The Victorian Local Governance Association (VLGA) has made its submission to the nationwide competition review, demanding a greater say on the rules it will be asked to enforce.

A review of competition policy was announced by the Australian Government in late 2013, with the remit of examining the broader competition framework to ensure that it continues to help drive productivity.

The VLGA’s submission pushes for recognition of the effects of changes to competition policy for local government.

Councils want to have a role in the shaping of competition policy, the implementation of which will be expected to lead.

“The role of local government should be explicitly addressed when considering competition policy,” VLGA chief Dr Andrew Hollows said in the submission.

“Specifically we recommend that ... the establishment of the Australian Council for Competition Policy (ACCP) and ... the governance arrangements for the Council should provide for local government representation or, at the least, participation in the governance or advisory structures of the ACCP.

“Financial sustainability is an immediate pressure on local governance, adversely affecting many councils.

“Effective local governance requires councils to be financially sustainable. In Victoria, local government depends substantially on other levels of government to meet its funding needs,” the submission states.

The full submission to the Chair of the Review Panel, Professor Ian Harper, is accessible here in PDF form.