Phyllis on national board

Cr Miller is on the NSW Local Government Association executive and will, along with its chair, represent NSW on the national body of local government.

They will be bringing State issues to the national table.

It’s a role she has some experience in – as chair of the Local Government and Shires Association from 2003 she also had a voice to the national organisation.

And it’s a position she’s passionate about, as it provides key insight into the local government sector in a much broader way.

“It’s an opportunity to be on the front foot at the local level and know what is going on policy wise in that federal sphere,” Cr Miller said.

“That’s a plus, to be able to take that knowledge back to a local level.”

Cr Miller was appointed to the senior executive of the NSW Local Government Association in March this year.

Cr Miller found out about her appointment to ALGA last week and is delighted about the potential the opportunity presents.

While she hasn’t attended a board meeting yet, she did attend the Association’s National General Assembly last week, with more than 800 councillors from all over Australia.

With a federal election looming, both Labor leader Bill Shorten and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull took the opportunity to address the nation’s local government representatives. 

One of the big items on the agenda, Cr Miller said, is campaigning for a increase – back to original funding levels - in Federal Assistance Grants provided to local councils.

“When FAGS were introduced they were one per cent of tax revenue, now they’re 0.55,” Cr Miller said.

“We want to get that back to one per cent, that would go a long way to being financially viable.”