From the President

In the aftermath of the Federal Budget 2008-09, I would like to assess what lies ahead in terms of the future for local government.

The centrepiece of the Budget 2008-09 is the new Government's commitments to funding infrastructure. In the week before the Budget, I commented in 'ALGA News' that investing in our nation's infrastructure is critical to true nation-building and vital to the strength of our local communities. Through the Government's announcements in the Budget 2008-09, including the establishment of the Building Australia Fund, and the commitment to establish the Regional and Community Infrastructure Program from 2009-10, it is evident to me that the infrastructure gaps that have held back our collective potential can begin to be redressed. Local government should feel proud that its messages about the importance of infrastructure investment have been heard at the highest levels, including most recently, with the appointment to Infrastructure Australia of Professor Peter Newman, who is well experienced in local government, and was a Councillor with the City of Fremantle.

Indeed, there are growing signs that across the political divide, investing in both our national and our local community infrastructure is considered vital. At the National Press Club this week, the Shadow Treasurer, Malcolm Turnbull, stressed the importance of ensuring that 'the huge gains we are reaping from the minerals boom will be used for the long term benefit of all Australians' and criticised the past lack of infrastructure spending by state governments. In his Budget in Reply Speech on 15 May 2008, the Opposition Leader noted the importance of securing 'the prosperity of our nation' going forward, which imports notions of infrastructure investment and renewal. It seems that both sides of politics are now picking up on the priorities that we in local government have been pushing for some time.

Another underlying theme, that of intergovernmental relations, had prime billing in the Budget. Indeed, the Budget confirmed that the new system of payments from the Commonwealth to the States will take effect from 1 January 2009 and be supported by a new COAG Reform Council. In addition, the Federal Government announced that it will review our entire taxation system (excluding the base and rate of the GST), one aspect of which will focus on 'simplifying the tax system, including consideration of appropriate administrative arrangements across the Australian Federation'. This announcement and the announcement by the Opposition that Professor Henry Ergas has also been asked to conduct a review of Australia's taxation system by year's end, highlight the need for a modern, correctly calibrated taxation system, one in which local government is appropriately resourced.

Perhaps a less obvious but even more important theme was that of local government itself. It is noteworthy that, in the Budget context, both the Federal Government and the Federal Opposition expressed support for examining the constitutional responsibilities of the three spheres of government, including the raising and distribution of money. That there is bipartisan agreement on the importance of this issue to co-operative federalism, is strong evidence that the voice of local government is being heard and starting to be acted upon. It is now up to us - as the sphere of government closest to all Australians - to take these opportunities forward.

Cr Paul Bell AM
ALGA President

Dementia Forum in Sydney

The second Annual National Dementia Research Forum will be held at the Wesley Conference Centre in Sydney 18-19 September 2008. The program includes four international speakers and a variety of sessions: plenaries, workshops, poster sessions, a hypothetical, a breakfast with the experts and a working lunch for emerging researchers. A program, registration form and call for poster abstracts is available from our website .

Victoria state-local government agreement

The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) has celebrated the long-awaited signing of an agreement to strengthen state-local government relations and formally commit to principles and guidelines that will give greater clarity to roles, responsibilities and financial arrangements.

Cr Dick Gross, MAV President said the Victorian State-Local Government Agreement (VSLGA) signalled a historic new era towards improved funding, consultation and cooperation.

"Over recent years councils have increasingly been called upon to implement policies, legislation and regulations on behalf of, or in conjunction with, the Commonwealth and State Government. In some instances this occurred without adequate consultation on the policy, its impacts or funding models," he said. "The transfer of functions or additional responsibilities to local government without sufficient funding is the phenomenon known as cost shifting. This Agreement gives effect in Victoria to the national Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) on cost shifting signed by all three levels of government in 2006."

National Tree Day - Australian councils to get growing

It's nearly time for Australian councils to get growing, by registering and running National Tree Day sites in their local areas.

National Tree Day is a community environment event designed to develop the relationship that residents and communities have with their local natural spaces. National Tree Day encourages local beautification, promotes biodiversity, and activates individuals and groups to take positive steps to protect their environment at a local level. Now in its 13th year, National Tree Day has successfully mobilised more than 1.8 million volunteers to plant almost 12 million native trees and shrubs around the country.

National Tree Day offers councils the opportunity to develop partnerships with local schools and community groups in combined efforts to plant trees and shrubs that are native to local areas. Councils can organise one or more tree-planting sites in a local area, or support existing sites with contributions such as donated seedlings, or ground preparation.

This year National Tree Day will be held on Sunday July 27th with Schools Tree Day on Friday July 25th. For more information on getting your council involved with this national event, please call the National Tree Day Hotline on 1300 88 5000 or visit www.treeday.planetark.org/

Solar energy backed by G-G

Governor-General Major General Michael Jeffrey has stepped into the energy debate, saying solar power is Australia's best prospect of securing a large-scale clean and sustainable energy source.

Speaking at a Future Summit in Sydney, he suggested water, food and the environment would be among Australia's top issues in 50 years time, and that all three were linked to plentiful and reasonably priced energy.

Major General Jeffrey also told the summit that thorium - a naturally occurring and slightly radioactive metal - should be explored as a nuclear fuel alternative, as well as the potential to extract oil from shale deposits in central Queensland.

But he says improving solar technology is a priority. "The Australian scientists suggest that they could meet the total energy needs of Australia with a solar panel array of around 50 kilometres squared," he said. "How to store and then distribute that energy remains the technical problem requiring rapid resolution."

Major General Jeffrey says the use of thorium as a nuclear fuel alternative could prove to be an important means of securing Australia's future energy supply.

No evidence of NT urban drift

The head of the Northern Territory intervention says there is not solid evidence of an urban drift of people from communities to Alice Springs.

The Alice Springs Town Council has raised concerns about an increased number of people coming into town and staying since the intervention began almost one year ago.

Major general David Chalmers says urban drift in the Northern Territory is cyclical and regular.

He says the drift could be because of alcohol restrictions, and income management, but more research needs to be conducted before he can decide on action.

Council of mayors formed in Qld's S-E

A 'council of mayors' has been formed in Queensland's south-west to maintain a strong voice for the region after amalgamation.

The concept was endorsed at a meeting in Charleville this week by six councils - Balonne, Roma, Paroo, Bulloo, Murweh and Quilpie.

Balonne Mayor Donna Stewart says the 'council of mayors' will be a forum to raise regional issues.

"As a result of the amalgamations and the very strong regional councils that are in towards the coast from here, we definitely needed to establish this forum so our voice was heard and wasn't lost," she said.

Why some towns flourish, and others languish - Answer: the Arts

Queensland academic, Ian Plowman, set out to answer the big question about why some towns thrive while others languish at Country Arts WA's state conference. He began his address with a few fundamental truths:

• All people have mobility choices - to move towards somewhere satisfying, to stay somewhere that is satisfying, or to move away from somewhere that is not satisfying.
• It is the exercise of mobility choices and the resulting net inflows or net outflows that determine whether or not a town is innovative.
• The question is: Who moves, who doesn't, and why?

The research was conducted in 2003/4 in eight towns scattered across the breadth of Queensland using interviews, surveys and census data.

He found that:

Innovative and creative people have the highest mobility. They seek a location that is welcoming and attractive.

Innovative people move out of a location that is unwelcoming, leaving behind a conservative monoculture. The innovative talent that we crave, we may already have. We often chase it away. Our responsibility is to create a welcoming environment that permits our communities to reinvent themselves and to thrive. Mobiility, newcomers and young people should be supported.

Mobility alone results in the most able people going to those communities that are more likely to be receptive to the inflow of talent. It also serves to help more capable people move out of environments that are barren.

Newcomers need to establish a sense of place, purpose and social acceptance. It is newcomers who are most willing to invest in the social and economic fabric of a community. The more they are made to feel welcome, the more willing they are to invest. Young people need to invest in relationships and in careers. Unlike their parents, their array of options is vast and they are increasingly citizens of a global village. Communities need to consider how accommodating or otherwise they are of young people, their interests and their careers.

The fourth suggestion is to invest in diversity. Innovation and creativity are commonly the fortuitous by-product of the blending of diverse ideas and experience. Diversity has a prerequisite - tolerance. Communities that are intolerant of diversity are destined to die.

Finally, communities need to invest in capacity building. Communities that are dying have incumbent leaders and passive supporters. Thriving communities have a constantly evolving dynamic of creative coalitions made of people who roll their sleeves up without being asked and who seek no credit for doing so. Any support given to the willing will provide a handsome return.

Finally, invest in celebration. Communities that celebrate are offering their citizens a sense of unity and identity, characteristics that are essential in underpinning the previous five investments.

Nomination open for Regional Arts Volunteer Awards

Regional Arts Australia is pleased to announce that nominations will open on 15 May 2008 for the inaugural Regional Arts Australia Volunteer Awards.

Nominations close 5pm, Wednesday 16 July
(submissions postmarked 16 July will be accepted).

A total of 14 awards will be presented, one from each state and territory in two categories:

• Sustained Contribution to the Arts
• Youth Award (aged 26 years or under)

The Regional Arts Australia Volunteer Awards recognise, reward and encourage regionally-based artists and cultural volunteers who have made a substantial contribution to the arts in regional communities in Australia.

Award recipients will gain national recognition for their contribution, plus the added bonus of free travel, registration and accommodation to art at the heart, Regional Arts Australia's national conference to be held in Alice Springs in October.

Nominate yourself or someone you know who has made a different in your community.

Enquiries:
Jo McDonald
Regional Arts Australia
08 8444 0428, 0423 290 436
info@regionalarts.com.au

Australian Environmental Law Enforcement and Regulators Network

The Australian Environmental Law Enforcement and Regulators Network (AELERT) is a network of environmental regulatory agencies responsible for the management of natural resources, cultural heritage or the protection of the environment. It aims to build relationships between jurisdictions to facilitate the sharing of information and to improve the regulatory compliance capacity of member agencies. It also seeks to develop national standards for training and best practice in environmental regulation.

The 5th annual AELERT conference will be held from 22 - 24 October 2008 in Perth, Western Australia.

Membership of AELERT is open to any federal, state or local government agency that has environmental, planning, or natural resource related responsibilities. To find out more about AELERT initiatives and how your environmental regulatory agency can become a member, please visit the Background and Member pages.

Actor backs local government control of Melbourne planning

Actor Geoffrey Rush has urged Victorian Premier John Brumby to think of Melbourne as an artwork to be preserved, after the state government announced changes today to planning laws.

Local councils will no longer have planning control of areas of metropolitan significance, under a move the state government says is designed to help the better enforce its planning policy.

Rush says the changes will give the developers open slather and says he fears the changes will ultimately ruin Melbourne's aesthetic character.

JEAN MARJORIE MANNING, PIONEER COUNCILLOR 19-2-1914 - 15-3-2008

Jean Manning, who was the first woman to be elected to the Hawthorn Council, has died at Villa O'Neill in Prahran, aged 94.

A staunch believer in female contribution to the community, she set in motion an uninterrupted era of women serving on local councils.

Jean studied pharmacy during World War II and went on to raise four children, while also working in a pharmacy and at the Pharmacy College, as well as representing female pharmacists on the National Council of Women. She also launched the Local Government Women's Association and helped to edit the Australian Pharmaceutical Formulary. She was encouraged by her husband, Nigel Manning, who was for many years the pharmacist at Flinders Street Station, and later dean of the Victorian College of Pharmacy.

In 1960, Jean travelled by herself to London, Paris and Moscow at the height of the Cold War. She also enjoyed membership of the Lyceum Club, and was a resident of Hawthorn for 50 years. In her later years she lived at Moorfields Community and Broadmead Hostel. Jean is survived by her children Jan, Sally, John and Andrew, 11 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Healthy Spaces and Places

The first of a series of national consultation workshops on the Healthy Spaces and Places draft guide was held in Adelaide late last week. Over 50 participants attended, including representatives from the Australian Local Government Association, the Local Government Association of South Australia, the National Heart Foundation of Australia and State government, as well as the South Australian Active Living Coalition.

Healthy Spaces and Places is a collaborative project between the Australian Local Government Association, the Planning Institute of Australia and the National Heart Foundation, with funding assistance from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

The Healthy Spaces and Places initiative aims to strengthen knowledge about the importance of promoting the ongoing development and improvement of built environments where Australians live, work and play. There is a growing body of evidence that the design and management of the built environment where we live, work, play, shop or learn is associated with levels of physical activity.

The draft guide aims to educate all planners, health professionals, the property development industry, recreation officers, engineers and associated professionals on the long-term socio-economic benefits of linking health to the planning stage.

The importance of the initiative is underlined by the various demographic and health issues now confronting Australia, particularly the ageing of our population and the growing burdens of diseases.

The consultation workshops are designed to elicit discussion from all participants using a 'world cafe' format, on issues such as: how to make the guide as user-friendly as possible; how the guide can best be used; and how we can encourage stakeholders to use the guide and promote it to others. Feedback from the workshop was very positive.

The draft guide will be made available soon for public comment, as will the details of further consultation workshops. These will be available at www.planning.org.au.

$100m Community Coastcare program announced

The Australian Government has announced details of the Community Coastcare program for 2008/9. The program is part of the five year $2.25bn Caring for our Country initiative, which was announced in March.

The Community Coastcare program launched today by Environment Minister Peter Garrett and Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister Tony Burke, will provide $100m over five years, through grants to help local communities protect coastal areas.

Community Coastcare projects will contribute to two of the six Caring for our Country national priorities:

• protecting and rehabilitating coastal environments and critical aquatic habitats, and
• enhancing community skills, knowledge and engagement with Indigenous Australians, volunteers and coastal communities.

There are two types of grants - small grants up to $50,000 and grants for larger-scale activities up to $250,000. The $20m available for 2008/9 will be split approximately equally between the two grant types.

Typical small grant projects could include prevention of coastal erosion, dune stabilisation, and protection and rehabilitation of coastal waterways and wetlands. Larger-scale projects will need to be designed to provide a substantial contribution to areas of high conservation value, such as nationally significant coastal wetlands. They will also need to address water quality issues.

Applications have opened, and will close on Friday 25 July.

Full details of the Community Coastcare program are available here, including funding guidelines and details of the application process.

Online and Communications Council reaches historic agreement

On Wednesday 21 May 2008, ALGA attended the 15th Online and Communications Council (OCC) meeting in Canberra, chaired by the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Minister Conroy, and also attended by and state and territory ministers.

ALGA was represented at the meeting by Cr Paul Braybrooks, Mayor of the Shire of Cootamundra. Speaking after the meeting, he said, "Minister Conroy has chaired a very successful OCC. The Minister heard, and endorsed, the message from local government at the OCC that high-speed, affordable broadband is of paramount importance to all local communities, with the emphasis on affordability".

Local government recognises the vital importance of broadband as a key enabler in generating additional economic activity and social equity.

Local government therefore welcomes the historic agreement reached at the OCC that all governments will cooperate to develop a Framework for the collaborative development and use of broadband in Australia to guide future programs and activities.

The OCC also agreed that a cooperative approach between all spheres of government is vital to the success of the National Broadband Network, once a successful tenderer is chosen.

The new Building on Broadband initiative, which was announced at the OCC, is designed to ensure practical and valuable outcomes are achieved. This initiative provides an opportunity for OCC members to identify a small number of strategically focused broadband projects, to build on already successful collaborative Clever Networks projects and other funding initiatives.

The next meeting of the OCC will be held in Victoria in November 2008.

The full OCC Communique is available at www.occ.gov.au

Opposition questions Labor over natural disaster mitigation

The Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government, Sophie Mirabella, has questioned the Federal Government's Budget extension of the Natural Disaster Mitigation Program for only one year, stating that local councils and communities require greater funding certainty.

"The Natural Disaster Mitigation Program (NDMP) was developed by the former Coalition Government to assist local councils and other organisations invest in practical mitigation measures to withstand the impact of natural disasters," Mrs Mirabella said.

"The program aids local communities better prepare for natural disasters such as landslides, bushfires, floods, cyclones and storms. Natural disasters across Australia inflict more than $1 billion worth of damage each year, along with the obvious disruption to communities. Many have predicted that such occurrences will be even more widespread and severe in the future."

Mrs Mirabella said the Natural Disaster Mitigation Program heralded a policy shift in focus towards more cost-effective, evidence-based disaster mitigation which looked beyond simply disaster response and reaction, but focused efforts towards anticipation, mitigation and prevention.

MAV supports Govt on smoking ban compliance

Hundreds of venue owners and patrons have been warned and three fined for breaking Victoria's tough ban on smoking in licensed venues.

The president of the Municipal Association of Victoria, Dick Gross, supported the Government's inquiry into compliance.

Local councils have been given a hit-list to target the one-in-four high-risk venues that the Government estimates may be "non-compliant" with smoking laws introduced in July last year.

The State Government has also launched an urgent inquiry into compliance with smoking laws, with the inquiry expected to report back by September.

Quoted in the 'Age' newspaper, Bram Alexander from the Department of Human Services said local councils, which enforce the smoking laws, were told of the one-in-four high-risk venues because the Government wanted them to concentrate their resources for better enforcement.

"We wanted local government to concentrate on areas where compliance may be a problem," Mr Alexander said. The high-risk venues could be where there was no outdoor smoking area, such as some night clubs.

Fiona Sharkie, executive director of Quit, said the introduction of smoke-free bars and clubs was a significant public health milestone in Victoria.

"The bans are extremely popular, with data indicating that more than eight out of 10 Victorians support total smoking bans in bars and clubs," she said.

Your superannuation obligations

The Australian Taxation Office has provided some important information for ALGA to distribute to its members. As a government organisation, statutory authority or municipal body, there are a number of superannuation (super) guarantee obligations to your employees you need to consider.

You need to:

• determine which workers are eligible for super
• work out how much to pay - the minimum is 9% of the employee's earning base
• work out which super fund or retirement savings account to pay it into
• pay at least quarterly by the cut-off dates of
  • 28 October
  • 28 January
  • 28 April
  • 28 July, and
• understand what you need to do if you don't meet your obligations (if you forget to pay or pay late).

The easiest and cheapest way for you to meet your super obligations is to pay super contributions:

• to the correct super fund
• for all your eligible employees
• by the quarterly cut-off dates.

If you pay super contributions by these dates, you will avoid the superannuation guarantee charge.

Most employees who are either full-time, part-time or casual are covered by the super guarantee legislation if they are:

• paid $450 or more before tax in a calendar month, and
• over 18 and under 70 years of age.

You may also have to make super payments for contractors you pay under a contract that is wholly or principally for labour (that is, physical labour, or mental or artistic effort) even if the worker quotes an Australian business number (ABN).

The minimum super amount you have to pay is 9% of each eligible employee's earnings base. For most employees, their earnings base is their 'ordinary time earnings', which generally means what they earn for their ordinary hours of work.

It's important to pay the correct amount of super by the cut-off date each quarter to avoid paying the superannuation guarantee charge. If you don't meet your super obligations you have to lodge a Superannuation guarantee charge statement - quarterly (NAT 9599) form and pay the superannuation guarantee charge to the Tax Office.

You may also be required to offer a choice of super fund to your eligible employees. If you have a new employee who is eligible to choose their super fund, you must provide them with a Standard choice (NAT 13080) form within 28 days of the day they start work with you.

Ways to avoid common pitfalls

• Pay super on allowances relating to conditions of employment.
• Pay super on bonuses that relate to specific performance criteria.
• Don't count super payments that your employees make through your payroll system, (after tax has been deducted from their salary or wages - their own income), towards your super guarantee obligations.
• Make super contributions on salary or wages back-paid to former employees.

For more information about your super guarantee obligations:

visit www.ato.gov.au and go to 'For Businesses - Super essentials', or
phone 13 10 20, 8am-6.00pm, Monday to Friday.

NSW communities bailing out government services, new survey says

Local communities across NSW are being forced to pay hundreds of millions of dollars a year to bail out State and Federal Government services, a new survey of NSW councils has found.

The new findings in a survey of 91 NSW councils that reveal that local communities have been forced to cover a bill of more than $400million for critical services.

The survey found that from 2005/2006 - 2006/2007 councils surveyed had been forced to make up State and Federal Government funding shortfalls for critical services such as:

• The NSW Fire Brigade and Rural Fire Services.
• Pensioners' rates rebates.
• The administration of contaminated lands.
• Flood reduction programs.
• Immigration services and citizenship ceremonies.

Local Government Association President and North Sydney Mayor, Genia McCaffery, said the findings showed that NSW councils were being squeezed from both ends.

"The reality is that Federal and State Governments are loading up councils with more work to do, but with fewer funds to do it," Cr McCaffery said.

"Deep cuts to developer contributions by the State Government especially have meant that NSW councils have even fewer funds to spend on essential local services."

NSW Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell says if local councils are required to carry out such services, they should be given funding.

"For 13 years, this State Government has passed on responsibilities to local councils, passed the buck if you like, but not passed the dollars on to enable them to do that work," he said. "This report confirms what everybody knows in local government - that what are described as unfunded mandates from State Governments are affecting their financial liabilities."

Local Government Environment Conference, Cairns, 9-11 July 2008

The Local Government Environment Conference, the first conference of its kind, will focus squarely on the environmental challenges facing local governments nationally.

The Conference theme, "Valuing the Environment" will draw out the opportunities and challenges for councils in managing and adapting to climate change, natural resource management, sustainable purchasing, land use planning and waste management.

Registration and the conference program are available on the LGAQ website, under Key Events: Environment Conference. For further information contact Bron Browning, LGAQ Conference Coordinator . Phone: (07) 3000 2220, Email: bron_browning@lgaq.asn.au.

Rockdale City Council highly commended in e-Government awards

Rockdale City Council received a highly commended award for its Local SmartForms as part of the Australian Government's e-Awards for Excellence in e-Government announced by the Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Lindsay Tanner.

The e-Award recognises the most outstanding initiatives in e-government that have been implemented in the past two years, based on the positive impact they have had on the lives of Australian citizens, the community and business while improving the efficiency and effectiveness of government administration and service delivery.

Further information on the winner and finalists' initiatives is available on the AGIMO website.

Metropolitan Congress 2008 - global city expert speakers confirmed

Two keynote international speakers have been confirmed for the Metropolis Congress 2008, to be held in Sydney, 22-25 October. These speakers will provide highly valuable insights into the world cities of tomorrow.

Dr Rajendra Pachauri, Nobel Peace Prize-winning chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will speak on the impact of climate change on urban planning and ways of creating sustainable cities.

Saskia Sassen, Columbia University sociologist and economist who coined the term 'Global City' will discuss the changing role of global cities and the importance of their connectivity.The Metropolis Congress 2008 is being hosted by the NSW Government. For further details see www.metropoliscongress2008.com

Beyond Carbon - Local Government Climate Change Summit

The 2008 Beyond Carbon - Local Government Climate Change Summit will be held on 4 and 5 June in Adelaide at the Mercure Grosvenor Hotel in Adelaide.

The summit will draw to Adelaide national climate change expertise and experience and focus on imparting practical knowledge and understanding about climate change impacts and opportunities for Local Government. The summit will provide the launching pad for the LGASA climate change strategy.

A practical and thought provoking program has been developed. The program will include the following key areas of climate change preparedness for Local Government:

• climate change science and predicted regional and local impacts;
• practical Local Government examples of adaptation and mitigation actions and initiatives;
• climate change risk assessment, management and insurance;
• Local Government's place in a carbon constrained future; and
• the Local Government climate change sector agreement with the South Australian Government.

The LGASA is pleased to welcome the Hon Mike Rann MP, Premier of South Australia and Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change to open the summit. A message from Senator the Hon Penny Wong, Minister for Climate Change and Water, will also be part of the program.

Circular 19.1 on the LGA SA website provides further information, registration details and the draft program. Registrations close on 30 May 2008. Be quick, as places are limited.

For further information, please contact Patricia Coonan on 8224 2028 or patricia.coonan@lga.sa.gov.au.