Change the booze rules, says Shellharbour city councillor

At Tuesday night's council meeting, the councillors will vote on motions proposed to be taken to the National General Assembly of Local Government conference in Canberra in July.

Cr Petreski has put forward two motions, one of which requests the general assembly lobby the federal government to consider mandating comprehensive nutritional information on all manufactured food, drink, including alcoholic beverages.

"Why is it that when you purchase a non-alcoholic drink, you can readily find all the nutritional information neatly listed on the packaging, yet when you opt for a bottle of wine, you're left in the dark about crucial details like sugar content, additives, and other ingredients?" Cr Petreski said.

"This motion is about giving everyone the tools they need to make healthier informed choices for everything they consume, every time they consume it."

Cr Petreski's other motion called for changes to the federal government's competition policy to allow local councils to deal with "market saturation" of supermarkets in their own area.

He cited the example of Woolworths, which had five stores within a five-kilometre radius of the Shellharbour city centre.

"This motion aims to grant local government authorities increased planning powers to oversee and approve supermarket trading activities, thereby fostering competition, supporting local businesses, levelling the playing field, and ensuring the well-being of our communities," the council's business paper stated.

"Recognising the importance of fostering healthy competition within local economies and acknowledging the role of local government authorities in shaping the business landscape, we propose a motion to empower councils with enhanced planning powers to regulate and approve supermarket trading activities within their respective local government areas."

Shellharbour Mayor Chris Homer has also put forward a motion for consideration, requesting the general assembly push the federal government to return its financial assistance grants to their original level.

"Federal Financial Assistance Grants have progressively declined from 1 per cent cent of Commonwealth tax revenue to the current level of 0.55 per cent," the business papers stated.

"The Australian Local Government Association and state and territory LGAs have persistently campaigned to have this downtrend reversed.

"Following an extended and protracted advocacy campaign, now is the time that local government needs an outcome on this critical funding if we are to continue delivering services and infrastructure that the community rightly deserves."