ALGA President writes to Minister on broadband roll-out

ALGA President Cr Paul Bell has strongly backed a timely, cost-effective and extensive roll-out of high-speed broadband in a letter sent this week to the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy.

"Local government has a critical interest in the development of information communications technology (ICT) across Australia," Cr Bell said. Cr Bell said local government fully supported the Government's commitment to provide up to $4.7 billion and to consider necessary regulatory changes to facilitate the roll-out of a high speed broadband network offering at least 12 megabits per second to 98% of Australian homes and businesses within five years of commencement. Senator Conroy has said the remaining 2% would continue to receive support through the Government's $95 million investment in the Australian Broadband Guarantee for 2008-2009. Cr Bell said that as a priority, all public libraries and government offices particularly in rural and remote areas, should have fibre links.

The letter follows Senator Conroy's call for comments as part of the deliberations of the Panel of Experts regarding the development of the Request for Proposals.

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has long been an advocate for the provision of broadband to all local communities in Australia. In the lead-up to the last Federal Election the ALGA called on both parties to commit to the provision of affordable broadband for all.

"ALGA believes that the regulatory framework to be adopted for the new network should not only promote long term market reform through enhanced competition but must also support equitable coverage," he said. "ALGA would be concerned with a framework which led to duplication of existing networks and competition for existing markets without supporting the investment necessary to extend thin networks into areas which currently have no coverage and which could struggle to attract investment."

Cr Bell said the importance of broadband as a driver of development should not be underestimated and the risk of a two tiered structure developing between those populations with access and those without needed to be addressed as part of the Request for Proposals process.

ALGA's State of the Regions 2006-07 Report, released in November 2006, presents a detailed analysis of the importance of broadband as a driver of regional competitiveness by providing infrastructure to attract knowledge-based businesses to the regions and creating opportunities for new knowledge-based enterprises. Without broadband, regions fall behind in terms economic growth and development.

"In terms of prioritizing the areas to be covered by a solution, an obvious approach would be to focus on areas of economic significance to maximize the productive returns of a network," Cr Bell said. "ALGA would support flexibility, however, in the assessment of solutions so that social equity of access is a factor considered by the Panel. It may be that the Panel could consider the possibility of a separate part of the funding, or an additional program aimed at promoting equity where isolated populations miss out on purely economic efficiency grounds."

Senator Conroy announced last week the Government would terminate the previous Government's $958 million commitment to the Opel joint venture, saying the group had failed to meet regional targets under the agreement, a claim the joint venture partners dispute.

Launch of Constitutional Recognition Website

ALGA will launch its Constitutional Recognition website on April 18. The website will provide material for councils to undertake conversations which will feed into the Constitutional Summit in Melbourne in December 2008. The Summit will bring together councils to discuss and, if possible, agree on a position to put to the Federal Government. Over coming weeks, councils will be consulted through State and Territory Associations and provided with information about time-frames and sent copies of kits to enable "council conversations" to be held to discuss this important issue. ALGA President Cr Paul Bell said that, with the backing of the Rudd Government, and with the hope of bipartisan support, there had never been a better time to achieve one of local government's most cherished goals. "Recognition in the Australian Constitution is one of the most important challenges facing local government today," he said. "It is an issue that we need to manage properly if we are to maximise our chance of success. We, as local government, need to take the lead and be in a position to steer this issue forward." More information will be provided through 'ALGA News' and through State and Territory Associations.

Councils lead the way in climate change

Last Friday, ALGA attended the COAG Climate Change and Water Working Group Adaptation Sub-Group meeting.

The principal responsibility of the Climate Change and Water Working Group is to ensure an effective national response to climate change, encompassing a single national Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) incorporating state schemes; a nationally-consistent set of climate change measures to support the ETS; and a national cooperative approach to long-term adaptation to climate change.

The Working Group has established 5 sub-groups including: Renewable Energy Targets; Streamlined Set of Climate Change Measures; Adaptation; Energy Efficiency; and Water.

The Sub-Groups will build upon work that has already been undertaken around these themes with a view to accelerating implementation. This will involve the analysis of work to-date and the provision of technical advice to the Working Group on implementation plans. For example, the Renewable Energy Target Sub Group will be required to do the technical work to provide advice on setting mandatory renewable energy targets.

The current 'State of the Regions 2007-08 Report' focused on the theme of climate change. It modelled some possible impacts on regions of the effect of a carbon price of around $35 per tonne and the effect on agricultural production and water security measures. It also discussed some potential legal implications flowing from climate change that may impact upon local government.

Councils are already leading the way in climate change mitigation and adaptation projects. They are at the forefront in areas such as: the Cities for Climate Protection program; innovative landfill solutions; greenhouse alliances and community information; beach front stabilisation; habitat protection; and education programs.

There is increasing recognition of the need for adaptation strategies to allow communities (through their local councils) to deal with the effects of climate change and reduce exposure to the possible impacts. At the council level, measures such as increasing the efficiency of lighting, alternative technology for heating, cooling and water treatment plants, and promoting climate-friendly built and natural environments (for example through building control practices), can be implemented.

At the wider community level, there is scope for councils to undertake environmental education/awareness raising, promote energy efficiency in residential, industrial and commercial settings, and promote alternative methods of transport and waste management services and policies.

From the President

Next weekend (April 19-20) I will be attending the 2020 Summit in Canberra. ALGA has prepared a submission which is available at www.alga.asn.au and I will represent local government in my position of President of ALGA. The Premiers and Chief Ministers have also been invited to represent their jurisdictions. The ALGA submission covers the economy; education, skills and training; climate change and water; national security and emergency management; the arts; Indigenous Australia; strengthening communities; health and ageing; and rural and regional Australia.

We have a lot to say on all these subject areas - local government is so broad in its scope, its reach and its interests. One topic in particular on which I have a lot to say is the federation and fiscal relations between the spheres of government.

Local government is the third sphere of government in Australia, but appears the least understood. Yet, local government represents almost all Australians and delivers an increasingly broad range of services that make a real difference to the everyday lives of Australians across our nation.

ALGA endorses the principle of subsidiarity (that is, that matters should be handled by the smallest competent authority wherever possible) but notes this should always be accompanied by consultation with local government, so that local government can sensibly negotiate outcomes in the interests of all Australians.

Local government fulfils a significant and increasingly important role within the Federation, as reflected in its inclusion on the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), and many other key Commonwealth-State Ministerial Councils. However, Australia is yet to follow the lead of many other nations and recognise local government in our nation?s Constitution. This failure remains one of the significant omissions of our Constitution.

ALGA is pleased to note the bipartisan support already expressed towards the longer-term goal of full Constitutional recognition contained in the motion passed through both houses of Federal Parliament in October 2006. This motion was ground-breaking because it recognised the role of local government in Australia's federation.

ALGA seeks support for the continued recognition of local government's role in the Australian Federation, including working towards full constitutional recognition.

In addition, ALGA seeks a commitment to address chronic under-funding of local government. This is a problem extensively documented by ALGA, including in its Budget 2008-09 submission.

Unfortunately, whilst local government has maintained its revenue-raising effort and has worked hard to expand own-source revenue over the past 30 years in order to avoid these problems, other spheres of government have reduced their general funding to local government, at a time when councils are being asked to do more with less resources.

Under-funding is preventing local communities reaching their full potential because of such problems as underperforming infrastructure, poorly maintained roads, sports facilities, and other community infrastructure.

ALGA considers that the Government has the capacity to address the imbalance faced by local government income compared to expenses. Similarly, the Government has an obligation to achieve horizontal equalisation across states and across local government to ensure that all Australian taxpayers receive equitable levels of government services. Currently, Financial Assistance Grants (FAGs) paid to local government by the Commonwealth do not fully address either of these issues.

ALGA submits that the FAGs system is both outdated and insufficient to meet real cost growth and increasing demand for local government infrastructure and services. Current FAGs from the Commonwealth to local government are $1.7 billion (2007-08), equivalent to 0.76 per cent of total Commonwealth taxation revenue, and a reduction from 1.01 per cent in 1996-07. While local government welcomes the bipartisan support for additional Roads to Recovery payments, additional and more permanent general funding is required if local communities are to reach their full potential.

ALGA therefore calls for an increase in Commonwealth untied funding to at least 1 per cent of total Commonwealth taxation revenue (excluding GST) per annum. This would ensure that Councils gain access to a fair revenue stream that can keep pace with demand for service delivery and infrastructure provision, and so deliver better outcomes for all local communities.

The 2020 Summit is an opportunity for policy innovation and for consideration of initiatives to move Australia forward. The world will be a different place in 2020 and Australia will need to make changes if we are to secure our future. Many of these changes will need to be made by local government or in partnership with local government. I look forward to the discussion at the Summit and to some creative outcomes.

Cr Paul Bell AM
ALGA President

Quote of the week

"The best measure of a man's (or a woman's!) honesty isn't his income tax return. It's the zero adjust on his bathroom scale."
Arthur C Clarke (1917)

International news  

Most Czech men, almost three-fifths, and more than four-fifths of Czech women believe that the number of women in Czech politics is insufficient. Most Czechs also think that it is easier for men to advance to top political positions than for women, Lenka Bennerova, chairwoman of the group that seeks women's higher representation in public positions said. The poll was conducted on 1050 respondents over 18 last November.

Four similar polls were made in the past two years and they showed that the support for women's political involvement is growing, Bennerova said. "It is surprising that the views of men are changing," she added.

The number of people who view the participation of women in politics as beneficial has also grown, she said, adding that 88 percent of respondents expressed this view in the latest poll.

The situation has radically changed compared with 1991 when 60 percent held the view, Eva Hejzlarova from the group said. The Czech Republic is on the 76th position among 190 countries as regards women's representation in parliament, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

Women hold 15 percent of seats in the 200-member Czech Chamber of Deputies and less than 14 percent in the 81-member Senate. "Kazakhstan, Zimbabwe and Turkmenistan are slightly ahead of the Czech Republic and it is followed by Burkina Faso, Zambia and Angola," Bennerova said. The CVVM poll was part of a two-year project called Equal changes for men and women in politics and in decisive positions. It is financed from the Czech state budget and from the European Social Fund.

Forthcoming events

For a full listing of forthcoming events, see ALGA's Events calendar.

• 15 - 16 February 2011 Behaviour Change Workshop with Doug McKenzie-Mohr
• 16 - 17 February 2011 Enabling meaningful change through community engagement
• 23 - 24 February 2001 Evolving Models of Governance and Accountability
• 25 February 2011 Future housing for older Australians
• 02 - 04 March 2011 Census | beyond the count
• 06 - 09 March 2011 PIA National Congress
• 09 - 11 March 2011 LGSA Tourism Conference 2011
• 21 - 23 March 2011 Industrial & commercial Waste Recycling 2011
• 28 - 29 March 2011 Traffic Theory workshop
• 30 - 31 March 2011 3rd Annual Water Leaders Congress