BRE COUNCIL PROTESTS
Brewarrina Council has been forced to comply with a State government demand that it includes a large asset on its books or face penalties for refusing to do so. The asset is a Rural Fire Service truck, valued at $450,000, part of the ‘red fleet’ of RFS assets across the state.
But by having to include it on its books, the Brewarrina Council must assume financial responsibility for its purchase and depreciation.
Brewarrina Shire Council General Manager, David Kirby, said that his council is just one of dozens of councils across the state that were being unfairly burdened with assets over which they had no say or no control.
He said many of those councils had refused to accept the order to include them on their books, and even though Brewarrina had decided to do a re-audit and move on, the council was supportive of united protests by local councils facing the same burden.
“Council didn’t historically recognise the red fleet equipment, including the new truck, as council assets, but the Office of Local Government said we must now show the asset on the books and reflect the depreciation of that asset,” Mr Kirby said.
“That $450,000 truck ended up on our books and to move forward we now must recognise that asset and unfortunately show it on our books, even though council holds a firm position on the matter and will continue to lobby the government.
“It makes no sense to show those assets on our books when we have no control of them. In fact, we have a long list of assets that show they belong to council, and we don’t even know where they are. […]
Read more in the printed edition of The Western Herald.
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