Municipal and essential services for remote communities

The Australian Government is providing $44.1 million to continue to support the delivery of municipal and essential services for Indigenous people in about 340 remote communities.

This funding injection in the 2013-14 Budget will supplement investments by state and local governments in Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria to deliver basic services to remote communities, including power, water, sewerage services, garbage collection and road maintenance.

Essential services, including reliable power, functioning water and sewerage systems and safe accessible roads, are critical to the health and wellbeing of Indigenous families living in remote communities.

While the provision of municipal services is generally the responsibility of state and local governments, the Australian Government is making this additional investment in remote communities to ensure Indigenous families do not miss out.

This delivery of municipal and essential services also provides significant employment opportunities for local Indigenous people, supporting around 200 jobs across these communities.

The $44.1 million funding boost is in addition to the Australian Government’s $206 million investment over ten years for basic essential and municipal services for outstations and homelands in the Northern Territory, as part of the Stronger Futures package.

The Australian Government will continue to work with state and territory governments on progressing long-term reform in the delivery of municipal and essential services to remote communities.