Briefs
CPRS defeated in Senate
It has been a tumultuous week in Federal politics. On Tuesday, Tony Abbott won the leadership of the Liberal party by one vote and on Wednesday, the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) was voted down in the Senate, providing the Government with a double-dissolution trigger. The bill was defeated by 41 to 33 votes. Liberal Senators Sue Boyce and Judith Troeth crossed the floor to vote with the Government and Independent Senators Nick Xenophon, and Family First's Steve Fielding joined the Greens and Opposition in blocking the legislation. An early election possibly in March is tipped by many commentators, including Richard Farmer in 'Crikey', who says climate change could be the major election issue with the economy providing another reason to go early. The Federal Government has put the Opposition on notice that it will reintroduce the revised Emissions Trading Scheme legislation to Parliament in February 2010.
New Premier for NSW
Planning Minister Kristina Keneally will become the first female Premier of New South Wales after ousting Nathan Rees in a leadership challenge last night. American-born Ms Keneally won the contest in the Labor Party caucus 47 votes to 21.Carmel Tebbutt will stay on as Deputy Premier.
The GFC and regional Australia
Last week, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government tabled its report on the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and Regional Australia. Perhaps its most significant conclusion is that 'no amount of government intervention could fully negate the effects of the crisis...'
Over 10 per cent of Australia's local councils provided submissions to the Inquiry, in addition to submissions from ALGA and a number of its member associations.
Local government is noted by the Committee as having a key leadership role to play within communities, and as having played an important role in the development of Australia's regions, which it says is best displayed by the direct funding provided to all local governments through the Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program. The Committee broadly endorses the need for all levels of government to continue investing in regional infrastructure because of the role it plays in the development of Australia's regions.
Chapter 4 of the report is focused exclusively on the impact of the GFC and local government. It states that whilst some councils have suffered from the GFC, the effects have not been felt evenly across all local governments, and that the most vulnerable were dependent on housing growth and single industries. Some cautionary comments are made in this chapter about councils investing in Collateral Debt Obligations, with the Committee noting that '...the need to properly handle risk in investing public money is a lesson that should be heeded by councils across the country' (page 66).
In its report, the Committee states that the picture that emerges of the GFC in the regions 'is a mixed one and serves to highlight the challenges that regional policy makers face when considering regional development issues generally, and responses to this crisis specifically.'
Each of the Committee's 12 recommendations are aimed at strengthening governments' ability to deal with financial crises, and their level of co-ordination, but none directly impact on local government.
A number of Committee comments are relevant to local government, including that 'now would be an ideal time to encourage greater co-ordinated planning [by governments] in the tourism sector' (page 22), that 'despite the actions of the Commonwealth Government, local governments were not across the range of strategies being employed to keep redundant workers engaged in their regions (p.47) and that the role of Local Employment Co-ordinators, which have been working closely with local government 'warrants further examination' (page 57).
The Committee's report coincided with the release by Research Australia of a report featured in last week's ALGA News which found that rural Australians are more likely to be negatively impacted by the GFC than those in urban areas.
Further information on the Inquiry and the report is available here.
ALGA's submission to the Inquiry is available here.
The economy and immigration
Des Storer, a Professor with Monash University's Institute for the Study of Global Movements, recently completed a report on the Implications of the Economic Downturn for Immigration and Social Cohesion. This report considers whether the economic downturn in Australia commencing in 2008 will have the same implications in reducing immigration intakes and increasing social conflicts between new immigrants and existing residents, as occurred in earlier recessions in Australia in the 1980's and 1990's and is currently occurring in other advanced economies. The report suggests a range of information and social cohesion strategies that might be focused on by policy makers and support agencies to meet these new challenges. This project was sponsored by the Scanlon Foundation. Download Electronic Report Here
Women drive economy
Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick, said that the Goldman Sachs report released yesterday proved that closing the gap between levels of male and female workplace participation would be a financially astute move for Australia.
"This report not only makes it clear that greater participation of women in the Australian workforce would be a lucrative move for our economy, it reinforces the need for us to respond to the aspirations and desires of women around this country to be in paid work in the manner they choose," said Commissioner Broderick.
The Australia's Hidden Resource: The Economic Case for Increasing Female Participation report states that closing the gap between male and female employment in Australia will boost Australia's GDP by 11%. The report highlights that while raising participation is vital, bridging the gulf between historic male and female productivity rates has the potential to boost the level of economic activity by over 20%.
Climate change and youth
As climate change now forms part of most young people's vernacular, Australia's newest student-led sustainability project, igreen, is proving an effective model in empowering local communities to lead more sustainable lives and providing opportunities for local government to get involved as well. An initiative of the Dusseldorp Skills Forum and Steplight Pty Ltd, igreen works by training groups of students (Year 9, 10 or 11) to conduct home sustainability assessments within their school community. Following a pilot on NSW's Central Coast, igreen will expand to other parts of NSW, Tasmania, Queensland and South Australia in 2010. For more information about igreen, including costs involved, please visit www.igreen.org.au or contact Lesley Tobin (Dusseldorp Skills Forum) Phone: 0409 033 161 Email: lesley@dsf.org.au or Ryan McCathy (Steplight Pty Ltd) Phone: 0412 737 363 Email: ryan.mccarthy@steplight.com.au
Regional data
Spotlight on the Pilbara was released in September 2009, the first in a series of community indicator frameworks being developed in partnership between the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the nine Western Australian Regional Development Commissions, and the Western Australian Department of Regional Development and Lands. Released as a web based facility, the Spotlight Project brings together a wealth of statistical information from a wide variety of sources across three broad themes: social, economic and environment. Information is presented at a range of geographical levels, from Development Commission region to Local Government Area (LGA). The Pilbara Spotlight is the first project in Western Australia that provides regional data with 'local knowledge' to aid in better government services planning and delivery, and allows regions to plan for and measure progress towards a sustainable future. This pilot project is regarded as a critical first step in creating a community indicator framework for the entire state. All Spotlights will contain a core suite of shared indicators, together with region-specific indicators added to reflect the critical issues identified for each region. Work on the core suite of shared indicators and on Spotlights for the Peel and Mid West regions is underway and should be completed in 6 months time, after which additional Spotlights will be developed progressively. To view the Spotlight on the Pilbara, click here.
Telecommunication savings for Vic councils
The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) has announced that Telstra will deliver significant cost savings to local government over the next three years through group purchasing of telecommunications services. Cr Bill McArthur, MAV President, said that following a public tender process, MAV Procurement and Telstra had this week signed a contract on behalf of 62 Victorian councils to provide fixed voice, mobile telephony and data services. Telstra 1 touch video conferencing service would also be available. The annual telecommunications spend of the 62 municipalities that expressed interest in accessing the Telstra contract is more than $20 million. Earlier this year the MAV established MAV Procurement, a not-for-profit entity to support Victorian councils' efforts to aggregate purchasing of goods and services in an efficient and cost effective manner. "This is a great example of local government working together to reduce administrative costs through group purchasing of goods and services that can also deliver improvements to councils' service delivery," he said.
Water and sewerage pricing in Tas
The review of the pricing structure for water and sewerage services in the state has been welcomed by the President of the Local Government Association of Tasmania, Mayor Barry Easther.
"We have long been concerned that the capacity of ratepayers to pay at the accelerated levels, set by the regulator, would place many in the community under financial hardship, but the State Government's reform outcomes required revenue streams that would provide the new water and sewerage corporations with the funds to effect the changes demanded," Mayor Easther said.
"We are buoyed by the fact that the State Government has committed to funding the shortfall, which will result from its latest announcement, by providing funding direct to the corporations equivalent to the amount that will be foregone as a result of its pricing announcement. This will at least ensure that the planned upgrades to works and services will have the required funding to support their ongoing provision."
"That said, we are extremely disappointed that there was no discussion with local government prior to the announcement and it remains of concern that as the owners of the corporations, councils could be so disregarded," Mayor Easther said. "This reform has come at a significant cost to both State and Local Government, financially and otherwise, and it is extremely frustrating that issues of major significance are not even mentioned to local government prior to implementation."
New UDIA national president
Peter Sherrie, Director of Excel Development Group Pty Ltd, has been elected as National President of the Urban Development Institute of Australia. Peter has been involved in the property development industry for 17 years working for national and overseas property development companies in senior positions covering all aspects of residential developments. Peter has held positions on the UDIA QLD state council since 1993 including the position of Vice President and President (2004-2006). He has been on the UDIA national council since 2004, elected Vice President in 2006. In 2010, UDIA national have set their policy focus to continue working constructively with the government and industry to improve planning and approval systems to enable more economical developments to be produced.
The business tax break
If you own a business, and there are business assets you're thinking of investing in, you can take advantage of the extra tax deduction available through the business tax break. This is also known as the 'investment allowance'. Time is running out though - you need to buy the asset, or at least enter into a contract to buy it, on or before 31 December 2009. The amount of the deduction depends on your annual turnover:
If your business has an annual turnover of less than $2 million, you can claim an extra tax deduction of 50% for eligible assets costing $1,000 or more. If your business turns over $2 million or more, you can still claim an extra 10% tax deduction for eligible assets costing $10,000 or more.
Regardless of your turnover, you have to use the asset principally in Australia and principally for business, and you need to use it (or install it ready for use) by 31 December 2010. You claim the additional tax deduction in your income tax return for the year you first use or install the asset (as long as you meet all other eligibility criteria). For example, if you decide to buy a new vehicle for your business in December 2009 but it isn't delivered until February 2010, you can still claim the tax break in your 2009-10 income tax return.
You can also add together the cost of certain assets to meet the $1,000 or $10,000 thresholds, such as assets that form part of a set (for example, a base station and handsets for a two-way radio) or assets that are identical. Each item needs to be a new, tangible and depreciating asset. Substantial improvements, additions and alterations may also be eligible, but repairs are not. For example, you can claim the business tax break for a new improved engine you buy for a business vehicle but you can't claim for mechanical repairs.
Visit the Tax Office website or talk to your tax agent to find out more about how the tax break works and whether it might benefit you. Or you can call the business tax break info line on 1300 337 921.
Farmers as climate champions
Are you a farmer who believes that managing climate risk is an important part of managing your farm business? Are you interested in getting early previews of research in this field, offering feedback to researchers and being supported to share information about the research with other farmers in your region?
Managing Climate Variability, the country's leading research and development program tasked with helping farmers and natural resource managers manage climate variability risks, is seeking to better communicate its research and to involve farmers in every step of the research process.
Up to 15 grains, sugar, grape, cotton, dairy, beef and sheep farmers from across Australia will be selected to be 'Climate Champions' and supported through training and resource kits. As a Climate Champion, you will benefit from having access to the latest weather forecasting tools. You will also be able to share experiences with other progressive farmers who are adapting to our increasingly variable climate. Farmers interested in nominating to become a Climate Champion should complete a short form at www.climatechampions.net.au or call Econnect Communication on 07 3846 7111 for a hard copy form. The form should only take about 10 minutes to complete. The closing date for nominations is 14 January 2010.
Murray-Darling Basin
Local governments across the Murray-Darling Basin will share funding of more than $14 million under the planning component of the Strengthening Basin Communities program.
The Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong, has announced the 37 successful applicants for round one of the program. Senator Wong said the $200 million Strengthening Basin Communities program was designed to help Basin communities plan and implement water saving measures. Senator Wong acknowledged the contribution of South Australian Senator Nick Xenophon, who proposed the program as part of the passage of the Nation Building and Jobs Plan through the Senate earlier this year. A list of successful applicants is available here.
Productivity commission review
The Minister for Trade, Simon Crean, and the Assistant Treasurer, Senator Nick Sherry, have announced a Productivity Commission review into the impact of bilateral and regional trade agreements on trade and on investment barriers.
The review will also examine the effects of these bilateral and regional agreements on Australia's trade and economic performance.
To register an interest in the study, or for further information, please visit www.pc.gov.au.
Because children matter
UnitingCare Australia and the Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales, have released an analysis of the Government's recent policy reforms for children, young people and families. The report, 'Because Children and Families Matter', assesses the key reforms of 2009 related to children, youth and families, including the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children, the youth compact, initiatives to reduce homelessness and violence against women, and reforms in early childhood development and learning.
Effects of child care
The effects of non-parental child care differ according to the quality of the care and the background of the parents, according to new research from The Australian National University.
The study, conducted by ANU economists Professor Andrew Leigh and Dr Chikako Yamauchi, used data from the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Children (LSAC), which followed a cohort of children born in 2004 (the study parallels ABC television's Life at 1 and Life at 3 programs).
When the LSAC children were aged 2-3 years old, their parents were asked a series of questions about the children's behaviour. These included questions about how the child responded in unfamiliar circumstances, how well the child persisted with tasks, and whether the child had temper tantrums. The researchers found that the relationship between behaviour and child care differs according to parental socioeconomic status and the quality of care.
"The negative association between behavioural outcomes and non-parental care is strongest for children of affluent and high-educated parents," said Professor Leigh. "This accords with prior research, and may reflect the fact that children in these families have more resources at home, or that there are differences in parenting across socioeconomic groups. We also find some evidence that the negative association between behavioural outcomes and child care use is ameliorated in child care centres with smaller group sizes."
A copy of the paper, Which Children Benefit From Non-Parental Care?, is available here.
Policies and laws for older Australians
In its response to a parliamentary report into older people and the law, Australian Government has stressed the importance of the need for government, at all levels, to ensure their policies and laws adequately meet the needs of older Australians.
The House of Representatives Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee report, tabled in September 2007, made 48 recommendations focusing on fraud, financial abuse, substitute decision making, power of attorney and family agreements. The committee pointed out that older people face challenges because many are unaware of their legal rights and options for legal remedy. This can leave them open to exploitation, abuse and neglect. The Committee recommended more uniformity across Australia and emphasised the need for services that were appropriately funded, targeted and delivered.
Attorney-General Robert McClelland outlined action which the Government has taken to address the report's recommendations, including:
- development of a dedicated section on the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) website to provide older people with advice on their financial needs, including superannuation investments, reverse mortgages and a toolkit to help plan for retirement available here;
- information for older Australians on issues which affect their security such as financial literacy;
- removal of the "dominant" reason test from the Age Discrimination Act 2004; and
- a commitment to promote mutual recognition provisions in powers of attorney legislation across Australia.
The Committee's report can be found here and to view the government's response click here.
Australia's population growth
Australia recorded 301,000 births for the year ending 30 June 2009 according to preliminary figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Australia's total fertility rate reached a 30 year high with just under 2 babies per woman, the highest since 1977. A population growth rate of 2.1% was recorded for the year ending 30 June 2009, up from 1.7% recorded last year. This is the highest growth rate in 40 years (2.1% in 1969). As at 30 June 2009, Australia's population had grown to 21,875,000, an increase of 443,000 people over the previous year. Australia's net overseas migration contributed to more than half of this growth at 64% or 285,000 people. Natural increase (the excess of births over deaths) contributed 158,000 (36%). Over the last 12 months, Western Australia continued to record the fastest population growth at 3.0%, followed by Queensland (2.6%), the Northern Territory (2.3%), Victoria (2.1%), New South Wales (1.7%), the Australian Capital Territory (1.6%), South Australia (1.2%) and Tasmania (1.0%). As at 30 June 2009, the population of each State and Territory was: New South Wales 7,100,000; Western Australia 2,237,000; Victoria 5,428,000; Tasmania 502,600; Queensland 4,407,000; Northern Territory 224,800; South Australia 1,623,000; Australian Capital Territory 351,200. More details at www.abs.gov.au.
Disability day
With the International Day for People with a Disability held across the nation yesterday, Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes, said that people should consider that more than 20% of Australians experience some form of disability.
Commissioner Innes said that many everyday activities, which most people would take for granted, present barriers to people with disability. For example: For some of us, trains and buses are crowded, or don't run frequently enough. But people with physical disabilities are only able to board around 25 to 30% of them to begin with.
For most of us, checking information on the internet is a task we complete dozens of times a day. But for people who are blind or have low vision, many websites - including some government websites - are either not accessible at all, or not as accessible as they could be. In our broader community, the unemployment rate is currently running at 5.8%. For people with mental illness, for example, it is around 19.5%. For some of us, it can be a little inconvenient to get to our suburban accountant or solicitor if their office is up a flight of stairs above local shops. But, for people with mobility disability, this means that they cannot get there at all. Commissioner Innes said, with the very real likelihood that many of us, and the people we care about, will develop a disability as we grow older (whether it be a mobility, hearing, sight or psychiatric disability), the issues that face people with disability on an everyday basis, and threaten their level of social inclusion, should have a much higher public profile than they currently have.
Paving the way for Golden Gurus
Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion Senator Ursula Stephens has launched the Golden Gurus website and invited interested organisations to become involved in the new national Golden Gurus program. The Golden Gurus program will harness the skills and experience of Australians aged 50 years and over. Through Golden Gurus, mature age Australians will be able to meet new people, develop social networks, access free training, and may participate in an Ambassadors program.
The new program will commence on 1 January 2010 and will be facilitated by a range of quality organisations across Australia. The Government is seeking expressions of interest from not-for-profit and community organisations that would like to be part of the Golden Gurus program. Organisations interested in becoming part of the national community can refer to the become a Member Organisation section. Expressions of interest are sought by 30 November 2009 for the official start of the program in January 2010.
Mature age people who wish to become Golden Gurus are encouraged to join the mailing list to be notified of future announcements about the program.Golden Gurus was an idea presented at the Australia 2020 Summit and forms part of the Government's social inclusion agenda.
Shaping Australia's resilience
Resilience thinking is gaining attention in government, industry and academia all over the world. But what does it mean and why is it important?
Resilience thinking is important because it assists in making better decisions under conditions of uncertainty. And dealing with social, economic and environmental uncertainties is increasingly a major challenge for governments, industry and individuals. Resilience is the ability of complex systems to respond to external shocks and insults without losing their essential functions and identity. Australia21 is holding a multi-disciplinary conference with practitioners from a wide range of disciplines to further understand how resilience thinking and its application can assist in responding to domestic and global challenges. ALGA President Cr Geoff Lake will be a guest speaker at the conference.
The conference is designed to aid in knowledge transfer on this important issue. To address water shortages, economic instability, climate change, quality education and health services - communities and governments will need to work together in new ways - and these complex interactions will require new skills and attributes. Resilience thinking shifts attention from purely growth and efficiency to needed recovery and flexibility. Learning, recovery and flexibility open eyes to novelty and new worlds of opportunity. This national multi-disciplinary conference on 18-19 February 2010 at ANU will bring leading resilience specialists, researchers and policy makers together to determine how a resilience lens can help to build a brighter future in deeply uncertain times. More information here.
Quote of the week
"I accept that at times I have stuffed up. I probably should, I suppose, apologise for all my errors of the past and make a clean breast of it." -
New Opposition Leader Tony Abbott
International news 
Swiss voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional ban on minarets on Sunday, barring construction of the iconic mosque towers in a surprise vote that put Switzerland at the forefront of a European backlash against a growing Muslim population.
Muslim groups in Switzerland and abroad condemned the vote as biased and anti-Islamic. Business groups said the decision hurt Switzerland's international standing and could damage relations with Muslim nations and wealthy investors who bank, travel and shop there.
"The Swiss have failed to give a clear signal for diversity, freedom of religion and human rights," said Omar Al-Rawi, integration representative of the Islamic Denomination in Austria, which said its reaction was "grief and deep disappointment."
The referendum by the nationalist Swiss People's Party labeled minarets as symbols of rising Muslim political power that could one day transform Switzerland into an Islamic nation. The initiative was approved 57.5 to 42.5 percent by some 2.67 million voters. Only four of the 26 cantons or states opposed the initiative, granting the double approval that makes it part of the Swiss constitution.
Amnesty International said the vote violated freedom of religion and would probably be overturned by the Swiss supreme court or the European Court of Human Rights.
The seven-member Cabinet that heads the Swiss government had spoken out strongly against the initiative but the government said it accepted the vote and would impose an immediate ban on minaret construction. (Source: AP)
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