LIVERPOOL Plains mayor Andrew Hope has called on local to petition their state MPs to reinstate library funding recently slashed in the NSW budget.
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In this year’s budget, the state government cut $5.3 million from public libraries, an 18 per cent reduction in overall funding, forcing local councils to pick-up the slack.
Cr Hope said libraries are worth fighting for.
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“Our libraries are not simply twentieth century book depositories, rather they are twenty- first century conduits of culture, learning and social connection,” he said.
“They offer free educational resources to everyone and because they are free they play a key role in building and financially strengthening our local community.”
The mayor has urged his constituents to write to local members Michael Johnsen and Kevin Anderson to demand more state government funding for public libraries.
“Now, NSW councils pay 92.5 per cent of the costs to operate public libraries, up from 77 per cent in 1980,” he said.
“NSW libraries receive the lowest per-capita funding from the NSW state government compared to all other states in Australia,” Cr Hope said.
“[Liverpool Plains Shire Council] has made and is continuing to make considerable investments in its library facilities and it is only with increased and ongoing yearly support from the state we can continue to grow these vital assets into the future.”
Cr Hope said it wasn’t a political issue, but noted Labor had pledged to boost library funding to $50 million.
“Councils around NSW would like the government to match or better this pledge and to introduce a fairer, simpler and more transparent method for the distribution of library funding,” he said.
Mr Anderson wouldn’t say if he supported the council’s call for more library funding.
“Libraries are critically important, they are a central resource,” he said.
“They play an ever-changing role in the society we live in.
“We have done a lot of work in libraries in recent times to meet the growing needs of the communities.”
Michael Johnsen was contacted for comment.
NSW shadow minister for local government Peter Primrose has said library funding was at its lowest level in 20 years and said Labor would increase state spending on facilities.
“The next State Labor Government will double funding for public libraries, including an ongoing Public Library Infrastructure Fund of $6.25 million every year,” Mr Primrose said.
“We understand how important local libraries are to every community across NSW and we're prepared to pay to support them.”
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