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18 Apr 2008
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Launch of Constitutional Recognition Website

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Recognition in the Australian Constitution is one of the most important challenges facing local government today. It is an issue that we need to manage properly if we are to maximise our chance of success.

Today, ALGA launched a special website dedicated to constitutional recognition. The website provides a range of material for councils including fact sheets, technical resources, a copy of the Australian Constitution and a CD with materials in electronic format.

Over the next few months Councils are asked to consider this important issue and provide feedback regarding their ideas, aspirations and desired outcomes.

ALGA President Cr Paul Bell said that, with the backing of the Rudd Government, there has never been a better time to achieve one of local government's most important goals.

"Having local government recognised in the Australian Constitution has been at the forefront of debate in successive National General Assemblies of Local Government and remains one of the main objectives of ALGA. We, as local government, have never been in a better position to steer this issue forward."

To find out more and to access the website, go to www.alga.asn.au/constitutionalrecognition/ or phone ALGA on (02) 6122 9400.

2020 Summit - This weekend

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This weekend (April 19-20) ALGA President Cr Paul Bell will be attending the 2020 Summit in Canberra.

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.

ALGA has prepared a 2020 submission which is available at www.alga.asn.au. 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.

Of particular importance to local government is intergovernmental and fiscal relations. Local government is the third sphere of government in Australia, but appears the least understood. 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.

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.

ALGA President Paul Bell is looking forward to the knowledge exchange and ideas sharing that the Summit will bring. "This is a fabulous opportunity to ensure that our views are heard by the national government in its consideration of the longer-term challenges facing Australia," ALGA President Cr Paul Bell said.

Review of National Aviation Policy

The Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, the Hon Anthony Albanese, has released an Issues Paper and announced a review of National Aviation Policy.

The purpose of the Review is to develop a Government White Paper to guide decision making by providing greater planning and investment certainty for industry, as well as to provide clear commitments for users of aviation services and the communities affected by aviation activity.

The Issues Paper will be followed by a Green Paper in the latter half of 2008 with further opportunity to comment and a detailed National Aviation Policy Statement in mid 2009.

The discussion paper covers five major areas:

  1. The Australian Aviation Industry
  2. Aviation Infrastructure
  3. Aviation Safety
  4. Aviation Safety Customer and Consumer Protection
  5. Aviation Security

The Issues Paper devotes one paragraph to regional aviation. It also acknowledges that most general aviation airports are owned by local government and that investment in these airports is critical to that industry.

The paper however does recognise that a key challenge at major airports is to integrate planning for the development of the airport site with consideration of the impact outside the airport.

The paper also states that the Australian Government does not support building airport at Badgerys Creek.

Public submissions close on 27 June 2008. The issues paper can be accessed here.

From the President

The absence of formal recognition of local government in the Australian Constitution is one of the most significant omissions in that document.

I strongly believe we now have our best opportunity for a generation, we must all work together to ensure we get a successful result.

The push to achieve constitutional recognition of local government has been given new impetus with the election, last November, of a Labor Federal Government. The Australian Labor Party went into the Election with a commitment to consult, during its first term, with local government on the process for achieving constitutional recognition.

I believe that before such consultation takes place local government needs to think about:

  • what we want from constitutional recognition
  • what form that recognition might take, and
  • the process by which it might be achieved.

We, as local government, need to take the lead and be in a position to steer this issue forward.

ALGA, in consultation with State and Territory Associations, is convening a Local Government Constitutional Summit - A Special National General Assembly at the end of this year to bring together councils to discuss and, if possible, agree on a position to put to the Federal Government. Prior to that Summit, you will be consulted on your Council position through your State and Territory Association.

A Council Resource Kit has been developed by ALGA and your State and Territory Associations to assist Councils facilitate a Council Conversation about constitutional recognition.

To assist you in your Council Conversation a range of materials has been provided in the kit, including:

  • A set of handling notes to facilitate Council's conversation,
  • Fact Sheets on the Constitution, changing the Constitution, current policy positions and other useful background material,
  • A copy of the Australian Constitution,
  • A template media release about the process,
  • A PowerPoint presentation for you to use to introduce the topic to your Council,
  • A CD with these materials in electronic format;
  • A Feedback form to be submitted online for you to send your comments and ideas back to ALGA, and
  • A detailed 'Explanatory Notes' document that provides in-depth technical information.

It is hoped that the outcome from this conversation will be the development of a Council position and for this position and your feedback to be submitted to ALGA via the online form.

Recognition in the Australian Constitution is one of the most important challenges facing local government today. It is an issue that we need to manage properly if we are to maximise our chance of success.

I wish you well in your deliberations and I look forward to seeing you at the Constitutional Summit in Melbourne in December 2008.

Cr Paul Bell AM
ALGA President

Commonwealth Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport - Accessible Checklist available now

The Commonwealth Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (Standards) provide a timetable for bus stop infrastructure compliance; 31st December 2007 compliance with the relevant Standards by 25%; 31st December 2012 compliance with the relevant Standards by 55%; 3131st December 2017 compliance with the relevant Standards by 90% and 3131st December 2032 all public transport services to fully comply with the Standards.

WALGA in partnership with member Local Governments and the WA Public Transport Authority has developed an Accessible Bus Stop ? Compliance Checklist. This is an easy to use Checklist to audit bus stops for compliance with guidance for the providers of bus stops infrastructure on the minimum requirements as set out in the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport (2002). The Checklist is available at the WALGA website.

The Checklist is for use by any provider who is responsible for compliance. Roles and responsibilities for infrastructure provision and compliance in WA are not clear, and WALGA is in the process of clarifying the roles and responsibilities in partnership with the State Government. For more information please contact Cheryl Bulford, Support Officer, on 089213 2059 or cbulford@walga.asn.au.

CDMA Closure

This week the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, announced that Telstra has met the requirements to allow closure of its CDMA mobile phone network from 28 April 2008.

Senator Conroy stated that he was now satisfied that Telstra had met the "equivalence tests" in its licence condition and has sufficiently rectified the problems, including handheld handset coverage, customer information provision and the availability of equipment and services.

The Government is now urging anyone who still has a CDMA phone to make the necessary arrangements to switch to another network as quickly as possible. Anyone experiencing Next G coverage difficulties can call 1800 888 888 freecall hotline and handset replacement program for people experiencing until 1 July 2008.

Customers who do not believe they have had their network switchover issues resolved using Telstra's hotline will still be able to contact the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy on freecall 1800 883 488.

ALGA's Ageing Awareness and Action Survey 2007

ALGA would like to thank those councils who have already responded to the above survey and encourages any councils who would still like to respond, to do so by Wednesday 30 April 2008.

The survey is the third and final Ageing Awareness and Action survey conducted by ALGA since 2004 and as with previous surveys, the results will be published on the ALGA website in coming months.

The survey is available at

www.alga.asn.au/policy/healthAgeing/
ageing/surveys/2007/survey00.php.

State of the Regions report 2006-07
Rudd Government committed to supporting Regional Australia

The Government has recently announced its support for regional Australia with the establishment of Regional Development Australia, an organisation created to administer a new program of regional development grants and to provide strategic advice on regional issues.

In a statement by Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, the Hon Anthony Albanese, MP, on 20 March 2008, the government announced plans for the creation and role of Regional Development Australia.

"One of our key regional election commitments was that Area Consultative Committees (ACCs) would provide the basis for the creation of Regional Development Australia (RDA).

"The ACC Network was established in 1994 originally provided advice and generated support for labour market programs. Over time their role has evolved and recently their primary role has been to promote, identify projects and assist in the development of applications for the Regional Partnerships program.

"The new RDA network will build on the success of its predecessor, but will take on a broader role to develop strategic input into national programs to improve the coordination of regional development initiatives and ensure that there is effective engagement with local communities. The Rudd Government is committed to listening to communities and the RDAs will assist that process.

"This Government's new vision for regional Australia is based on building partnerships to ensure the Government is responsive to local priorities and needs," he said.

Productivity Commission releases report on local government revenue raising capacity

The final Productivity Commission report on assessing local government revenue raising capacity was released on 17 April 2008.

ALGA President Cr Paul Bell said, "I welcome the Report's conclusion that councils are already approaching their hypothetical maximum own-source revenue raising capacity." Cr Bell noted the Report's key findings that: state government legislation and regulatory factors can limit the ways in which councils raise revenue and that in fact this is affecting capacity in NSW; that councils could benefit from principles to guide their revenue raising and expenditure decisions, noting the Report's positive observation that many councils are already applying such principles; and that there is a need to improve the integrity and consistency of statistical data in this area.

Importantly, the Report acknowledged that some councils, especially in rural areas, would struggle to raise more own-source revenue from local communities already faced with financial hardship. Cr Bell said this highlighted the fact that whilst local governments' own-source revenue has an important part to play in local government resourcing, it is only one part of a very complex issue, and that a fair share of Commonwealth revenue (being a 1 per cent share of total Commonwealth taxation revenue) is the only way to ensure adequate revenue growth for general purposes.

The PC Report was one of the Government's deliverables, promised in its response to the Commonwealth Parliament's 2004 Hawker Report on Cost Shifting which agreed with ALGA that cost shifting onto local government was costing local government something in the order of $500m to $1b per annum.

ALGA will be closely examining the Report over coming weeks.

The final Report is available here.

Councils want funds for mergers

Queensland councils are pushing for at least $77 million from the state government to help them complete the controversial amalgamation process.

Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) president Paul Bell told a symposium of more than 500 mayors, councillors and officials in Brisbane that councils had been "put through the wringer" and their power and autonomy had been slashed.

Amalgamations which came into force at the March 15 elections cut the number of local councils in Queensland from 157 to 73.

Mr Bell said extra funding was needed in the June Queensland budget on top of that already allocated to councils.

"LGAQ has conservatively estimated that an additional $77 million will be required to support councils with the amalgamation process up until the end of the transition period in March 2011," Mr Bell told the symposium.

The forum, which ends today, will look at issues including housing affordability, water reform, climate change, road safety and land valuation. (AAP)

Focus on the Environment

Environment Protection and Heritage Council and Natural Resource Management Ministerial Councils met on Thursday and Friday (17 and 18 April) of this week.

This is the first time that these Ministerial Councils have met since the election of the new Government, and provides an important opportunity for Commonwealth Ministers to discuss key environmental issues with their state and local government counterparts.

The meetings will be attended by new Commonwealth Ministers: the Hon Peter Garrett, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts; the Hon Tony Burke, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; and Senator the Hon Penny Wong, Minister for Climate Change and Water.

ALGA is represented by Vice President Cr Bill Mitchell. Key issues discussed will include 'Caring for our Country' and waste management issues.

Broadband Network Taking Shape

This week Senator the Hon Stephan Conroy Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy released the Request for Proposals (RFP) to roll-out the National Broadband Network.

This is a major step toward delivering the Governments election promise for hi-speed broadband to 98% of Australia's population.

The RFP scope include the key requirements of the delivery of minimum download speeds of 12 megabits per second; have the network rolled out and made operational progressively over five years using fibre-to-the-node or fibre-to-the-premises technology; facilitate competition in the telecommunications sector through open access arrangements that allow all service providers access to the network on equivalent terms; and enable uniform and affordable retail prices to consumers, no matter where they live.

The Minister also called for submissions on Broadband solutions for remote areas, and submissions on regulatory issues that related to the National Broadband Network. Further details can be found here.

Quote of the week

"He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money."
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
Forthcoming events

For a full listing of forthcoming events, see ALGA's Events calendar.
ALGA News can be read online each week at www.alga.asn.au/news.aspx
Editor: newscomments@alga.asn.au Tel: 02 6122 9434.
Australian Local Government Association - 8 Geils Court, Deakin, ACT, 2600.
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