MEMBER for Mildura Ali Cupper has written to Victoria’s Local Government Minister, Shaun Leane, presenting a two-pronged solution to address the disproportionate burden affecting rural and regional ratepayers.

“After months of consultation and refinement, the RateGate campaign has culminated in an official policy proposal,” Ms Cupper said.

‘Rate reform has been one of the main focuses of my work since being elected in 2018, and I’m delighted to put forward a pitch to try and address council rate disparities in Victoria once and for all.”

The proposal has been sent to the Local Government Minister, including messages of support for the RateGate campaign from a variety of rural-regional councils, and the VFF.

“The two cornerstones of the campaign are to first assist Victoria’s most disadvantaged councils, and to then create a more equal system for rate charges state-wide,” Ms Cupper said.

“The first request is to provide assistance to Victoria’s 13 most disadvantaged councils, including Buloke and Yarriambiack Shires, through an annual recurrent grant scheme – which would deliver immediate financial relief.”

This grant would total around 30 million dollars each year, and could be sourced from either the State Government’s consolidated revenue, or from the Federal Government’s Financial Assistance Grants program.

The second request is that the Government implements an Equalisation Funding System (EFS), so charges would be based on a uniform rate-in-a-dollar state-wide.

Under an EFS, rates would be centrally collected, and then distributed to councils on the basis of need.

“If implemented, an EFS could save ratepayers in Mildura an average of 800 dollars per year,” Ms Cupper said.

Ms Cupper is expecting a response from Minister Leane by the end of the month.