Steve Mcgregor: Army Reservist and Senior Parking Patrol Officer/Ordinance inspector with Holroyd City Council

Corporal Steve Mcgregor is one of 40,000 Australian Reservists living a double life. Just like many Local Council employees, Steve is employed in a civilian role while also serving in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Reserve.

Steve signed up to the Army Reserve in October 2000. Both his father and father in-law were in the ADF and this strongly influenced his decision to join. He also wanted to experience Army life, but having a young family made joining full-time difficult. The Reserves provided the perfect balance.

After starting as an Infantryman he worked his way up to his current role as Section Commander for 11 Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st Military Police Battalion. Steve has been with the Military Police for seven and a half years and has served as a Section Commander for about four years.

"Being a Reserve member, I have gained experience and have been able to experience things I would not have been able to in my normal day to day life," Steve says. His civilian job is with the Holroyd City Council as the Senior Parking Patrol Officer/Ordinance inspector (Ranger). Basically, Steve's role enforces all Local Government Laws and Bylaws.

The Council is very supportive of Steve's Reserve commitments. They have allowed him to attend courses which have helped to further his career with the ADF. Additionally, after starting with the Council in February 2006, Steve was released for Reserve Service in March 2006 to deploy to Melbourne to provide security for the Commonwealth Games.

One of the memorable moments in Steve's Reserve career is assisting on ANZAC Day 2009. "Driving in the ANZAC Day march through Sydney with elderly retired service members on board; the amount of cheers and calls of 'thank you' received from the general public and young children directed not just at you but to the retired serviceman."

"My career in the Defence Reserves has been a wonderful experience. I believe that the skills I have gained in the Defence Force have been used in my civilian life and have made me a better person."

To find out more about the ADF Reserves and how you can be a supportive employer of Reserves visit www.defence.gov.au

Prime Minister launches National Compact with the Third Sector

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd launched the National Compact with the Third Sector, or Not-for-Profit Sector, on 17 March, after a two year consultation process. He described the Compact as a natural partnership - joining what government should be doing in this area, with what the Third Sector can deliver in partnership with government. The government and the Third Sector need each other - in particular, the government needs the 3rd sector to provide the reach into the community.

The Compact, he said, provides a framework to enrich public sector delivery. Now there is a need to break down the walls of indifference and the walls of hostility between the bureaucracy and the community organisations. Stressing the importance of the work of the voluntary sector, Prime Minister Rudd said that the highlight of his mother's life was the volunteer work she did for the auxiliary nursing service for many years after her retirement.

The Compact gives community organisations real input into policy decisions and the opportunity to work in true partnership with government.

There are 5.4 million volunteers in the 3rd sector. According to the Productivity Commission, there are over 600,000 not-for-profit organisations, contributing $43 billion to the economy each year and providing 1 million jobs.

The launch concluded with a "toast" to the new Compact: an official signing ceremony with the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Jenny Macklin, Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector, Senator Ursula Stephens and 23 Third Sector organisations signing the Compact as a symbol of their commitment and support.

Senator Stephens concluded the launch by saying the signing of the Compact "marks the beginning of the relationship, not the end."

The signing coincided with the launch of the National Compact website where organisations across Australian can sign on to the Compact.

The relevant website is at www.nationalcompact.gov.au

A second website called Working Together will also allow organisations to discuss issues around the Compact. Organisations which could not get to the launch are encouraged to sign up on line by visiting www.nationalcompact.gov.au and clicking on the "sign up now" button.

Harmony Day events

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship's Kerri Eckhardt has helped to distribute over one million Harmony Day products to all parts of Australia.

Local governments around Australia are organising a wide range of celebrations for Harmony Day 2010. From a morning tea in the office to a film festival, councils are finding new ways to celebrate and promote Australia's cultural diversity within their own areas around 21 March. Council organisers have been quick to order some of the one million items of free Harmony Day merchandise supplied by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

Hurstville City Council and the NSW Department of Education and Training will celebrate 2010 Harmony Day by screening eight short films which promote community spirit and togetherness. All the films focus on a single theme: courage, and tackle issues such as compassion, disability, cultural diversity and human rights.

The City of Mount Gambier is going to celebrate Harmony Day with activities at the Mount Gambier Library, such as a free barbecue, in conjunction with SA Police, a cultural display by the Skilled Migrants Welcome Program, give-aways of helium balloons, a chance to make paper cranes with the City of Mount Gambier Youth Advisory Committee, a dance presentation by the local Karen Community and performances by North Gambier Primary students and the Compton Cool Kids.

In Western Australia, the City of Swan and the Ballajura Youth and Community Venture will host a community festival. The festival will celebrate the cultural diversity of the Ballajura community through activities such as African drumming workshops, face painting, henna tattoos and crafts. There will also be performances, including Indonesian and Indian dancing, a Welcome to Country with a message stick and didgeridoo recital and choirs.

At Bonegilla in Victoria, Block 19 of the Bonegilla Migrant Camp will be opened to visitors. As previously reported in ALGA News, Wodonga City Council is launching an education program for school students at the Bonegilla Migrant Experience Heritage Park, where post-war migrants began their Australian journey.

To find out more and learn what other local government are doing click here.

The Steering Committee of the Australian Council of Local Government (ACLG) met this week in Canberra with the Minister, Anthony Albanese and Parliamentary Secretary, Maxine McKew. Part of our agenda was to discuss the themes and issues for debate at the next Plenary meeting which will be held in Canberra on 17-18 June 2010. This is the occasion when mayors from across ther country come to Canberra for a meeting with the Prime Minister and ministers.

I suggested that partnership and collaboration should be the broad themes of the gathering. The development of a stronger partnership between local government and the Australian Government has been a feature of the last two years and the creation of the ACLG is a very real and tangible sign of the that partnership. But it's not the only sign. The establishment of a $25 million Local Government Reform Fund to support improvements in local government asset management and financial planning, the direct engagement of local government in the Regional Development Australia (RDA) Committees, the creation of the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government (ACELG) and of course the more than $1 billion in community infrastructure funding are all testament to the new relationship.

It's not just a one way street, however. Local government plays its role in the partnership as well. Local government experience, enthusiasm and innovation is being tapped by 55 RDA committees around the country. The projects funded under the new Reform Fund will build on efforts already being undertaken by councils and state local government associations. Local government has been at the forefront of identifying the areas of work for the ACELG. Last and not least, councils have completed almost 3,000 of the 3,220 projects funded under the original $250m allocated across all councils.

Our commitment as a sector to spending the community infrastructure funding as quickly as possible has paid real dividends in terms of jobs and local fiscal stimulus. I suspect that the Community Infrastructure Program stands out as one of the most successful elements of the government's fiscal stimulus package.

Having said that, the job is not over and there are still applications being considered for further allocations under additional tranches of the program. It is important that we make sure, as a sector, that all of the proposals we put forward for funding meet the Program guidelines and are of a high standard. ALGA has argued and will continue to argue for ongoing community infrastructure funding and our case will be strengthened by the quality of our performance under the current program.

Cr Geoff Lake
ALGA President

Briefs

Metropolitan Strategy review

Community and stakeholder consultation is now underway on a review of Sydney's Metropolitan Strategy. The NSW Department of Planning has released a discussion paper named Sydney Towards 2036 as a first step in this review. The discussion paper highlights key challenges, including jobs growth in Western Sydney, making Sydney climate change-ready, placing new houses close to services and infrastructure, and revitalising our centres.

Consultation on the discussion paper is running hand in hand with the exhibition of the $50 billion Metropolitan Transport Plan until April 30 - linking land-use and transport planning. Following feedback on both documents, a single Metropolitan Plan will be created.

The review also includes an online community forum on the NSW Government's Shape Your State website.

Volunteer awards

Nominations for the 2010 Regional Arts Australia Volunteer Awards close on Friday 26 March. Nominate yourself or someone you know who has made a difference in your community. Young people are particularly encouraged to apply.

The Regional Arts Australia Volunteer Awards recognise, reward and encourage regionally-based artists and cultural volunteers who have made a substantial contribution to the arts in regional communities in Australia.

Recipients will receive benefits valued at over $1,800, including registration, conference dinner, travel to and accommodation at Junction 2010, the largest gathering of arts professionals in Australia. They will also receive an original artwork and a certificate signed by the President of Regional Arts Australia and CEO of the Australia Council for the Arts.

The Regional Arts Australia Volunteer Awards Program is supported by the Australia Council for the Arts, the Australian Government's arts funding and advisory body, through its Community Partnerships section.

Nomination is easy: fill out the form, write a description of the contribution made by the person you are nominating, gather any relevant support material, and send it in. Nomination form and details are available here.

Give it a go, you never know, your nominee might win a national arts award.

Councils and Queensland land tax

The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) says councils may have to pay back $600 million in collected revenue if the State Government does not go ahead with changes to land tax laws, reports Chris O'Brien. Rates could rise 27 per cent, as councils try to make up the shortfall.

LGAQ executive director, Greg Hallam, claims that it is a real threat: "The State Government came up with the figure first - we've come up with that figure internally - Australia's leading local government finance expert came up with that figure. That is the potential - that's why the government has moved."

However, Property Council spokesman, Steve Greenwood, disputes the $600 million figure. "We've also done the calculations," he said. "Of the 300 outstanding appeals, worst case, if those appellants were successful, at most the amount of rates that would have to be paid would be around the order of $7 million to $10 million."

Council will cope with new rates peg

Campbelltown Council's financial position will not suffer as a result of the new lower rates peg, Mayor Aaron Rule said. The State Government has announced the rates cap for 2010-11 will be 2.6 per cent, down from the previous year's 3.5 per cent.

The rates peg sets the maximum income that NSW councils can collect from rates revenue. Cr Rule said that his position on rates pegs had not changed, regardless of the figure. "You have to live within a budget and that's what we'll do," he said. "The council will have to be briefed about the rates pegging as part of the budget, and that is something that will continue as usual."

Cr Rule thinks that Campbelltown is in a good position ahead of the 2010-11 budget, thanks to Federal Government funding. He asserted: "We've been very fortunate with the federal stimulus package in terms of getting a lot of capital funding for halls, the stadium and other things."

NSW Local Government Minister, Barbara Perry, said the rates peg had been announced earlier than normal this year in order to allow councils more time to speak with their communities about their plans and projects for the coming year.

Smart councils work with national waterwise label

Now with widespread Federal and State Government support and good recognition of water conservation issues at consumer level, Australia's independent national outdoor water saving label, Smart Approved WaterMark, is seeking greater involvement from local government in water saving programs.

The Smart WaterMark was endorsed by the Environment Protection and Heritage Council four years ago, and is now utilised as the independent adjudicator when it comes to water saving around Australia. It provides a simple reference for the public in their choices when it comes to saving water.

Smart Approved WaterMark was established as a national not-for-profit scheme to provide independent professional assessment of product and service water saving claims. Supported by the Australian Government's Water for the Future Water Smart Australia Program, it is the sister scheme to the Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme for indoor products. The label can be found on water saving products for the home, garden and pool along with commercial and industrial appliances, from irrigation, rainwater harvesting and greywater systems through to cleaning systems and pool covers and filters.

As part of community communications program, a comprehensive website has been developed by Smart WaterMark providing a host of water saving information, including links to rebates across states and local government areas, a complete list of approved products and unique water and energy saving calculators.

Funding is provided by the Australian Government's Water for the Future - Water Smart Australia Program through the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. For further information visit the Smart WaterMark consumer website or email info@smartwatermark.info

Shoalhaven wins gold

The Shoalhaven is celebrating being Australia's most successful local government area after winning two gold medals and a highly commended at the Australian Tourism Awards, writes Greg Ellis of the Illawarra Mercury. Shoalhaven's tourism manager, Tom Phillips, is brimming with pride for the tourist industry around Nowra, after operators at Jervis Bay and Kangaroo Valley successfully flew the flag for the South Coast.

Crystal Creek Meadows Luxury Cottages and Spa Retreat won the Qantas Award for Sustainable Tourism, in a dead heat with Queensland's Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, while Booderee National Park won gold in the Indigenous tourism category, and was highly commended in the tourist attractions category.

Mr Phillips said the Shoalhaven was the most successful local government area in Australia. And the wins have added more weight to www.shoalhaven.net.au's claim that the Shoalhaven, with around twice as many domestic overnight visitors as the Wollongong local government area, is the number one tourist destination in NSW outside Sydney.

Calculate your energy use

Do you want to find out how much it costs to use your tumble dryer? Did you know that each year the average Australian household generates 14 tonnes of greenhouse gas? And a dishwasher can use 35 litres of water per load, so do try to fill up the dishwasher each time you use it, and not use it for two cups and saucers and a teaspoon.

Ashfield residents can now monitor their energy consumption for free by borrowing a Power-Mate energy meter from Ashfield libraries. This device can calculate the energy consumption of different home appliances. It will even estimate the average cost of running the appliance over a year, both in dollar value and in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.

Ashfield Council says it will allow people to make more informed decisions about how they can reduce energy consumption and reduce their energy bills. The three PowerMate portable energy meters can be borrowed free of charge from Ashfield and Haberfield libraries.

The council assures us that Power-Mate is easy to use and comes with full instructions.

Not enough women

A major review of local government recruitment statistics has shown that women are generally more successful than men when applying for senior council management positions, but the low number of women who actually apply for such jobs is leading to a lack of women who end up working at senior levels.

The review sought to ascertain the relationship between the lack of women in senior local government management roles and the number of job applications submitted by women for such positions.

The review was carried out by recruitment firm, McArthur, at the request of Local Government Managers Australia, and formed part of McArthur's annual national survey of council remuneration levels. The 2009 survey covered 141 councils from throughout Australia. The review found that for every woman who applied for a council CEO, director or manager position, more than four men applied for the same role.

However, nearly one in every three women who were interviewed for such roles were successful in securing the position.

LGMA National President, Neil Hartley, thinks that the findings go some way to explain the lack of women in senior local government management positions, and he urges councils to do more to encourage women to apply for top roles.

According to the review, during the last two years women made up just 11 per cent of applicants for CEO positions, and 12 per cent of the women who applied ultimately secured the role. Women made up 22 per cent of applicants for second-tier management positions, and 27 per cent of those women were successful.

Bigger houses, fewer inhabitants

According to the Federal Government, Australian housing patterns are not sustainable, reports Chris O'Brien from the ABC. In the recent report on the state of Australian cities, released by Infrastructure Minister, Anthony Albanese, traffic congestion could cost the national economy $20 billion by 2020.

Mr Albanese told the Queensland Media Club that while the average Australian family is getting smaller, houses are getting bigger, and that we need to have a debate about this unsustainability.

The report says congestion, housing affordability, energy use and water consumption are some of the biggest challenges facing 17 cities of 100,000 residents or more. Mr Albanese says the Government will take a more systemic approach to the issues.

"Over the coming months, using this report, the major cities unit will contribute to the Government's national urban policy," he said. "It will inform our thinking; it will expand our understanding and target our actions. It will encourage and broaden debate to include new dynamics, one of which ... is the use of smart infrastructure."

The mayor of Paradise

Manly mayor, Jean Hay, was one of six women in NSW to be honoured in this year's Women in Local Government awards. Cr Hay won the award for a metropolitan elected representative for "her long-term contribution to local government and the community through community action and fundraising".

Cr Hay said it was a great honour to receive the award in the Year of Women in Local Government. "I have to say that in my 23 years in local government, I've enjoyed every moment of it. I've lived in Manly all my life and it's been an honour to represent the community and to be mayor. I call myself the mayor of paradise."

Manly Council general manager Henry Wong said Cr Hay's award was well deserved. "I think this is a wonderful recognition for her role in local government and for women in local government as a whole," he said. "The award is much more than symbolic.

"Whether it is elected representatives or professional staff, we should do everything we can to address the gender imbalance that exists. It's a shame a lot more women who work in local government don't get honoured."

Town crier competition

The 20^th National Town Crier Championships will take place in Ipswich as part of the city's 150^th anniversary celebrations. Town criers from every state will compete for the championship title at the Ipswich Mall rotunda on Saturday, April 17, from 10am.

President of the Ancient and Honourable Guild of Australian Town Criers, Stephen Clarke, said taking part in Ipswich's 150^th birthday celebrations made this year's championships a unique occasion.

"We regard this as a very special event as the founders of the guild in Australia, Patricia and Gerry Adamson, are attending, as well as a special guest from England, Robert Needham," he said. As Colchester's award-winning town crier, Mr Needham will represent the original English guild and perform a special proclamation of congratulations for the city of Ipswich.

Ipswich town crier, Mark Overell, put in an official bid for Ipswich to host the event two years ago. "It's a bit like bidding for the Olympic Games - different councils put in bids to host the championships at their council," Mr Clarke said.

Four judges will evaluate contenders on poise, bearing, confidence, sustained volume, inflection and word content. To coincide with Ipswich's anniversary, the entrants' competitive cries must have a local flavour. "We have to incorporate Ipswich's 150 years of local government in 75 to 125 words," Mr Clarke said. He welcomed every member of the public to come and see the town criers in action.

Erosion on beaches

Victoria's state government will invoke climate change projections to reject a "millionaires playground" housing development on beachfront sand dunes at Port Fairy. The Age journalists Adam Morton and Peter Collins reported recently. Planning Minister, Justin Madden, refused a planning permit for the East Beach development, in part because the site is vulnerable to erosion and flooding from the nearby Moyne River.

Pushed by transport boss, Mark Rowsthorn, the 22-lot development was proposed to run along a 500-metre strip overlooking Port Fairy Bay. It is bordered by a flood plain that regularly blocks road access. The refusal is the second time the government has cited increased risk of flooding in rejecting a coastal development. Mr Madden turned down a 165-hectare resort at Apollo Bay in June last year.

The minister said the Port Fairy proposal was inconsistent with planning and coastal policies, which include avoiding development on primary sand dunes and in low-lying areas. "The government is working collaboratively at local, state and national levels to prepare coastal areas for sea-level rise," he said. He called in the decision on the East Beach proposal from Moyne Shire Council more than two years ago. The site will be re-zoned to ensure future development is limited.

Warnings of erosion at the site go back to 1992, when a state government report predicted a 25-centimetre sea-level rise would cause a 23-metre recession in the dunes by 2050.

Australian Roads Summit 2010

Geoff Lake, president of ALGA delivered a speech on local government and its role in roads and transport to the Australian Roads Summit 2010 in Brisbane on 5 March.

In his speech he reflected on the significant growth and aging of the population forecast over the next 40 years and the transport challenges this will bring for all three levels of government. The majority of these extra people will live in our major cities - with most concentrated on the eastern seaboard in Melbourne, Sydney and South-East Queensland. He welcomed the involvement of the Federal Government in our cities and their recognition that efficient cities are essential to the future prosperity of Australia.

However, he noted that local roads and other local transport systems will continue to provide the key linkages to arterial systems for the foreseeable future. He argued that one of the immediate priories for local government is to establish more robust funding arrangements which will ensure a well-managed and sustainable local road system that provides appropriate access and levels of service for communities and industry.

He observed that a recent High Court decision brings into question the constitutional validity of the Federal Government providing funds directly to local government through programs such as the Roads to Recovery Program. This is a big issue for local government because a loss of Roads to Recovery funding would have a severe impact on the ability of local government to deliver local roads. In particular, rural councils would fall even further behind in the delivery of roads to their communities and economic productivity would suffer.

Geoff also referred to the Henry Tax Review which has identified the funding arrangements for roads as an area ripe for microeconomic reform through the development of a system of direct road user charging.

A road user charging regime would potentially provide the basis for a source of ongoing funding for local roads and address the anomaly of the lack of a direct link between local road usage and funding.

If road user charging is to be adopted, he said that the same system and pricing mechanism should apply to local roads as to whatever applies to arterial roads. Total funding to local government for local roads should at least be maintained at current levels and there should be a corresponding offset in the current tax burden through a reduction in fuel excise charges. If there is no offset communities will perceive any move to road user charging as no more than a 'grab' by government for additional taxes.

The full speech can be found on the ALGA website

Social Research in Transport (SORT) clearinghouse

The Institute of Transport Studies (ITS) at Monash University, Australia have developed a free web based international research clearinghouse to increase knowledge and learning in the transport profession about research relating to social issues in passenger transport. The clearinghouse collates research reports focussing on social issues such as disadvantage and inequality. Researchers can search the database to find and access reports, sign up to a newsletter providing updates on new research reports, or submit research to be included on the system. For more information click here.