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9 Oct 2009
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Applications open for $220 Million in community infrastructure

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The Federal Government has today opened Round Two of the Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program (RLCIP), worth $220 million.

The announcement by the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Anthony Albanese, was made at the historic joint meeting between the Australian Council of Local Government and the Local Government and Planning Ministers' Council in Darwin attended by ALGA President Cr Geoff Lake.

"The Federal Government has provided $1 billion in funding for community infrastructure and communities across Australia are benefiting with hundreds of jobs being created and regions being revitalised," Cr Lake said.

Minister Albanese said the Program had already supported more than 3,000 small and large-scale projects, including new and upgraded sports grounds, swimming pools, town halls, community centres, disability access, walkways and environmental upgrades.

"The Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program is part of the Rudd Labor Government's ongoing partnership with local governments to create local jobs and support communities," Minister Albanese said.

The Minister said that every council and shire across Australia would benefit under Round Two. Local governments will be able to access the $220 million as follows:

  • $100 million to be shared between all councils and shires, based upon a submission of eligible projects. Submissions close on 20 November 2009;
  • $120 million for larger Strategic Projects allocated on a competitive basis. Applications for this competitive funding are due by 15 January 2010.

The Government has reduced the threshold for larger Strategic Projects to a minimum of $1 million, in order to provide local governments with greater flexibility. The new Guidelines and other supporting information for Round Two of the Program are available here.

(Photo: Cleve and Districts swimming pool from ALGA's infrastructure register which was upgraded through funding under the $1 billion Community Infrastructure Program.)

Centre of Excellence to begin consultations with local government

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Former Senator and Local Government Minister Margaret Reynolds has been appointed independent Chairperson of the Board of the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government (ACELG).

ALGA President Cr Geoff Lake is on the 8-member ACELG board (pictured) which met for the first time at the University of Technology, Sydney last week. He took the opportunity to stress that it was critical for the Centre to engage state and territory local government associations and to seek to address some of the key 'knowledge gaps' which have been identified previously at state association level and through the ALGA Board. The Centre is about to begin a period of consultations with the broader local government sector in order to shape and develop its initial program activity.

Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government, Maxine McKew, addressed the meeting, hailing the Centre as a key driver to promote best practice, innovation and professionalism in local government. Ms McKew also welcomed the establishment of an expert Board, chaired by Ms Reynolds, together with seven academic, government and local government representatives.

The Board meeting endorsed the appointment of Professor Graham Sansom, the current Director of the UTS Centre for Local Government, as the Director of ACELG. "This Centre brings together industry and academic partners to work together for the benefit of the whole local government sector," said Professor Sansom. "ACELG aims to foster strong, strategic leadership across local government, promote best practice and innovation, and help retain and attract skilled staff through improved training and development programs.

"Consultation with the sector is clearly fundamental to the success of ACELG and I am pleased to announce that we will be embarking on a major consultation program in all states and territories. "These discussions will begin on Friday 9th October when ACELG will host a roundtable with members of the Australian Council of Local Government, to gather their views on the key issues and challenges facing local government and how ACELG can help."

Over the coming months there will be further consultation opportunities, for further information visit www.acelg.org.au.

Ms Catherine King MP to address Roads Congress

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There is just over one month until the 2009 National Local Roads and Transport Congress, which will be held in Mackay from 8-10 November.

The Federal Government will be represented by Ms Catherine King MP, Chair of the Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, who will speak on behalf of The Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Anthony Albanese.

As Chair of the Standing Committee, Ms King has led inquiries into matters referred to it by the House of Representatives or a Government Minister, including the impact of the global financial crisis on regional Australia, level crossing safety, and a new regional development funding program.

Ms King has been the Member for Ballarat, Victoria, in the House of Representatives since 2001. She is a qualified social working and has extensive experience in social policy particularly in health related areas.

In 1991 she won the prestigious Victorian Young Achiever of the Year (Community Service) award. Ms King will join an impressive list of speakers including federal politicians, international representatives and local government leaders. With her regional background, she will bring a unique perspective and understanding of the issues facing regional Australia to the Congress.

A full program, and details of how to register can be found here.
From the President

Young people may be the key to deciding whether a referendum on constitutional recognition of local government is ultimately successful or not.

This is one of the key messages contained in research recently completed as part of the ALGA's work towards securing the inclusion of local government in the constitution.

The research shows that young voters (aged 18-24) present a particular challenge in convincing Australians of why change makes sense. 40% of young women in this age bracket do not know, or do not think, Australia has a Constitution. For young men it is 34%. It is going to be hard to convince them to change something they don't know even exists.

Research in 1994 by the Civics Expert Group showed that only 18% of Australians had some understanding of the contents of our Constitution. The last referendum in Australia was held in 1999 on whether Australia should become a republic and prior to that one you have to go back to 1988. It has been more than 30 years since a referendum was passed.

Given that young voters have not had to consider a referendum question before and given they are less likely to be ratepayers or have much engagement with local government, they will present the biggest challenge in convincing Australians to support change.

Our task is to ensure that inclusion of local government in the constitution is seen as relevant to all Australians and particularly to young Australians. We need to overcome apathy and sell the message that constitutional change to explicitly empower the direct funding of local government by the Commonwealth will mean that the three levels of government can function better and with less duplication and red tape.

To the young, local government is a little anonymous. However, while many are not homeowners or ratepayers, they do interact with local government on a frequent basis through council services such as parks, leisure facilities and community centres.

An Australia 21 research report - 'Generations in dialogue about the future: the hopes and fears of young Australians' - demonstrates that young people value the opportunity to discuss the future. It argues they need to be given more opportunities to have a say in how society works, including in schools, within the family unit and within communities.

As a sector, we need to create opportunities for dialogue and to seriously listen to what young people have to say. Teaching civics in schools is a good start. Local government also needs to be involved in creating conversations on key contemporary issues which affect local communities such as climate change, democracy and public transport. Using online tools such as Twitter and Facebook page open up many opportunities for councils to pursue conversations on community issues with young people.

The engagement of our young people is recognised as an important issue by former Australian of the Year, Professor Fiona Stanley, who said the big question facing Australia is how we value our children and young people to enable full social and civic participation.

There is a lot we can do individually and collectively to this end.

Cr Geoff Lake
ALGA President

Bushfire bunkers

The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) has commenced work on a national standard for the design and construction of bushfire bunkers for personal use.

ABCB Chairman Mr Graham Huxley AM said the ABCB concurred with 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission's intention to bring forward as a matter of urgency interim recommendations on building regulation matters, including the regulation of bushfire bunkers.

Mr Huxley said the ABCB began its work supported by the work already done by the Victorian Building Commission. The ABCB expects that the standards will be available for use in six months.

"The ABCB will draw on a wide range of expertise including Californian fire authorities, who are the only other authorities in the world that have bushfire-related building standards," Mr Huxley said. "It will also look to other applications of bunker technology across the globe." Details at: www.abcb.gov.au/

Alcohol misuse

DrinkWise Australia has awarded 18 grants, totalling $100,000, to not-for-profit and community groups throughout Australia to tackle problems associated with alcohol misuse within local communities.

Awarded on the basis of creativity and innovation, recipients of the inaugural Building Safer Drinking Cultures Innovation Grants include schools, local councils, parenting groups, sporting clubs and youth groups, each receiving a grant from $650 up to $25,000 to deliver community-based projects promoting positive behaviour change to reduce alcohol misuse.

More information on grant recipients and details of their funded projects can be found here.

FECCA grants

FECCA has established a grant program to partly assist migrants and refugees from disadvantaged groups around Australia to attend the biennial FECCA Conference in Shepparton Victoria on 29 and 30 October 2009.

Grant applicants who are financially disadvantaged from the following groups are sought:

  • Women from Migrant or Refugee Backgrounds
  • CALD People with Disability
  • Young People (Less than 25) from Migrant and Refugee Backgrounds
  • FECCA Regional Members

Inquiries to FECCA Policy and Project Officer Victoria Erlichster on (03) 9092 7912. Applications close on 16 October 2009.

Obesity links

More than half of all adult Australians are overweight or obese. Local governments are set to play an active part in reducing community levels of obesity.

The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing funded CO-OPS collaboration provides:

  • Tools to help in the design, implementation and evaluation of community based obesity prevention initiatives
  • On line forums to learn from the experiences of other projects and discuss new evidence
  • Face-to-face networking opportunities
  • Collaborative training and professional development opportunities
  • Regular e-newsletter with reports on lessons learned, current research, and other useful links.

The CO-OPS web-site is : www.co-ops.net.au and is your key to accessing a range of tools and resources free of charge including the Best Practice Principles, a range of evidence summaries and contact details nationally.

Depression in older people

beyondblue: the national depression initiative has released a new booklet called Older People and Depression. This booklet will be a valuable resource for older people, as well as those who care for them.

It contains helpful information about how to recognise the signs and symptoms of depression and helpful strategies to prevent or manage depression, as well as information on available treatments and free community services.

The booklet also features first-hand accounts and tips on staying well and healthy from some amazing people who are over 80 years old.

Copies are free of charge and can be ordered via www.beyondblue.org.au or by calling the beyondblue information line on 1300 22 4636 (local call cost from a landline).

Tasmania's regions

Maxine McKew, the federal Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development, and Michael Aird, the Tasmanian Minister for Economic Development, met the new Regional Development Australia (RDA) Tasmania Committee this week. For more information and up to date news on RDA go to www.rda.gov.au.

State of the Regions report 2006-07
Local Government Reform Fund

The Local Government Reform Fund has issued its draft program guidelines. The Fund is a $25 million Australian Government Initiative to support reform in local government. Details will be posted today or on Monday on the website.

The objectives of the Reform Fund are to accelerate the implementation of the LGPMC agreed asset and financial management Frameworks; support and encourage collaboration to build capacity and resilience in local government; and improve the consistency and quality of local government data. The program also aims to:

  • achieve better asset and financial planning in local government;
  • build capacity in local government through providing funds for collaboration and service sharing;
  • provide a national perspective on local government infrastructure, performance and sustainability through nationally consistent data;
  • support and showcase best practice in collaboration; and
  • address priorities which may include initiatives in small, rural/remote and Indigenous areas, asset and financial management, workforce planning and demographic or climate change adaptation.

Payments under the Reform Fund will be administered by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government (the Department) via a National Partnership Agreement.

State and the Northern Territory governments are eligible to apply for funding under the program. The state/territory may also submit project proposals on behalf of a proponent from the local government sector, including local government associations or councils. Projects will be managed by state and territory governments in partnership with their respective local government association (LGA).

Parties other than state/territory agencies may lead or participate in collaborative projects funded under this program. Where the state will work in partnership with another party, or another party will manage the project, that party must be engaged under a contractual arrangement. Projects should be strategically selected on the basis of agreed state/territory and local government priorities including current reform agendas. They should also reflect existing needs and/or opportunities, and optimise return on investment. The Commonwealth will look favorably at financial or in-kind co-contribution.

Eligible projects will deliver substantial benefits to local governments and their communities by way of supporting broader reforms such as:

State/territory governments and local government associations will have until Friday, 30 November 2009 to submit project plans.

LGPMC and ACLG

The Joint Meeting of Local Government and Planning Ministers' Council (LGPMC) and Australian Council of Local Government (ACLG) Steering Committee met in Darwin yesterday and today. The meeting was chaired by the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Anthony Albanese. ALGA President Cr Geoff Lake provided an update on ALGA's progress on constitutional recognition. Other items on the agenda were the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government, local government workforce strategy, local government reform and women in local government.

Time for change to referendum rules

ALGA today lodged a submission to the parliamentary inquiry investigating the conduct of referenda. The inquiry is reviewing the effectiveness of the Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984, which governs the rules applicable to referenda.

ALGA's submission follows consultation with state and territory associations and draws on the lessons ALGA has learnt over the past 40 years, namely two unsuccessful referendum attempts to incorporate local government into the Australian Constitution, the first in 1974 and the second in 1988.

Local government is committed to achieving recognition as the third sphere of government in Australia, and began an extensive process in 2007 to achieve this goal. Following the Rudd Government's election promise in 2007 to consult with local government on the process for achieving constitutional recognition, the ALGA Board charted a course for constitutional reform, through a Constitutional Summit in 2008 and the engagement of a communications company to provide strategic advice.

ALGA has commissioned social research into the general public's understanding of constitutional issues and local government and the findings of this research have been used to inform the submission. Based on past experience and the current research, ALGA has outlined a series of amendments to the referendum process which it believes will streamline and improve the process.

Submissions made to parliamentary committees become the property of the committee upon lodgement and are covered by Parliamentary Privilege. Once the committee authorises the publication of the ALGA's submission it will be posted on the website.

WA amalgamation review

Western Australian Local Government Minister John Castrilli says more than 100 councils have responded to his reform agenda by the set deadline.

The state's 141 councils had until Tuesday to submit their reform proposals, including voluntary amalgamation. So far 115 councils have responded, and the Minister says he expects the remainder to submit their proposals after meetings scheduled for early this month.

Wide Bay shovels work overtime

Councils across the Wide Bay Burnett in Queensland have completed community projects worth millions of dollars funded by the Federal Government.

Fraser Coast council and Bundaberg council both received more than $1 million in funding, and Fraser Coast has been granted an extension for two of its projects.

Bundaberg council CEO Peter Byrne says in his region, most projects were completed before this week's due date. He says the whole community has benefited from the projects.

"What we've tried to do is to work with the local contractors and where we could we've tried to use them on the project and that's worked in extremely well and they've been very appreciative of the work."

Swine flu-proof suit

A Japanese company claims to have created a swine flu-proof suit that reportedly shields the wearer from the deadly bug.

The business suits, which come in a range of colours and styles, are coated with titanium dioxide which reportedly breaks down the H1N1 virus when it comes into contact with the suit.

The Haruyama Trading Co has manufactured 50,000 of the suits, which will sell for about $650 each. A medium grey, charcoal, navy and grey pinstripe designs will hit Japanese stores today.

SA council wins award

Loxton Waikerie Council has been highly commended in the states, 2009 Australian Safer Community Awards for its rural property addressing project.

The SA Minister for Emergency Services, Michael Wright, says the project recognises the need for rural residents to be locatable, to improve their safety and convenience.

The council's director of infrastructure services, Tom Avery, says it has had overwhelmingly positive feedback from residents about the scheme.

"It's not only for emergency services, it is for other authorities such as Australia Post, the electoral commission," he said. "We've had positive comments back from people that have now applied for passports and things like that that those authorities are now recognising as a rural address, whereas they wouldn't actually embrace the fact that they were providing section numbers and hundred numbers previously."

Quote of the week

"With growth likely to be close to trend over the year ahead, inflation close to target and the risk of serious economic contraction in Australia now having passed, the board's view is that it is now prudent to begin gradually lessening the stimulus provided by monetary policy" -
Reserve Bank Governor Glenn Stevens, following the decision to lift official interest rate by 25 basis points to 3.25 per cent. Australia is now the first G20 nation to lift its rates post-global financial crisis, and the second country in the world, after Israel, to begin tightening its monetary policy

International news  

Hundreds of European towns and cities participated in European Mobility Week recently in which they invited their citizens to a wide range of activities promoting sustainable mobility. The 2009 campaign theme - Improving City Climates - underlines the importance of local level efforts to tackle climate change and improve quality of life through the promotion of alternative transport modes to the car such as cycling, walking, and public transport as well as schemes such car-sharing and car-pooling. Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: "Private cars are large emitters of the greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change, and they seriously affect the quality of urban life. It is therefore important for public authorities and citizens throughout the European Union to adopt more sustainable modes of transport. Doing so would help reduce the impact of climate change and improve living conditions in our towns and cities."
Forthcoming events

For a full listing of forthcoming events, see ALGA's Events calendar.
ALGA News can be read online each week at www.alga.asn.au/news.aspx
Editor: newscomments@alga.asn.au Tel: 02 6122 9434.
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