From the President

This was a big week for local government. The 15^th National General Assembly of Local Government (NGA) was held on Monday to Wednesday and then on Thursday the Prime Minister and Local Government Minister, Anthony Albanese, hosted the Australian Council of Local Government (ACLG).

The NGA resolved on more than 140 motions which had been submitted by councils from across Australia. We also agreed on the wording of a Communique containing local government's perspective on a number of national issues which I presented yesterday to the Australian Government.

The big news of the week was the announcement yesterday by the Prime Minister of $220 million in further funding for local government community infrastructure and $25 million to fund reform initiatives in areas such as asset management and financial management.

We were fortunate to have a number of politicians address the NGA. To have Anthony Albanese, Malcolm Turnbull, Bob Brown, Warren Truss, Stephen Conroy and Bill Shorten all speak demonstrated the links we have developed at the federal level. The non-politician presenters were equally as impressive and included George Negus, Robert Ray from CPR Communications, climate change expert Professor Steffen and constitutional law expert Professor Williams.

However without the more than 650 delegates who attended and our sponsors there would have been no NGA - so a big thank you to everyone who participated.

As I said in my opening speech, never before have there been more issues at stake for local government at the national level. And never before has there been more of a need for us to come together - from across the breadth of Australia - to debate and shape a national agenda for our sector.

Local government finds itself in both a challenging period but also an exciting one. I say challenging because it is possible that unless we address some critical issues soon, local government will fail in some areas over the coming decade. However, I also say exciting because there is also unprecedented opportunity for councils to play an effective and prominent part in some of the key issues that currently face our nation.

How well we navigate these waters over the next few years, will determine whether we are a strengthened sector in the future - or one hamstrung by responsibilities beyond our capacity and finances well short of our needs.

I am encouraged by the progress we have made at the NGA and at the ACLG towards advancing the standing of local government. However, while we pursue our case for more government funding let us not forget the reforms which we can implement and control ourselves. We must demonstrate accountability, transparency and capability as a sector. We must strengthen our performance and we must avoid the embarrassing tabloid scandals that too often undermine public confidence in local government.

Minister Albanese sent a timely message at the ACLG dinner on Wednesday night. He said in terms of the roll-out of the now more than $1 billion Community Infrastructure Program, "It is important that we don't lose momentum. It is important that you keep your foot on the accelerator, and support the jobs of today while building the infrastructure of tomorrow." If we are going to build on this week's announcement and continue to press our claims for an ongoing community infrastructure program, we must ensure as a sector that we are seen to over-deliver on these fronts.

Cr Geoff Lake
ALGA President

Tax reminders

Assistant Treasurer Senator Nick Sherry has outlined several key tax measures for community attention as the current financial year draws to a close.

"The end of June and the start of the new financial year are an important time for tax issues, especially during these challenging financial times," he said.

"Lodging your tax return for 2007-08 so you can qualify for the Nation Building and Jobs Plan tax bonus must be done by June 30, so time is running out."

"The start of the new financial year sees delivery of the second round of income tax cuts promised during the 2007 election which will mean a $300 tax cut for the new financial year for someone on $60,000 annual income."

"The Rudd Government is also delivering on its commitment to the education revolution with the education tax refund able to be claimed for the first time in 2008-09 tax returns using receipts for expenses incurred throughout the year. The education tax refund is a major source of assistance for eligible hard-working families with children in primary and secondary schools."

"The complete removal of tax discrimination for same-sex couples takes effect from July 1, including access for the first time to the same tax concessions available to married and opposite-sex de facto couples," the Assistant Treasurer said.

Have your say...

Do you want more creative and artistic opportunities in your local community? How can the arts play a stronger role in your region?

Regional Arts Australia is asking people to come to a free public consultation to help shape the creative future of regional communities as part of a national consultation. The consultation sessions will be held across regional Australia in June and July 2009. Visit the National Consultation page of our website to find out when and where the sessions will be held.

Anyone who wants to have their say, but can't get to one of the forums, is invited to complete a short online survey

National Preventative Health Strategy

The Preventative Health Taskforce is developing the National Preventative Health Strategy for submission to the Minister for Health and Ageing in June 2009.

The Strategy will provide a blueprint for tackling the burden of chronic disease currently caused by obesity, tobacco, and excessive consumption of alcohol. It will be directed at primary prevention and will address all relevant arms of policy and all available points of leverage, in both the health and non-health sectors, in formulating its recommendations.

Link: www.preventativehealth.org.au/

IGA Agreement

ALGA President Cr Geoff Lake has written to Local Government Minister Anthony Albanese on the Inter-Governmental Agreement Establishing Principles to Guide Inter-Governmental Relations on Local Government Matters.

"Given that the Agreement concludes in 2011, I think it is timely for the Planning and Local Government Ministers' Council to consider at a future meeting the renewal of the Agreement," Cr Lake said. "I propose that the first meeting of the Council in 2010 should consider whether the Agreement ought to be extended and, if so, to establish a process for that to occur by the end of 2010.

"I would hope that the support displayed by both sides of politics for the IGA will ensure that the Agreement continues to be adhered to after changes of government and I look forward to the ongoing support of your Government for the Agreement and its principles."

Henry Tax Review

From 18 to 19 June 2009, ALGA attended the Melbourne Institute - Australia's Future Tax and Transfer System Conference which was specially convened by the Dr Henry Tax Review Panel.

ALGA was very pleased to be able to participate in the invitation-only conference, which was also attended by all members of the Tax Review Panel, including the Chair, Dr Henry, AC, senior state government officials, and peak industry, business and sector organisations.

Leading national and international tax policy specialists and practitioners presented to about 150 conference attendees on key issues affecting Australia's tax and transfer system. Issues of particular relevance to ALGA in the context of its submissions to the tax review included Assigning State Taxes in a Federal Country (Professor Richard Bird, Emeritus of Economics, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto), and Environmental Taxation and Its Possible Application in Australia (Professor John Freebairn, Ritchie Chair, Department of Economics, The University of Melbourne) after which a panel discussion exploring user fees and charges and their application in areas including road usage was explored in depth.

Papers from the conference are being made available on the Tax Review website over coming weeks, and can be accessed here.

ALGA continues to be active in the area of tax and transfer policy and its impact on local government.

The Review Panel will provide a final report to the Treasurer by the end of 2009.

Turnbull on Constitutional recognition

In his speech at the National General Assembly, Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull spoke about Constitutional reform for local government but did not go any further than at the Summit in December. "The Liberal and National parties will continue to work closely with you as we devise a pathway to recognition that may be of most value to Australians and of the most interest and appeal to them." He also offered the following: "...Can I make this point when it comes to amending the Constitution: the simpler the better. I can't emphasise enough that we should focus on the practical outcome of any proposed amendment, rather than any symbolic gesture."

Play by the Rules

Play by the Rules offers online training, information and resources for clubs and sporting organisations to ensure everyone involved in sport can do so in enjoyable, safe environments, free from discrimination or harassment.

In response to feedback from the sports industry a number of features have been added to Play by the Rules including a new section (Got an Issue) that provides information on common issues and challenges such as team selection, girls playing in boy's teams and angry parents; short interactive scenarios on topical sport issues including junior team selection, religious inclusion, disability inclusion, homophobia and sexual harassment; new guidelines to support sporting personnel in areas such as, supervision for away trips and maintaining appropriate boundaries ; state-specific information on requirements under anti-discrimination and child protection legislation including working with children checks and mandatory reporting, and a comprehensive section that enables users to search by resource type, subject, agency and state.

Play by the Rules is a unique partnership between the Australian Sports Commission, Australian Human Rights Commission, all state and territory sport and recreation and anti-discrimination agencies and the Queensland Commission for Children, Young People and Child Guardian.

Communities Indicators Summit

The Australian Bureau of Statistics is pleased to be hosting a Community Indicators Summit in Brisbane, Queensland on 22-23 July 2009.

The Summit will provide a unique opportunity for those interested in community based indicators to share learnings, exchange ideas and strategies and report on advancements in the field of community indicators in Australia and internationally.

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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

Centre of excellence

The Australian Government has announced the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government to promote best practice, innovation and professionalism in local government will be based at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). It will be part of a consortium that includes the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG), University of Canberra, Local Government Managers Australia and the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia.

The announcement was made to mayors at the second meeting of the Australian Council for Local Government (ACLG) at Parliament House on Thursday.

The Centre will work with stakeholders to:

• showcase outstanding examples of innovation and best practice;
• deliver training and development including leadership programs; and
• stimulate debate on critical issues facing local government.

Broadband roll-out

The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, has undertaken to work 'cooperatively and constructively' with local government on the roll-out of the National Broadband Network. "From the outset, the Government wants the National Broadband Network rollout - including the Fibre-to-the-Premises component - to be as unobtrusive as possible," Senator Conroy said at the General Assembly. "It may be that local government can assist in this regard by providing access to facilities they might control, such as ducts and rights of way. We have indicated that where possible and cost-effective, fibre optic lines can and will be placed underground. In other instances, aerial cabling may be faster and more cost-effective." Senator Conroy quoted Dr Jonathon Spring that the aerial deployment was going to be visually lower impact than the HFC deployments by Telstra and Optus in the mid 1990s and 'the two shouldn't be confused.' Dr Spring had said fibre cable was much smaller than cable TV and it could be attached to the power pole higher up with 'no visual pollution.' Senator Conroy said the Government intended to consult with stakeholders on any legislative changes and would give due consideration to community sensitivities.

Mobile phone recycling awards

Brisbane City Council, Dalby Regional Council, Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council, Eurobodalla Shire Council, Moonee Valley City Council and Shire of Lake Grace Council were praised for their mobile phone recycling efforts at the 2009 MobileMuster Local Government Awards, which were presented at the National General Assembly for Local Government, in Canberra this week.

The MobileMuster Local Government Awards, now in its third year, was created by the mobile phone industry's official recycling program to recognise and reward leading councils across Australia, who have successfully promoted and collected old mobile phones, batteries and accessories for recycling.

Guest speaker Senator Bob Brown presented the awards to the winning councils, including 'Top Collector Overall' award to Brisbane City Council, Dalby Regional Council for 'Best Promoter', Shire of Lake Grace Council for 'Top Collector Per Capita' and Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council for 'Working with Schools'. Joint winners, Mooney Valley City Council and Eurobodalla Shire Council were crowned the top award - 'National Excellence'.

For further information about MobileMuster, the Local Government Awards, or to locate your nearest drop-off point, visit www.mobilemuster.com.au or contact 1300 730 070.

Future of ALGA's Regional Cooperation and Development Forum

The Regional Co-operation and Development Forum was not held this week given that the 2008 Regional Forum was just held in December last year, in conjunction with the highly successful Constitutional Recognition Summit.

However around 30 NGA delegates participated in a workshop to provide the ALGA Board with some feedback on the value of continuing to run such an event and publishing an annual State of the Regions report.

The feedback from the workshop, together with responses from a survey that has been sent to all councils, Regional Organisations of Councils and past 2008, 2007 and 2006 regional forum delegates will be summarised and presented to a future ALGA Board meeting to assist in working out if future regional forums are warranted and if so, what issues they should seek to investigate and in what format and location they should be held.

Over the past ten years, the Regional Cooperation and Development Forum has brought together over 200 local government representatives and economic development practitioners to examine the performance, prospects and policies for Australia's regions. Each year the Forum reflects on the findings of the latest State of the Regions report and looks in depth at particular themes and their influence on regional economic performance.

Swine Flu

The past week has seen 31 people admitted to hospital and three related HIN1 deaths. The latest being a Victorian man from western Victoria.

The 35-year-old from Colac, went to Colac Hospital with flu-like symptoms last Friday and was transferred to Maroondah Hospital in Melbourne's east, where he died on Saturday. A 50 year old Victorian woman passed away earlier this week.

The death comes amid fears that indigenous Australians in remote communities may be particularly vulnerable to the disease.

A 26-year-old man from Kiwirrkurra in Western Australia last week became the first person with swine flu to die in Australia.

As of lunch time Thursday, there were 3199 confirmed cases diagnosed in Australia, with 1509 cases in Victoria and 592 in NSW and 422 in QLD. Worldwide there are now in excess of 57,700 cases with 238 deaths.

Meanwhile, the ALGA Board has endorsed the National Local Government Communications Protocol to ensure ongoing national State/Territory local government coordination in the event of a declared Pandemic outbreak.

ALGA, together with the Commonwealth, States and state and territory local government associations is a participant in the National Pandemic Emergency Committee.

Greenfields Consultation Paper

In a recent submission to Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, ALGA stressed the critical role local government plays in fostering the social, environmental and economic wellbeing of local and regional communities. As the sphere of government closest to Australians, it is best able to identify the local needs of the communities it represents, and needs to be fully involved in the ongoing implementation of the national broadband network.

ALGA argued that, regardless of the legislative model ultimately adopted by the Australian Government for the implementation of the National Broadband Network, there will be a significant role for all levels of government and a need for a co-operative approach. There will also be a need for flexibility in the implementation approach so that it can accommodate the individual circumstances that will arise due to location, size, type and the scale of development.

ALGA supported the principle that, wherever possible, new residential developments be required to be Fibre To The Premises (FTTP) compliant. A number of councils such as Brisbane City Council, Whittlesea City Council in Victoria and City of Cockburn in Western Australia, have already moved in this direction and provide good examples of what can be achieved. However ALGA did acknowledge that the complexity of the issues raised in the consultation paper will present a major challenge in implementing the Greenfield development initiative by the nominated date of 1 July 2010.

ALGA also supported the calls by state local government associations for additional consultation on dealing with the questions of greenfield developments, ideally in association with the relevant officials from the respective jurisdictional planning departments.

ALGA also emphasised the diversity of capacity and capability of local governments throughout Australia, and that the Australian Government must appreciate that the potential roles that may be played by councils in assisting to deliver FTTP will vary from state to state and region to region.

The Commonwealth should work within existing planning and community consultation systems as far as possible and not add complexity to the planning system.

ALGA welcomed the commitment of the Department, and the NBN taskforce to continue to consult closely with the local government sector on how best to deliver FTTP to all future greenfield developments in Australia and agreed to assist the Government in delivering the NBN to vast majority of Australian communities throughout the nation.

Major planning strategy released for Perth

A blueprint launched this week for the Perth metropolitan area has dropped the former Carpenter government's plan to have 60 per cent of the city's growth occur on infill sites.

WA Planning Minister John Day said the 60 per cent of urban growth-through-infill goal promoted by the former government's Network City plan would be abandoned because it was "unrealistic".

However, Mr Day said the new Directions 2031 strategy would usher in a city less dependent on cars.

A copy of the draft plan can be downloaded from here.

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BENCHMARKING BEST PRACTICE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 2009

Wednesday 8^th - Thursday 9^th 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