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20 Jun 2008
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R2R allocations, depreciation of equipment discussed at Roads Congress

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The Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to Roads to Recovery (R2R) at the National Local Roads and Transport Conference in Shepparton this week.

Richard Marles MP, delivering a speech on behalf of the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Anthony Albanese, on Sunday night, said the Budget underlined the Government's commitment to continue funding the program up until 2009-10.

"Councils will need to plan effectively in the coming financial year and closely monitor their progress on Roads to Recovery projects so that they are able to claim the balance of their life of program allocation during 2008-09," Mr Marles, the Member for Corio, said. Supplementary Roads to Recovery Funding, which was paid to councils in June 2006, must also be fully spent by the end of the current Roads to Recovery round which ends on 30 June 2009.

Mr Marles said specific council allocations from 2009-10 would be determined closer to the commencement of the new program. He said the Government was interested in receiving feedback from councils about any improvements that could be made. In a recent letter to ALGA from Minister Albanese, for the first time the Government has mentioned it will look at the issue of depreciation of council-owned plant and equipment used on R2R funded proposals. Minister Albanese has asked ALGA to provide detailed advice on the nature and magnitude of the problem for councils.

This was reinforced by Mr Marles who said: "We are aware that some councils have concerns about the fact that depreciation can not be claimed as an expense under Roads to Recovery. The Government would be interested to learn whether this concern is widespread and the level of support for a policy change."

Under the current Roads to Recovery guidelines, funding provided under the program is allowed to be spent on eligible items but this does not include depreciation of council equipment used on R2R projects.

ALGA President Cr Paul Bell said: "This is an anomaly since such depreciation expenses on individual projects are legitimate costs which councils must account for." He said that a potential change in this situation as signalled by Mr Marles and the Rudd Government would not mean an increase in R2R funding, but would allow councils to actually allocate the full costs of projects to R2R funding instead of seeking to fund depreciation separately from other revenue such as council reserves. This is a limitation which does not apply to any other Commonwealth road funding program such as AusLink or Blackspots.

Truss outlines transport challenges facing Australia

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Nationals Leader and Infrastructure, Transport and Local Government Shadow Minister, Warren Truss, outlined the transport challenges facing all spheres of government at the National Local Roads and Transport Congress.

Addressing almost 350 delegates on Wednesday at Shepparton, Mr Truss received a warm response from the audience when he mentioned his strong personal support for the Roads to Recovery program and the success of councils in delivering meaningful outcomes for rural and regional communities. Roads to Recovery had its genesis at the very first Local Roads Congress, held in Moree in March 2000,where 'speaker after speaker catalogued the disastrous state of the bread and butter roads of Australia.' The then Transport Minister and local MP, John Anderson, was listening intently and nine months later, Roads to Recovery was born. Mr Truss acknowledged the Labor Government's Budget announcement that it would meet the Coalition's base AusLink $22.3 billion commitment but noted that the commitment was 'almost $9 billion short of what we proposed for the next five years.' Mr Truss maintained the Coalition's position that urban public transport was a matter for the states, which is awash with revenue from GST and property taxes. He expressed concern that under Labor, public transport and projects that the state governments had clear responsibility for would be considered 'alongside or even ahead of AusLink or local road projects.' In terms of transport more generally, Mr Truss said that improvements needed to be made to the rail sector and coastal shipping. He said that a wider range of fuel alternatives were being developed, however pricing would continue to be a concern and he was a strong advocate of lower petrol excise (a cut of 5c per litre) to reduce prices. Mr Truss said that developing 'quality infrastructure' needed to be a key priority for policymakers and he would use his role in Opposition productively to provide alternative policy ideas and to ensure the needs and concerns of Australian communities were heeded.

Fischer calls for balance between road and rail

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Former deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer argued for a rethink of Australia's freight system and how the use of rail could be maximised at ALGA's National Local Roads and Transport Congress this week.

Mr Fischer, who headed the Victorian Government's Rail Freight Network Review Committee, emphasised the key role local government had to play in tackling the challenges of the freight task. He said that the 'balanced message' that road and rail were both needed and that rail was greenhouse-friendly should carried far and wide, encouraging the audience of almost 350 to do their bit as 'leaders as the most dececentralised level of government.'

He mentioned Parkes, on the Melbourne to Sydney line, as a best practice example of grain and general freight mega-hubbing, one that could be followed by other councils such as Shepparton with opportunities created by the proposed Melbourne to Brisbane rail route. He said leadership was needed from government to provide prioritised investment and to ensure there was a balance between road and rail. He said there was a worldwide massive swing back to rail and 'nerves of steel' were required by governments. "A steel wheel on a steel rail has one-seventh of the friction of a rubber-tyre wheel on a bitumen surface," he said.

Mr Fischer detailed the 'Seven Deadly Trucking Border Anomalies' - a list developed at the recent 2020 summit by the Regional and Rural stream he chaired, and in consultation with the Australian Trucking Association. They are Fatigue Management; Road Train 'Modular B triple combination'; Mass Limits (HML); Performance Based Standards; Low Loaders; Width and Height of Load eg hay bales; Width and Height of Load eg industrial movement such as plaster board.

The Congress Communique supports revitalisation of rail in regional Australia (including the establishment of the inland rail route between Melbourne and Brisbane), viewing this as essential to meeting the expected growth in the land transport freight task.

In the Communique, local government notes the announcement in the Budget of $3 million for a Grain Rail Task Force to develop viable long-term solutions to grain transport in NSW because of the implications for the local road system. Local government's view is that the transportation of grain is a matter of concern across a number of jurisdictions and should be handled on a national rather than on a jurisdictional basis. The Communique is available at: www.alga.asn.au/newsroom/communiques/15.nlrtc/20080617.php
From the President

I am very pleased to report that the 2008 National Local Roads and Transport Congress held this week in Shepparton was a great success with almost 350 delegates attending from all parts of Australia and New Zealand.

Delegates heard from a wide range of speakers from all spheres of government, the road transport industry and political leaders.

The Congress, as in the past, also provides the opportunity for elected local government officials from across the country to hear the latest policy developments, discuss their common transport problems and develop a collective local government approach.

In line with the theme of the Congress, "Securing the First Mile," we heard from a range of speakers from the road transport industry on some of the issues they face gaining access to local roads for heavy vehicles. We also heard some best practice examples, such as Dubbo City Council and the Greater Shepparton Council, of the local government and the road transport industry working together to achieve win-win situations.

It was pleasing to hear from the Congress that local government understands the need for the developments of road transport reforms if Australia is to effectively deal with the expected doubling of freight volume by 2020 and that it is prepared to play its part. The clear message I get from the Congress is that local government wants to be part of the solution.

The Communique developed at the Congress commits local government to working more closely with industry and government to implement transport reforms. Local government's commitment, however is conditional on receiving both financial and technical support and the Communique calls on other spheres of government and the industry to recognise the other needs being placed on local government at this time.

In the Communique, local government, calls for the development of mechanisms which enable it to recover the costs imposed and the investment required to provide access to the emerging fleets of freight-efficient vehicles to the local road system.

Congress delegates recognised and called for a greater role for rail to meet the freight task in the future.

The Communique also reminds the Government that access to employment and to other services is not just a chestnut relevant to urban areas but there are rural, regional and remote dimensions, as is the case for safety on local roads.

In the Communique, local government recognises that future transport developments must be sympathetic to the impact on the environment, especially greenhouse gas emissions, and the increasing scarcity of the supply of oil, and seeks to work with the Federal Government to establish sustainable communities to meet these challenges.

Delegates to the Congress, as in the past focused on the financial implication of managing more than 80% of Australia's road system, a core deliverable for local government. However, delegates also reminded the government that roads can not be viewed in isolation from the broader issue of local government financial sustainability and called for the provision of a fair share of at least 1% of Commonwealth taxation revenue (excluding GST) to local government as an untied intergovernmental transfer. There is no doubt fair funding is a key issue that unites local governments all around Australia. It is discussed in relation to constitutional recognition, in relation to infrastructure and roads, and in council meetings. The debate is definitely hotting up. Thank you to delegates for your contributions and for ensuring our Roads Congresses get bigger and better every year. The next Road Congress will be held in November in Queensland. I will fill you in on further details as they are finalised.

The full Communiqu? from the Congress can be viewed at www.alga.asn.au/newsroom/communiques
/15.nlrtc/20080617.php

Cr Paul Bell AM
ALGA President

Bleak reports on Murray-Darling

"A hundred years of poor decision making" on the imperiled Murray-Darling Basin river system cannot be fixed in months, the NSW government says.

NSW Water Minister Nathan Rees has rejected calls for the nation's water ministers to bring forward a November summit, after a leaked report said the river system would reach a major crisis point by October.

"Water ministers could meet all day every day until November and that's not going to guarantee it rains," Mr Rees told reporters yesterday.

"We're in regular contact ... (and) water buybacks are how we do this.

"The buybacks are well underway, but the reality is we will struggle to fix a hundred years of poor decision making in a number of months."

The report, by the Natural Resource Management Board of the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin, warns vegetation and wetlands in the system's lower lakes will die unless flows are returned by October.

The report was handed to state ministers in May, but the Rudd government had deferred its consideration until a meeting of the Murray-Darling Ministerial Council in November.

Another bleak report out yesterday says Australia's largest river system is dangerously degraded and infested with carp.

Just one of 23 regions that make up the basin is in good health, while 20 are in poor or very poor health, it says.

The report, released by the Murray-Darling Basin Commission, rates the Murrumbidgee Valley in southern NSW as the very worst of a bad lot. (AAP)

SA has got your number

Every occupied rural property in South Australia - home and business - will have a nationally consistent numbered address by 2011 under a plan announced this week by the State Government and the Local Government Association of South Australia.

This distance-based numbering system quickly tells emergency service personnel or anyone delivering a letter, parcel or service that a certain property is so many kilometres from the start of a road, and on which side of the road the property entrance is located.

Until now, rural properties have used a mix of numbering systems including references to hundreds and sections, lot numbers or roadside delivery (RSD) numbers. Emergency services, in particular, have expressed concern about the difficulty they can have in finding rural properties quickly.

There will be a progressive rollout in all councils from 2009-2011 and extensive community consultation.

National Whale Day

Newcastle celebrated Australia's first National Whale Day last week with the official naming of the city's adopted humpback whale being held near Dixon Park Surf Club. Lord Mayor John Tate says a request was received for Newcastle to get involved in the Humpback Icon Project in late 2007 and the council was very supportive of the idea.

"As a coastal city, Newcastle is lucky to be on the yearly migration path for these magnificent mammals. Most would agree that if you have had the opportunity to see humpback whales up close it is quite a special experience," he said.

National Whale Day, an IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) initiative, celebrates the unique relationship Australians have with whales, but also draws attention to some of the threats they face today, which include whaling, climate change, ship strikes, marine debris and ocean noise.

Release of ABS data on own incorporated businesses income

On 27 March 2008 a new series was introduced by the ABS Rural and Regional Statistics National Centre through the release of an Information Paper: Persons with Main Source of Income from Own Unincorporated Business, Experimental Estimates for Small Areas, Australia, 1996-97 to 2003-04 (cat. no. 6225.0) and associated data cubes. Refer to cat no. 6225.0.55.001 for the data cubes.

This Information paper presents experimental estimates by region of the number of persons whose main source of income comes from their own unincorporated business(es). Estimates of the aggregated individual income (or 'take home pay') these persons receive from their own unincorporated business(es) and the total income they receive from all sources are also available from this series.

The statistics compiled to date are for the financial years 1996-97 to 2003-04 and should provide further insight about economic and employment activity in regions. The data are available for various levels of the Australian Standard Geographical Classification such as Statistical Local Areas, Local Government Areas, Statistical Subdivisions and Statistical Divisions.

In 2003-04, persons whose main source of income was from own unincorporated business in the Local Government Area (LGA) of Mosman in Sydney had the highest average personal income from their own unincorporated business(es) of all LGAs in Australia at $151,960. Woollahra also in Sydney, had the second highest average at $134,843.

Mosman, Woollahra, the neighbouring inner Perth LGAs of Cottesloe ($119,983) and Nedlands ($117,654) and the Sydney district LGAs of Hunter's Hill ($110,073) and Ku-ring-gai ($101,110), were the only LGAs where average personal incomes of persons whose main source of income was from their own unincorporated business(es) were in excess of $100,000 per annum in 2003-04.

$2.8 million to help our coasts adapt to climate change

The Rudd Government is providing $2.8 million for three new projects to help Australia's vulnerable coastal communities plan for the effects of climate change.

Announcing the projects in Fremantle, the Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong, said adapting to the unavoidable effects of climate change is a priority under the Government's climate change policy.

The three projects are:

  • $2 million to develop a high resolution 'Digital Elevation Model' for coastal urban areas to map the inundation risks from climate change in priority urban areas such as Perth, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.
  • $310,000 to develop an interactive web-based tool to enable planners, engineers and policymakers incorporate projections of high sea-level events into their planning codes.
  • $479,000 to develop a tool to project how climate change affects variations in offshore wave characteristics by combining climate modelling and spectral wave modelling.
Ministerial Conference on Ageing - inaugural meeting 13 June 2008

On Friday 13 June 2008, the Australian Local Government Association participated in the inaugural meeting of the Ministerial Conference on Ageing, convened by the Commonwealth Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot. ALGA was represented at the meeting by ALGA Board Director and President of the Local Government Association of Tasmania, Mike Gaffney.

The Ministerial Conference was held in Kingscliff, an area of NSW that more Australians are retiring to, and which symbolises the nation?s changing ageing population.

Ministers agreed to work together on many important ageing issues, including examination of improvements to age-appropriate housing, promoting measures that help reduce social isolation among older Australians, streamlining the regulation of the physical standard of residential care building, and to work on a new national protocol for community care service providers that is aimed at reducing the number of frail older Australians dying alone at home and reducing delays until deaths are discovered. Some 783,000 (29 per cent) of people 65 years and older lived alone in private dwellings in 2006, with the percentage increasing to 39 per cent among those aged 85 years and over. ABS projections (Series II) suggest that, by 2026, about 907,000 people aged 75 years and over will be living alone, most of them older women (685,600).

The meeting also agreed that a forum will be held with states, territories and local government on aged care planning ratios and allocation processes. Other items discussed included the Home and Community Care program and the COAG processes to reform Specific Purpose Payments (SPPs), community care reform with all jurisdictions agreeing to work together to achieve more integrated services for clients, the role of carers and respite services reforms, and the importance of grandparents, carers and volunteers.

Around 13 per cent of Australia's population (some 2.8 million people) is currently aged 65 years or older. This number is expected to rise to 18 per cent by 2021, and to 26 per cent (or around 7 million people) in 2051. Over the next 20 years, the number of people aged over 80 years will almost double.

Local government knows and understands the implications of an ageing population, and also recognises the positive benefits that can come with an ageing population. ALGA is about to complete its implementation of the Australian Local Government Population Ageing Action Plan 2004-2008, which has helped to engender further awareness in local government of the need to plan for an ageing population.

National Urban Design Awards now open

Have you been involved in a recent project demonstrating excellence and innovation in urban design?

Are you aware of any recent Australian urban design initiatives, projects or developments that deserve national recognition?

The Award is managed by the Planning Institute of Australia through its' urban Design Chapter, and supported by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects and the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, and the Urban Design Forum.

The Australia Award for Urban Design was established to recognise recent urban design projects of high quality in Australia, and to encourage cities, towns and emerging settlements of all sizes to strive similarly for improvement. It acknowledges the critical role of good urban design in the development if our cities and towns.

See www.planning.org.au for further information on the award. Closing date for applications in late July 2008.
Hot-line for 86 regional partnerships

Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development and Northern Australia Gary Gray said the Government was assisting local communities to have contracts in place for 86 Regional Partnerships projects.

"We have also established an information line for project proponents and I encourage them to contact the Department on 1800 038 160 with any further queries," Mr Gray said.

The Federal Government recently announced that 86 not-for-profit and local government projects in the Regional Partnerships program were being given the opportunity to complete contract negotiations by 31 July 2008.

Each of the proponents is being asked to provide to confirm they are able to meet the conditions of the offer. These conditions are:

  • the project still meets the program criteria;
  • money has already been spent or commitments entered into in good faith based on the advice from the previous government; and
  • they are able to meet the conditions of the original funding offer.

If the proponent can meet these conditions then contract negotiations can recommence, which need to be finalised and signed by 31 July 2008.

From next year, the Government's new Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program will invest in community infrastructure in local communities around Australia. The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, is conducting a public inquiry, with the assistance of Independent MP, Tony Windsor, on the structure of the new program. ALGA is preparing a submission.

Senate Report on Housing Affordability

On Wednesday, the Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Housing Affordability, Senator Marise Payne, tabled the Committee's report 'A good house is hard to find'. The Committee travelled extensively in gathering evidence, holding public hearings across all mainland state capitals as well as many outer metropolitan and regional areas.

The Committee found that the severity and the nature of the affordability problems differ from region to region. In the Western Australian mining town of Karratha, the housing affordability crisis could partly be attributed to the failure of the state government's land and property developer LandCorp to plan for the release of sufficient land. In western Sydney, the problem was not a shortage of land but housing with inadequate infrastructure and developers not building the housing that the area needs.

A number of recommendations in the report relate to increasing the supply of social housing provided by governments and community organisations. The report also recommends that more resources be provided for rental assistance and that its effectiveness be improved. To view the report click here.

The Government has announced the $512 million Housing Affordability Fund which will be distributed by direct grants, primarily to local governments, local government associations and State or Territory Governments, through a competitive selection process. Up to $30 million from the HAF is being used to develop IT infrastructure and software to roll out nationally, electronic development assessment systems and online tracking services to reduce red tape and streamline planning approvals. Housing Minister Tanya Plibersek has launched a Housing Affordability Fund (HAF) Consultation Paper. ALGA will make a submission but State and Territory Associations and councils are also encouraged to have their say. The Consultation Paper can also be found here.

DAF celebrates 10th Anniversary

Cr John Rich, ALGA's representative on the National Development Assessment Forum (DAF), attended last week's Development Assessment Forum meeting in Adelaide. DAF was established in 1998 to bring together all the key stakeholders in order to recommend ways to harmonise development assessment and cut red tape - without sacrificing the quality of the decision making.

The Forum's membership includes the three spheres of government - the Commonwealth, State/Territory and Local Government; the development industry; and a number of professional associations. In recent years CSIRO has also participated in the meetings.

The meeting in Adelaide continued to progress key initiatives including the promotion of the Leading Practice Model for Development Assessment, as well as other significant projects including electronic development assessment, benchmarking and objective rule and tests.

To celebrate its tenth birthday two previous chairs, namely Garry Fielding ( 1999-2002) and Peter Verwer (2002-2005) joined Forum members to critically review what DAF has achieved over the past decade and debate where the future for the Forum might be over the coming several years. With the assistance of a independent facilitator, DAF has commenced developing a new work program and is likely to reintroduce the value of re-establishing specific working groups to progress key initiatives.

Cr Rich agreed with the current DAF Chair, Mr Peter Allen that with the right level of reinvigoration and direction, DAF continues to be a relevant model for the future. "DAF, as an independent body, has definitely a role to play in helping Australia work towards substantially improving its planning regulatory systems whilst ensuring that a range of sustainability outcomes can be achieved without compromising the community's say in delivering more liveable communities," Cr Rich said.

For more information on DAF and its work program, see www.daf.gov.au

Drought assistance for some regions

The Federal Government has accepted advice from the National Rural Advisory Council, based on urgent proposals from the NSW and Queensland governments, to amend drought assistance boundaries and extend Exceptional Circumstances support for some regions.

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Tony Burke, said revised Exceptional Circumstances boundaries meant eligible farmers in the following areas could still access drought assistance:

  • Bourke Rural Lands Protection Board, NSW
  • Parts of Winton Shire Council in the former North West Ashy Downs region, Queensland
  • Lockyer Valley Regional Council, Ipswich City Council, part of Scenic Rim Regional Council in the former Southern South East (Lockyer Valley), Queensland
  • Parts of Banana Shire Council and Gladstone Regional Council in the former Burnett Addendum region, Queensland

The National Rural Advisory Council (NRAC) had recently reviewed these areas as their current Exceptional Circumstances declarations expire on 15 June 2008. Farmers in these revised areas can now continue to access drought assistance, including income support and interest rate subsidies, until 15 June 2009.

For more information, go to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry website or phone the drought hotline on 13 23 16.

Young people for Kokoda Track

The search is on for 8 young Australians to walk the Kokoda Track in September this year.

The Kokoda Youth Leadership Clubs Challenge will pay for 8 people from across Australia and between the ages of 16 and 22, to fly to Papua New Guinea in late September. Once there, the group will spend 10 days trekking 96km through some of the most arduous terrain on earth. The group will be commanded by a trek leader and several local guides who will ensure the group follow the original wartime trail.

Club peak bodies in each state and territory will fund the entire cost of the trip, believing the experience can bring about a deeper appreciation of both the suffering and heroics of the Australian soldiers who fought along the Kokoda Track.

More than 2,000 Australian soldiers died along the Track during 1942 and 1943, fighting for the first time in Australian military history without the assistance of Allied soldiers.

At the conclusion of the trek, the group will visit the Bomana War Cemetery. The cemetery contains 3,819 Commonwealth burials from WWII, 702 of them still unidentified. CEO of ClubsNSW David Costello said the Kokoda Youth Leadership Clubs Challenge was partly intended to identify and develop leadership skills in young people.

"Kokoda is arguably one of the toughest things a person can ever do," he said. The Kokoda Youth Leadership Clubs Challenge has been specifically designed to bring out the best in our youth. Many young people who complete the Kokoda Track return to Australia markedly different people, with leadership skills that are transferable to their local community."

Application forms for the Kokoda Youth Leadership Clubs Challenge are available from www.clubsnsw.com.au or by email at kokoda@clubsaustralia.com.au. Applications close 6th July. Applicants need to be available to walk the Kokoda Track between 27th September and 7th October.

Built Environment Meets Parliament

The Planning Institute of Australia, Australian Institute of Architects, Property Council of Australia, Green Building Council Australia and the Association of Consulting Engineers Australia invite interested parties to join them for Built Environment Meets Parliament (BEMP) 2008 to be held at Parliament House, Canberra on 1-2 September 2008.

BEMP is a 2-day event consisting of a welcome cocktail function, full-day Summit and gala dinner incorporating the presentation of the Australia Award for Urban Design.

The policy priorities for discussion at the Summit are:

  • infrastructure
  • climate change
  • red tape reduction
  • housing affordability, and
  • innovation.

For more information and registration visit www.bemp.com.au

Quote of the week

"I often ask myself: why do we have state governments? If I had my way, local governments would replace the states."
the Member for Murray Dr Sharman Stone, MP, brings the house down at the National Local Roads and Transport Congress at Shepparton.

International news  

The role of active citizenship in bringing together people of different faiths was discussed recently as part of the third 'Brussels Debate' organised under the banner of the 2008 European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. The debate "New horizons: active citizenship to bridge inter-religious divides" was prepared by the European Commission in cooperation with the European Policy Centre (EPC), an independent, non-profit, Brussels based think-tank.

Shada Islam, journalist and Senior Program Executive at the EPC, introduced the debate saying that as a consequence of globalisation, immigration and enlargement, the European Union now encompasses different cultures and religious beliefs, which can be a unifying but also a dividing aspect, as some recent episodes have shown.

J?n Figel', EU Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth said that, as religion is a part of life and education for many European citizens, inter-religious dialogue must be encouraged as a horizontal, concrete and constant aspect of EU actions and policies. He also highlighted that the European Commission is becoming more and more engaged in discussions between different religious communities as it can contribute to various topics and is now very active in avoiding the raise of fanaticisms. He finally underlined that education and activities promoting active citizenship play a fundamental role in building a real European multi-cultural and multi-faith society.

Four more debates are scheduled in 2008 dealing with such themes as languages, education, media and intercultural dialogue in the workplace.

For more information visit www.dialogue2008.eu.

State of the Regions report 2006-07
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
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