Resolving the infrastructure funding crisis in Australian local government: A bond market issue approach based on local council income

Title
Resolving the infrastructure funding crisis in Australian local government: A bond market issue approach based on local council income
Publication Date
2008
Author(s)
Byrnes, Joel David
Dollery, Brian Edward
Crase, L
Simmons, Phillip Ray
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Australia and New Zealand Regional Science Association International Inc (ANZRSAI)
Place of publication
Australia
UNE publication id
une:1741
Abstract
Numerous state-based and national public inquiries across Australia have demonstrated conclusively that local councils face almost insurmountable problems in coping with the problem of financing a massive backlog in local infrastructure maintenance and renewal. Various solutions have been advanced to tackle the problem, including the establishment of a federal government local infrastructure fund. In this paper we develop an alternative funding approach based on the issue of asset-backed securities by local councils in the capital markets. Using the case of water and wastewater operations by local councils in New South Wales, we show that local government has access to a relatively attractive asset in the form of municipal income that can form an income stream payable on a fixed-income security issued by the Australian local government sector.
Link
Citation
Australasian Journal of Regional Studies, 14(2), p. 115-131
ISSN
1324-0935
Start page
115
End page
131

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