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Speaker 1: So the local government conference is underway and yesterday the

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Speaker 1: government took advantage of it to talk down to councils

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Speaker 1: like a step dad telling off their step son. They've

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Speaker 1: been told to rain and wasteful spending to keep their

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Speaker 1: rates increases down. Now you know a bit of irony.

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Speaker 1: There would be good if the government that is currently

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Speaker 1: spending more than any other also practice what they preach.

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Speaker 1: But anyway, the government is now talking about bringing in

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Speaker 1: rate caps. Sounds good, simple idea we can all understand.

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Speaker 1: But would it work. The fact is the idea is

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Speaker 1: in place in Australia. Melbourne and Sydney have rate caps,

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Speaker 1: but individual councils can apply for exemptions. In a Melbourne

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Speaker 1: that meant that some councils imposed ten percent rates, so

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Speaker 1: it didn't work there. But they do not have rate

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Speaker 1: caps in Brisbane, and Brisbane has the lowest rate increases

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Speaker 1: in Australia. So why is that successive councils have kept

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Speaker 1: the debt low. They've had smart, long term plans with

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Speaker 1: cross party support, so that's one thing. They have a

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Speaker 1: Suburb's First policy, so that improvements have made where people

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Speaker 1: actually live. Eighty five percent of their budgets spent on this.

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Speaker 1: It's cheer than grand CBD projects, and they like public transport.

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Speaker 1: A record two hundred and ten million dollars is being

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Speaker 1: spent this year on it, which is a lot cheaper

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Speaker 1: they say, than building roads roads roads. But of course

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Speaker 1: here public transport or alternative transport options are the first

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Speaker 1: to be cut in hard times. We hate a cyc

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Speaker 1: away and because of their resident friendly, suburban centric approach,

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Speaker 1: combined with a fiscal prudence, they have some regal room.

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Speaker 1: Senior citizens in Brisbane get the most generous rebates in

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Speaker 1: the country, cutting their rates in half, and then Brisbane

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Speaker 1: can pursue some big stuff. They're going for the Olympics,

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Speaker 1: but here they show some balls as well, conning the

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Speaker 1: redevelopment of the Gabba because the business case didn't measure

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Speaker 1: up rate. Caps are good slogan policy. It sounds like

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Speaker 1: a simple answer to a complex situation, but they didn't

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Speaker 1: work in Sydney and Melbourne. In fact, they're suffering from

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Speaker 1: what's called rapes catch up. If you defer projects, then

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Speaker 1: eventually you're going to have to do them, and someone's

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Speaker 1: going to pay for them. Fung I know we will

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Speaker 1: find that out when the Opera House will eventually have

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Speaker 1: to have millions spent on it to fix it up.

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Speaker 1: They've deferred that the reason we're in the hole is

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Speaker 1: because of false promises of low rates by previous mayors

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Speaker 1: and councils that has resulted in a rates catch up

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Speaker 1: Wellington Water. Does that sound familiar to you. That's exactly

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Speaker 1: what happened there. We don't actually need rate caps, but

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Speaker 1: what we really need is sensible, long term, fiscally prudent governance.

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Speaker 1: Look for that next election, but it's as rare as

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Speaker 1: a unicorn. For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge.

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Speaker 1: Listen live to News Talks it Be from five am weekdays,

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Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio