From the President
Earlier this week I was invited to present to the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party's Infrastructure, Transport, Rural and Regional Caucus Committee chaired by Jim Turnour MP on the issues affecting local government.
This offered an excellent opportunity to talk about ALGA's three key priorities: building a more financially sustainable sector, addressing infrastructure issues (including the impact of climate change) and pressing our case for constitutional reform.
Unfortunately the best laid plans can go awry and a bad dose of the flu, which fortunately was not Swine Flu, kept me from attending. ALGA's Director of Policy, John Pritchard stepped in at short notice and delivered our presentation.
A major point that came out of discussion and questions following the presentation was that of the critical importance of accountability and transparency. This was raised by several members of the committee and the Federal Government is keen to ensure that the $800 million Community Infrastructure Program and our flagship Roads to Recovery program operates effectively. While most councils do the right thing, there have been a few examples in the past where audits have shown that councils have not fully abided by the provisions of the Roads to Recovery program. It is important that all councils fully meet the requirements of these programs if we are going to put ourselves in the best position to advocate for more permanent funding.
I am particularly pleased that all councils have now submitted their paperwork to allow for payment of their allocation of the $250 million component of the community infrastructure funding in the first Stimulus Package. The $550 million funding for strategic projects is now starting to flow through to councils as well.
It is also crucially important that councils ensure they meet the Australian Government's tight timeframes for spending the stimulus funding. This is an opportunity for local government to demonstrate its capacity and effectiveness in rolling out projects quickly at the local level.
If councils are experiencing any problems, it is important that we communicate this openly to the Australian Government so expectations are managed. It is worth noting that the Prime Minister specifically singled out councils for praise at the most recent COAG meeting as an example of how the stimulus money is being rolled out at the moment and we need to keep up the momentum.
Local government has a good record of delivering projects on time and on budget with minimal overheads. We need to make sure that when the stimulus program is reviewed and evaluated in the future, the component spent by councils is seen to have been an effective and worthwhile investment.
Cr Geoff Lake
ALGA President
DAF meets in Canberra
ALGA attended the Development Assessment Forum in Canberra on Monday.
The Forum, under the leadership of Peter Allen from the Victorian Department of Planning and Community Development, concentrated on how best to contribute to the DA reform work being undertaken by the Local Govt and Planning Ministers' Council sub group and what aspects of the Leading Practice Model for Development Assessment need implementation guidelines.
Through its linkages with the Planning Officials Group, DAF provides advice and recommendations to Local Government and Planning Ministers.
Canberra keeps culture crown
Canberra has kept its title as the most cultured city in the nation. This Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) snapshot of the capital shows that ACT residents had the highest attendance rate (90%) at cultural venues and events out of all states and territories in 2005-06.
The most popular venues patronised by ACT residents were cinemas (71%), museums (47%), botanic gardens (44%), art galleries (40%), popular music concerts (34%) and theatre performances (26%).
Younger people (between 15 and 34) were Canberra's most avid culture vultures: women were slightly more likely to be at cultural activities than their counterparts - unless it was for a popular music concert which was more of a drawcard for men.
Fighting obesity update
A new program to fight the obesity epidemic, focusing on supporting and educating parents of children under 10, will be launched in South Australia. In Victoria, a healthy eating and lifestyle program developed by GPs will be trialled in five primary schools (www.healthyfamiliesmonash.org.au). Health experts have recommended introducing food vouchers for healthy food in Indigenous communities to improve infant growth and nutrition.
Swine Flu update
The World Health Organization continues to stay at Phase 5 - indicating widespread human to human transmission. Australia has moved its pandemic response phase from DELAY to CONTAIN with 148 cases confirmed. World wide there have been close to 100 deaths and over 13,500 confirmed cases in 48 countries.
The Government is urging parents to keep children suspected of having influenza at home and not send them to school. Voluntary exclusion of students will minimise the need for school closures. Decisions on school closures will continue to be taken on a case by case basis within jurisdictions. Within the CONTAIN phase Australia will maintain its border protection measures. Thermal scanners are currently activated in all major airports and ports receiving international passengers.
The Home Quarantine Support System (HQSS) has been activated.
An information hotline, Commonwealth Health Hotline for Swine Influenza (Telephone 180 2007), has been established. A website is also operational.
Food safety
One in 10 restaurants and food businesses have failed food safety inspections by NSW councils in the past six months, while well over half of all premises inspected were found to have breached at least one food safety regulation.
The first report by the NSW Food Authority drawing together data from all 152 local councils shows that, between July and December last year, 9712 out of 23,326 businesses inspected were given a clean bill of health.
More than 700 fines were issued and 31 prosecutions recorded for the same period.
The Minister for Primary Industries, Ian Macdonald, said the data showed there was clearly a knowledge gap in food safety practices among the state's food businesses.
Hygiene and poor food handling practices were the most complained about issues, followed by food quality, including deterioration. Unexpected and unwelcome guests also featured, with more than one out of every 10 complaints relating to foreign matter being found in food.
Mr MacDonald said the Government was working with the food industry to introduce a mandatory food handler training program, which was expected to be up and running by next year.
Emergency relief centres
Anthony Albanese, the Minister for Infrastructure, Regional Development and Local Government, has announced the Rudd Government would offer nearly $3.5 million for improvements to community and emergency relief centres in the Indigo Shire in Victoria. Community facilities in Yackandandah, Stanley and Beechworth will be upgraded to serve as emergency staging centres. This funding is part of our $800 million Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program with more than 3,000 projects being funded nationally. Details of this and other projects are available here.
Native title
Queensland continues to lead Australia in native title agreement making, with the State's 200th indigenous land use agreement now registered with the National Native Title Tribunal.
The Tribunal's Queensland State Manager, Therese Forde, said more than half of the 369 ILUAs made in Australia were between parties to native title claims in Queensland.
The 200th ILUA is between the Ewamian People and the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia's Forsayth and district branch, near Forsayth, 300 km south-west of Cairns in far north Queensland.
For more about ILUAs visit the Tribunal's website, and go to the indigenous land use agreements page.
International Building and Construction Fellowship - $10,000
Application to this Fellowship is open to a broad range of trade as well as nontrade, experienced and specialist building and construction practitioners.
Target Areas people working in:
- Sustainability(building and construction)
- Trades including: carpentry, plumbing, tiling, roofing, concreting, brick laying, plastering, painted finishing, fit out
- Building Design
- Specialist Building and Construction Trades
Applications to be received no later than 6 July 2009 at 4pm at the ISS Institute office. Details at www.issinstitute.org.au
Austroads Publications
The following Austroads Publications have been recently released and are available from the Austroads website.
- Guide to Asset Management Part 2: community and Stakeholder requirements (AGAM02/09)
- Guide to Asset Management Part 8: Asset valuation and audit (AGAM08/09)
- Guide to Pavement Technology Part 7: Pavement Maintenance
- Network Operations Planning Framework (AP-R338/09)
- Preparation of Asphalt Samples for Testing (AP-T132/09)
- Intelligent Transport Systems and Variable Message Signs for Road Safety Applications: current status and future Prospects (AP-T133/09)
- Development of Best Practice Intervention Model for Recidivist Speeding Offenders (AP T 134/09)
- Evaluation of the safety impact of centre of the road Wire Rope Barrier (WRB) on undivided rural roads (AP-T35/09)
- Heavy vehicle safety in rural and remote areas (AP-T136/09)
Copies are available from the Austroads website.
Council staff can obtain free PDF copies of all Austroads publications by using their Council ID and password. These can be obtained by emailing a request to austroads@austroads.com.au
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Third Australian Small Bridges Conference 2009
A conference focusing on Small, Medium and Local Bridges
July 7-8, Powerhouse Museum, Darling Harbour
Australia has over 30,000 small to medium-sized bridges on our road network alone, with thousands more for pedestrian, stock and rail use, and many are near the end of their structural life and need urgent attention.
Following on from the highly successful Small Bridges Conferences in 2005 & 2007, the Australian Small Bridges Conference 2009, at the Powerhouse Museum at Darling Harbour, has been designed to alert bridge and road engineers, managers, councilors, suppliers and contractors to significant new developments and requirements for small to medium span bridges. The conference program has been designed to provide delegates with the latest information and insights in dealing with the maintenance, refurbishment, design or construction of small to medium bridges. The speaking program is diverse with managing timber bridges and pedestrian bridges being particular features.
Topics include:
- TIMBER BRIDGE INSPECTION
- TIMBER BRIDGE RESTORATION
- BRIDGE INVESTIGATION & EVALUATION
- PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES
- ELEVATED BOARDWALKS
- VIEWING PLATFORMS
- AESTHETICS OF BRIDGES
- BRIDGE INNOVATIONS
- SPECIAL PRESENTATION: A Career in Bridges
- STEEL BRIDGES
- MODULAR BRIDGES
- BRIDGE REPLACEMENT
- BRIDGE MAINTENANCE
- REPAIR & STRENGTHENING
- RAILWAY BRIDGES
- CASE STUDIES
Conference convenor, Scott Matthews, BEng said that experienced international bridge experts will present their research to the conference. Local government case studies will include Gold Coast City , Melbourne City Council, Corangamite Shire, Brisbane City Council, together with projects in National Parks, Rail Reserves and for State Road Authorities.
To review the full speaker list at the conference and to register please visit www.halledit.com.au/bridges09 or tel Denise McQueen on 03 8534 5021 or
Email denise.mcqueen@halledit.com.au
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National General Assembly
There is still time to register to attend this year's National General Assembly of Local Government (NGA) on 21-24 June 2009 in Canberra. ALGA President Cr Geoff Lake encourages all councils to attend to help shape a united voice for local government.
The program for the NGA has now been finalised and an updated version is on the website. A hard copy has been included with the Business Paper mail-out which will be sent next week to all registered delegates as well as those councils that have not yet registered.
The main changes to the program are an earlier start of 8.30am on Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 June to allow more time for delegates to fully explore the Assembly themes in sufficient detail. Delegate Discussions are now plenary sessions involving all NGA delegates, as opposed to concurrent sessions. This will allow all delegates to be across the outcomes of the delegate discussions prior to entering formal debate on the motions.
The meeting of all mayors and shire presidents with the Prime Minister (the Australian Council of Local Government (ACLG)) has been scheduled to follow the NGA on Thursday 25 June. Accordingly, ALGA has programmed the final session of the NGA to explore shared local government priorities for the topics to be discussed at the ACLG. This discussion will provide a powerful mandate to inform the contributions of delegates attending the ACLG on the following day.
Regional Development Australia
Expressions of Interest (EOI) are sought for committee members for the Regional Development Australia (RDA) network of committees in the Northern Territory and Tasmania. The closing date for applications is 7 June 2009. Details at www.rda.gov.au/
Meanwhile, Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development and Northern Australia, Gary Gray, and Queensland Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Rural and Regional Queensland, Tim Mulherin signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Regional Development Australia (RDA) process in Queensland.
Mr Gray said RDA would operate throughout the country to tap local knowledge, and to help people living in regional areas learn more about the Commonwealth Government's ongoing funding of local community infrastructure.
The new Queensland RDA committees will be located in Far North Queensland and Torres Strait; Townsville and North West Queensland; Mackay/Whitsunday; Fitzroy and Central West; Wide Bay Burnett; Darling Downs and South West; Sunshine Coast; Moreton Bay; Brisbane City; Logan and Redlands; Ipswich and West Moreton; and the Gold Coast. Mr Mulherin said the Queensland Government fully supported this initiative from day one because it meant that all three tiers of government would work together with industry and the community to advance regions. Local community members will nominate people to form the RDA Queensland committees in a public process for three weeks from 30 May 2009. Application details will be provided on the RDA website.
Housing Ministers' Conference
MAV President Cr Bill McArthur represented ALGA at the meeting of Commonwealth, State and Territory Housing Ministers held last Friday in Melbourne.
The Australian, state and territory governments have already agreed to an ambitious reform program in housing and related portfolios to give effect to the policy directions established in the five national housing related agreements. These being the National Affordable Housing Agreement, the three National Partnerships on Housing (social housing, remote indigenous housing and homelessness) and the Nation Building and Jobs Plan.
As a consequence of the meeting it was agreed that additional priority areas of work over the next six months will include: options for the development of:
- new funding models for Commonwealth funding assistance for social housing more explicitly linked to the number of households accommodated; development of national
- tenancy and management standards that can be benchmarked across the whole social housing sector; consideration of ways to help social housing tenants move into
- private rental and home ownership; drafting an industry development strategy for the not-for-profit housing sector, and developing potential models for the national regulation of the not-for-profit housing sector that would provide greater protection for tenants and governments and greater assurance for investors in affordable rental housing.
Housing Ministers will meet again in late September to review the reform progress, with a goal of presenting a detailed progress report to COAG in December 2009. Ministers also discussed the need to work closely with the Local Government and Planning Ministers' Council in progressing aspects of the housing reform agenda. A future joint meeting of both ministerial councils in likely to occur in October.
Broadband plan to roll-out jobs
Logan and Ipswich city councils are looking to partner with BoysTown in a bid help young people who are hard hit by the global recession to find employment.
Logan Mayor Pam Parker told 'Logan City News' residents would be trained in heavy machinery operation before using their knowledge to help dig cable trenches needed ahead of the Federal Government's national broadband service roll-out.
Bark worse than bite
In WA, barking dogs are the biggest noise nuisance for urban dwellers with almost 7000 complaints registered with local councils each year.
Data compiled by the WA Department of Environment and Conservation on noise complaints received by 117 councils in 2007-08 also found 1257, or 28 per cent, of complaints related to radios, stereos and house parties, up 4 per cent from 2005-06. Construction noise drew 694 complaints, with 277 complaints relating to birds, such as roosters crowing. Power tools and workshops (263), musical instruments (258) and air-conditioning units (250) were next on the list.
The department said people had traditionally had a low tolerance for barking dogs and bird noise but alarms, sirens and rubbish trucks were more accepted.
The City of Stirling recorded the most complaints with 720 a year, followed by the cities of Wanneroo (379) and Joondalup (321).
The 'Next Big Question' project
This Australia21 project was launched in late April '09, and the first event - the 'Next Big Question on Social Inclusion' - was held last week. To listen to Professor Gail Whiteford, Pro Vice Chancellor (Social Inclusion) Macquarie University; Elaine Henry CEO, The Smith Family; and Nada Miljus, from The Smith Family's, 'Learning for Life' program click here. Once you've listened to, read and considered the issues raised - you can submit your question here.
Report on NSW council funding
The '2009 NSW Local Government Financial Sustainability Review' bears out up the findings of the Independent Inquiry into the Financial Sustainability of NSW Local Government conducted in 2005/06, according to the President of the Local Government Association Cr Genia McCaffery.
Cr McCaffery said that long term under-resourcing for NSW councils had resulted in the infrastructure renewal backlog outlined in the report.
"Through a combination of inadequate tax transfers from state and federal coffers, and rate pegging, local government has been made to operate on a minimal budget for years," she said.
"Now we are facing a cap on developer levies, which have been one of local government's only avenues for attempting to keep pace with the needs of our growing communities.
"None the less the annual infrastructure renewal funding shortfall has declined from around $500m in 2005 to $150m pa in 2007/08."
Cr Bruce Miller, President of the Shires Association, said that despite income restrictions councils have made some significant gains in addressing the infrastructure backlog through increased infrastructure spending.
Lehman Brothers update
A handful of councils that invested with the failed bank Lehman Brothers were told last night they would recoup between 2 and 13 cents in the dollar.
In a stand-off between big businesses owed money by Lehman and a number of councils and charities, the big end of town won the day.
Creditors voting on how to divide what remains of the company approved a last-minute plan from Lehman Brothers Asia that will also ensure a group of staff at the failed investment bank have claims paid in full. The executives will receive almost $11 million in outstanding pay, most of it in retention and bonus payments.
The councils and charities ploughed up to $625.6 million into investments known as collateralised debt obligations through Lehman's Australian subsidiary and its predecessor, Grange Securities, but the assets have lost hundreds of millions.
Many councils chose these assets because, despite being linked with subprime debt, they had AAA ratings, a prerequisite for council investments.
Quote of the week
"One of the most effective ways to protect you, your friends and family from the flu (whether seasonal or pandemic) is to practise good personal hygiene. That includes regular washing of hands, covering your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing and staying at least one metre from anyone who is unwell. People who have the flu should not go to work or school or attend other public gatherings." -
Health Minister Nicola Roxon raises the Swine Flu alert level to CONTAIN
International news 
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key says the protest calling for Maori seats on Auckland's new council hasn't made him reconsider the issue but it will stay on the table.
Thousands marched in Auckland on Monday, protesting against the Government's decision to dump a royal commission proposal to have three Maori seats on a 23-member council, two elected and one appointed by local tribes.
The government instead decided it wanted just 20 councillors, none directly elected by Maori. The new council, to be elected in November next year, will govern about one-third of New Zealand's total population of 4.3 million and as Auckland has the largest population of Polynesian people anywhere in the world, Maoris insist they should be guaranteed a say.
Mr Key, whose centre-right national government came to power in November, has made reform of the administration of Auckland, which is currently in the hands of eight separate councils, a priority.
He said the legislation would go through the select committee process.
The committee will hear public submissions and it has the power to change the bill.
Local Government Minister Rodney Hide said the Government was listening and did want to engage with local iwi (tribes) and discussions with the Maori Party were continuing.
"I have to say though it's pretty tough to imagine a situation where you have a reserved place or places on the council for a local tribe."
The protest brought Auckland to a halt. The demonstrators, some holding Maori sovereignty flags, gathered at points around the city and marched into the central business district, stopping at times to perform a haka war dance. They were joined by others, including mayors of suburban district councils who oppose the amalgamation which will see their roles abolished, with signs such as "It's about rights, not race". (AAP)
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BENCHMARKING BEST PRACTICE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 2009
Wednesday 8th - Thursday 9th July
Novotel Brighton Beach, Sydney
Local government CEOs, General Managers and senior directors of Australia's most innovative councils will address the 2009 Benchmarking Best Practice in Local Government national conference.
Building on the success of last year's inaugural Best Practice conference, the conference will provide local government managers with detailed insights into innovative and successful management tools being used by Australia's leading councils to cut costs, increase organisational efficiency, and optimise the delivery of services to their communities. Topics will include staff productivity, organisation development, financial and asset management, and risk management.
Speakers at this year's conference will include:
- John Burgess, General Manager, Auburn Council
- Graeme Emonson, CEO, Knox City Council
- Geoff Lake, President, Australian Local Government Association
- Lyn Russell, General Manager, City of Wagga Wagga
- David Evans, General Manager, Maitland City Council
- Phil Rowland, CEO, Mount Alexander Shire
- Alexis Hunt, Coordinator People & Change, Gold Coast City Council
- Andrew MacLeod, Chief Internal Auditor, Brisbane City Council
In recognition of the role of the Best Practice Conference as a key national forum for discussions on local government innovation and best practice, this year's conference will be followed on July 10 by a meeting of the councils participating in the Local Government Business Excellence Network, which will also be held at the Novotel Brighton Beach.
The conference agenda is available at www.halledit.com.au/bestprac09/agenda.
For more details, phone Hallmark Conferences on (03) 8534 5000, email denise.mcqueen@halledit.com.au
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