Age of cost shifting

FEDERAL Treasurer Joe Hockey recently declared an end to the ‘age of entitlement’ advising individuals, groups, businesses and workers to adopt more personal financial responsibility and cease expecting support from government.
Does this mean we as ratepayers can now expect that state and federal governments will fund their own policies and stop passing on the huge cost of services and infrastructure to local councils who in turn add it onto the ratepayers’ bill?
There needs to be more clarity about what we expect to be funded by our taxes and why we should tolerate constant annual increase in our council rates which were originally intended to cover simple basic services and maintenance.
Taxes are fixed or increased within an approved government legislative process. Rates and charges are simply increased annually according to what councils decide they will spend.
The notion of ‘local government’ has officially and politically been promoted to facilitate the cost shifting to which local councils and ratepayers have unfortunately become resigned.
Gloria O’Connor,
Cardinia Ratepayers and Residents Association.