Mayor talks on national stage

By Jo Kennett

TWEED SHIRE Mayor Chris Cherry joined local government leaders, federal ministers and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra last week, where she addressed the 2023 Australian Local Government Association’s (ALGA) 29th National General Assembly (NGA), advocating for reforms to help address the housing crisis.

Cr Cherry was among 1,100 mayors and councillors from around Australia who gathered to share ideas about issues and challenges facing their communities, with Tweed Shire Council putting forward motions on housing, weed control and a national soft plastic recycling program.

Council leaders were able to speak directly to federal ministers, and hear from the Prime Minister about issues and opportunities facing their communities.

Cr Cherry said the million homes that were empty on the 2021 Census night equated to more than 13 million empty bedrooms across Australia “and so many people with no safe place to stay” — a situation she wants to see rectified.

The mayor won majority support for council’s advocacy that there be no capital gains tax if property owners rent out spare rooms.

“We (Tweed Shire Council) put four motions in, two relating to housing affordability and new tax laws to remove disincentives for renting empty rooms in your house,” Cr Cherry told The Weekly from Canberra.

“If you rent out your room, there is currently a capital gains tax issue and I’m asking them to remove that if you rent it out, for instance, to a low-income earner or student.”

The mayor also put a motion forward to review tax laws on short-term accommodation operations like Airbnb to provide transparent and enforceable taxation on them.

“If you are allowed to build homes for shelter and you choose to use them as businesses instead, then at least the Commonwealth can benefit from tax,” she said.

“Airbnb seems to be able to avoid taxation requirements so we asked them to make the tax enforceable and transparent.

“We have asked them to provide mapping to show where the Airbnb usage is high, as a tool to demonstrate that for instance short-term holiday letting is a big problem in this area and it can be dealt with on an LGA (Local Government Area or shire) basis.”

Another motion was put forward to secure more funding for weed control programs.

“The federal government has never really recognised their role as needing to contribute to that issue,” Cr Cherry said.

“We are trying to say, losing biodiversity is an Australian problem and biosecurity problems cost a lot of money.

“The fourth motion was trying to get a national program for soft plastic recycling.

“There isn’t one and it’s just recognising that it is a national problem.