties to back the proposal ahead of the state election. The plan also includes $3 billion in upfront state and regional infrastructure funding and allows developer contributions to fund community facilities.
Whittlesea's community grants program has allocated more than $1.8 million to 198 applicants across the 2025-26 financial year. The funds support community-led projects, initiatives and events, along with community groups, businesses, sporting groups, individuals and emergency services. A council summary presented at the 20 October meeting showed 27 applicants approved for over $173,000 in the final quarter, including 11 under the Business to Business Grants Program. Mayor Lawrie Cox said the council was proud to support so many groups. Funded events include Northern Diwali in South Morang on 31 October and the Whittlesea Show on 7 and 8 November.
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The former Cootamundra and Gundagai shire names could return to council signs as plans to split the regional council progress. Cootamundra-Gundagai councillors have agreed how to divide cash reserves and recommended leaders for the two councils. Snowy Valleys Council is seeking state funding for an estimated $4.99 million separation cost. Its mayor met the local government minister to discuss a request for almost $2.9 million. Residents have until 1 November to complete a survey on financial options for the two proposed councils.
Brimbank council is bidding for a share of a $10 million state safety fund to tackle crime and make public areas safer. Under the Creating Safer Places program, councils can apply for grants of $50,000 to $250,000 per project. Officers chose five projects in Sunshine and St Albans, including park lighting, street lighting, event lighting and mobile vehicle barriers. Upgrades to security cameras were excluded because state guidelines make camera renewals ineligible. Councillors voted to submit the proposals and urged the state government to provide broader, long-term safety support.
Children at Sandon Point Children’s Centre are campaigning for their local council to build a footpath on Point Street. Director Zarah Tonkin says the children made posters and plan to visit a nearby café once it is safe to walk there. A petition has gathered more than 800 signatures. Two city councillors support the idea, but say the project is costly because it needs retaining walls and competes with other projects for limited funding. Tonkin says the children are learning that their voices matter.
Murweh Shire Council is inviting local organisations to apply under its Community Grants Policy for projects and activities that benefit the shire. Eligible groups include sporting clubs, hobby groups, charities, not-for-profit organisations and religious organisations based in Murweh. The council generally provides in-kind help, such as use of its equipment, facilities or services, with cash grants considered only in exceptional circumstances. Applications open twice a year, ahead of the annual budget and half-yearly budget review. All applications are assessed against the policy criteria, and assistance is not guaranteed.
Moree Plains Shire Council is accepting applications for its last Small Business Fund round of 2026, which offers up to $5,000 each to four successful applicants. Applications close at 11:59pm on Sunday 25 October 2026. The fund targets businesses in the shire with up to 20 staff that have traded for at least six months, and applicants need an Australian Business Number or Australian Company Number. Eligible spending includes signage, painting, websites, advertising, staff training and trialling new concepts, while wages, stock and ordinary operating costs are excluded.
Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council has raised concerns about proposed changes to how Commonwealth Financial Assistance Grants are distributed. Under the proposed method, the council's general-purpose allocation would fall from about $5.407 million to $3.577 million, a drop of almost $1.830 million, or 34 percent. A rise in the local roads allocation would not offset this reduction. Mayor Abb McAlister said the council wants further technical information, council-specific analysis and consultation before the method is finalised, and that it should not be introduced until its impacts are understood.
A new four-net cricket training facility has opened at Banyul Warri Fields on the Surf Coast, giving Torquay players more room to practise batting and bowling. The mesh-fenced space has a synthetic surface and opened on 16 October. Victorian MP Gayle Tierney said the facility would help local clubs, including Surf Coast Cricket Club, meet growing demand, particularly from young players. Surf Coast Shire mayor Libby Stapleton said the council led the project with the club. Funding came from Surf Coast Shire Council, Cricket Victoria and the state government's Regional Community Sports Infrastructure Fund.
The Grants Commission has backed away from a proposal to cut the Central Coast's annual Federal Assistance Grant from $32 million to $12 million. The reduction would have removed $20 million a year from local council funding.
Councils across New South Wales will avoid proposed cuts to Financial Assistance Grants. The NSW Local Government Grants Commission decided to keep the current funding method. The changes would have moved money to other councils from 1 July 2027, cutting Newcastle by $9.4 million and Lake Macquarie by $7.2 million a year. Newcastle Lord Mayor Gavin Morris said the decision protects funding for roads and community services. Lake Macquarie Mayor Adam Shultz called it a big relief that provides funding certainty.
A proposed $16.1 million annual cut to grant funding for Wollongong City Council has been withdrawn. The NSW Local Grants Commission made the decision after most NSW councils opposed the planned changes to how funds are distributed. Wollongong's Lord Mayor, Tania Brown, said she was pleased the Commission had listened to councils' concerns. The Commission has not ruled out revisiting a revised model for the 2029-30 council term, if additional funding becomes available.
Wollongong Lord Mayor Tania Brown says the current stage of West Dapto Road works is due to finish at Christmas 2026. Works to protect the Windang foreshore from erosion will begin in early 2027, backed by a combined $8 million from council and the NSW Government. Council has formally objected to a proposed reallocation of financial assistance grants, which would cost its budget $16 million.
West Wimmera Shire Council has secured state funding for a new two-lane cricket training facility at the Kaniva Recreation Reserve. The $80,000 project is backed by $40,000 from the Australian Cricket Infrastructure Fund and $40,000 from the Kaniva Cricket Club. The facility will give the club a dedicated space, replacing ageing nets at Kaniva College. Separately, the council has funding to design upgrades to netball and tennis facilities at the Edenhope Recreation Reserve. That work covers design only, not construction, and will support future funding bids.
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NSW councils have been given their 2027-28 rate pegs, with Wollongong's set at 4.5 per cent, one of the higher figures in the state. The peg caps how much general income councils can raise from rates, but does not set individual bills. Wollongong City Council is also fighting a proposed 67 per cent cut to its grants, worth $16.1 million a year, and has warned of possible rate rises, job losses and reduced services. Shellharbour, Kiama and Shoalhaven also received rate pegs of 4.3, 3.7 and 3.9 per cent.
Knox Council has allocated funding in its 2026-2027 budget for a new winter shelter program. The program will provide safe overnight accommodation during the coldest months and link people to specialist homelessness services. Council says demand for homelessness support is rising amid housing affordability pressures and cost-of-living increases. There is currently no overnight winter shelter in the municipality. Organisations interested in delivering the program can submit expressions of interest by 10 November 2026.
North Sydney mayor Zoë Baker has accused NSW planning minister Paul Scully of political interference and raised the possibility of legal action. Scully has threatened to withdraw $9.3 million for the Hume Street Park expansion unless the council does more to help Kelly's Place Children's Centre relocate. Baker's eight-page letter calls his intervention overreach. Councillors are due to vote on a rescission motion that would give the childcare centre another 12 months at its existing Crows Nest premises. Baker has proposed writing to Premier Chris Minns about the funding.
Almost half of NSW councils would receive less from untied federal Financial Assistance grants from 1 July 2027, according to the Local Government Grants Commission. Councils say the proposed method is volatile and lacks transparency. Bega Valley Shire Council faces a cut of 38.3 per cent, while Wollongong City Council faces a cut of more than 67 per cent. Council leaders say the overall funding pool is not enough. Feedback closed on 9 October and will be considered in the coming weeks.
