The State Government Financial Aid (SGFA) program is provided to Indigenous Councils as a contribution towards the cost of delivering local government services and has been in existence since Indigenous Councils were established in 1984.

The recurrent grants are provided as a financial contribution (in lieu of rates) to meet the costs incurred by Aboriginal Shire Councils and Indigenous Regional Councils in the provision of essential municipal services including financial administration.

The purpose of the funding is to assist with local government services including:

• General public services
  e.g. council office, transactions, governance, leadership, advocacy, information, public halls, showgrounds, community engagement
• Public order and safety
  e.g. night patrols, public nuisance, street lighting, public space control, litter, natural disaster relief and mitigation, lifeguards, control of declared pests/plants, fire services, animal control
• Health
  e.g. inspection/licensing of food, vermin and vector control, refuse services, waste management, community health, immunisation, hospitals
• Recreation and culture
  e.g. parks, playgrounds, sports fields and venues, swimming pools, libraries, public internet, galleries, museums, heritage, festivals
• Transport and communication
  e.g. roads, footpaths, traffic control, parking, public transport, ferries, barge landings, jetties, airports, television services, internet services
• Other economic affairs
  e.g. economic development, tourism promotion, industrial estates, residential land, tourist facilities/venues, caravan parks, camping areas, other business activities, sale yards, quarries
• Education
  e.g. public awareness campaigns, community education
• Essential services
  e.g. water supplies, waste water systems, gas, drainage, flood mitigation
• Community amenities
  land development, town planning, building control/certification, public conveniences, picnic areas, environmental protection, natural resource management, environmental acquisitions, beach control, environmental licensing, recycling, erosion control, cemeteries.

The funding does not cover costs that are not directly associated with the program, for example services or support provided by other funding bodies.

Funding payments

Funding is paid separately on a quarterly basis and is subject to all reporting requirements being met. Funding provided to local governments by the department is a ’taxable supply’ of services within the meaning of the GST Act. As a result, recipients must issue a valid tax invoice for the supply of the service. The ‘service’ is the delivery of the approved project(s).

Funding schedule

Payments to Aboriginal Shire Councils and Indigenous Regional Councils are recommended as follows:

Reporting requirements

Local governments are required to submit the following documentation on a quarterly basis to be eligible for funding payments:

• Certificate of expenditure ( 116 KB)
• SFGA job creation progress report ( 628 KB)
• Annual return on status of asset management (emailed to Councils)
• Annual return on community engagement (emailed to Councils)
• Annual return on governance
• Financial management (Sustainability) return (emailed to Councils)

For more information refer to the Guidelines for the State Government Financial Aid program ( 102 KB).