Contentious Audit Report of the Strategic Projects Component of the Regional and Local community Infrastructure Program

The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) released its audit of the Strategic Projects Component of the Regional and Local community Infrastructure Program (RLCIP) on 27 July. The Audit report subsequently received considerable media coverage in the context of the election campaign and generated comment from both sides of politics.

The Audit covered only the administration of that part of the discretionary element of the RLCIP where projects for funding were selected and approved by the Minister. The total value of grants under this element of the RLCIP was $550m.The general allocation of a further $450m in RLCIP funds between councils on a formula basis was not covered by the Audit.

The Audit examined the process of obtaining bids from councils, their assessment and advice to the Minister and the administration of approved projects by both the Federal department and councils receiving the grants.

A total of 137 projects from 484 applications were funded.

The Audit report identifies a number of deficiencies in the administration of the Program by the Federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government and the interface between it and the minister's office. The Audit goes onto make five recommendations on how the administrative processes could be improved. The Department has agreed to all the recommendations.

The Department however, reacted strongly to the Report, noting that in its view the Audit Office findings were not a balanced perspective of the Program. According to the Department, the findings did not examine the community benefits of the projects nor did they take into account the context of the Global Economic Crisis and that the Program was part of an immediate economic stimulus package.

The part of the Audit report that attracted the media's attention related to ANAO's analysis of the distribution of the funds by electorate. The ANAO analysis found that:

• The ALP with 55% of electorates received 57% of the funding;
• The Coalition with 43% of electorates received 37% of funding; and
• Independents with 2% of electorates received 6% of funding

The ANAO analysis of applications for project funding found that 55% of applications came from Coalition electorates of which 18.4% were approved while just under 60% of applications from ALP electorates were approved.

The Department's response to this analysis by ANAO was that it did not take account "clear Government decisions to give preference to larger, more capable councils serving larger populations. The final selection of projects represents an equitable distribution across jurisdictions and electorates, and provides funding to 137 councils which cover more than 12 million Australians".

Cr Geoff Lake, President of ALGA, issued a Press Release expressing concern at the nature and timing of the Audit Office Report which contributed to politicising the Community Infrastructure Program which addressed essential community needs and helped to preserve local employment at a time of economic crisis. Of particular concern to ALGA was the likely impression from the Audit Report that funding has been misused or misapplied by councils when this was clearly not the case.

Cr Lake's Press Release can be found at /newsroom/media/

The ANAO report can be found here.

Recycling for Keep Australia Beautiful Week

Keep Australia Beautiful Week starts on Monday 23rd August, and, with over 11 billion beverage containers being consumed in Australia each year, this year's campaign aims to help increase the recycling rate of beverage containers in public places.

Local councils can get involved to help reduce litter and waste being sent to landfill in their local area by promoting local initiatives that are helping to increase the recycling rate of empty bottles and cans.

Australian households recycle around 70 per cent of their empty beverage containers on average, yet this figure drops to just 22 per cent when people are away from home.

"With so many people buying food and drink when they're out and about these days, we are seeing more waste being produced, but with very little of it being recycled. This means more litter on our streets and products ending up in landfill which don't need to be there," said KAB spokeswoman, Lara Shannon. This also has a financial impact. The Australian Food and Grocery Council calculates that $200 million is spent nationally on cleaning up litter on our streets.

With many councils, venues and businesses introducing public place recycling bins, Keep Australia Beautiful is now calling for greater public awareness about the services available and also how to use them correctly to reduce contamination.

"That's where local councils can use Keep Australia Beautiful Week as the perfect time to promote local facilities and create awareness amongst residents so they can start recycling their empty drink bottles and cans rather than throwing them in the rubbish bin," Shannon added.

Keep Australia Beautiful will also be announcing the recipients of its Community Grants program, funded by the Coca-Cola Foundation, during KAB Week. The grants will be used to initiate local, grass roots recycling projects and have been awarded to a wide range of local community groups and councils to increase beverage container recycling.

The Keep Australia Beautiful website will feature a range of supporting resources for local councils, including posters, fact sheets and a template media release to generate local media support during KAB Week, available by 30 July.

For further information about the campaign and how your council can get involved, visit www.kab.org.au

The Australian Journey - Muslim Communities

Australia is a parliamentary democracy, which means that all Australian citizens can participate in how their country is governed and how their society is represented. Bill Baarini states in the booklet, The Australian Journey - Muslim Communities that Muslims in Australia are becoming increasingly involved in mainstream politics, particularly at the state and local level. The beautiful booklet is produced by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship. Bill Baarini wanted to work in local government and in 2003 he became Victoria's youngest mayor. He served with Hobson's Bay City Council for nearly eight years and was awarded the Municipal Association of Victoria Emeritus Mayoral Award.

Local government also held appeal for Pinar Yesil, who was elected the City of Greater Dandenong's first Muslim Mayor in 2009. In the booklet, Yesil writes that she is aware of her achievement: "I hope it acts as inspiration for other young people to achieve their dreams."

Another Muslim interviewed, Dr Ahmed Hassan, performs and teaches paediatric and adult eye surgery in Melbourne and also works for the Royal Flying Doctor Service in the Northern Territory. When flying to remote communities there, he states: "I was intrigued to meet descendants of the early Muslim cameleers and came to appreciate the massive contribution they made to this country - from accompanying Burke and Wills, to ferrying sick patients across the outback to Adelaide. It was an example to me of Muslims' strong roots in this great nation of ours."

These are three of more than 40 portraits of the booklet's Muslim people who contribute to Australian life and help to make our nation a better place. Muslims were some of the first visitors to Australia and this exceptionally handsome booklet points out that they have helped to build Australia into the prosperous and successful nation it is today. "Many have chosen to live in Australia for the sake of their children, for education opportunities and for a better life. They bring with them a wealth of different ideas, skills and talents." (p. 4)

The booklet has information, a time line and portraits of successful Muslims in Australia with their thoughts about what it means to be both a Muslim and an Australian. The publication can be viewed here.

For a hard copy please contact Michelle Norman at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship on (02) 6198 7260 or via email at michelle.norman@immi.gov.au

The release earlier this week of the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) report into the Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program (RLCIP) is unfortunate given we are in the middle of a national election campaign. It unreasonably politicises the program and has the potential to detract from the enormous benefits and successes that the program has delivered.

The part of the report that attracted most of the media's attention related to the ANAO's analysis of the distribution of funds by electorate for the $550 million strategic projects component. The ANAO employed hideously sloppy reasoning and an appallingly misconceived approach to reach its view that the program was politically biased. Their approach had more in common with a second rate undergraduate analysis than the sort of objective analysis we should expect from an important and independent office scrutinising how public resources are administered.

For those who have bothered to actually trawl through their 244 page report and look past the ANAO's conspiracy theory peddling hysterics of chronic pork-barrelling, the facts tell an entirely different story. Labor electorates, which make up 55% of the House of Representatives, received 57% of the funding while non-ALP electorates received 43% compared to their 45% proportion of seats. If this is pork-barrelling then Anthony Albanese is clearly not very good at it.

ALGA has strongly advocated for federal support to assist councils to maintain and provide local community infrastructure for some time. This program (which is still ongoing and hopefully will remain so regardless of whichever side wins the election) has delivered more than a billion dollars of funds to councils over the past 18 months. It is the most significant step forward in local-federal relations since at least the establishment of the Roads to Recovery Program ten years ago by the Howard Government.

The program has delivered thousands of projects to local communities across Australia and has helped to sustain local employment through the Global Financial Crisis. It is fundamentally wrong to suggest or insinuate that funds have been misused, politically directed or wasted.

The ANAO has gone far beyond its role as an independent scrutiniser of government. We don't think it has properly grasped or understood the environment in which councils operate and we are disappointed that they have been so quick to reach premature opinions about the performance of councils and the management of the program. Reports like this one are what happens when government bean counters run out of beans to count and get a bit excited in the middle of an election campaign.

We feel their report is lacking objectivity and would have been strengthened by engaging directly with councils to better understand the operating environment they were inquiring into. But this is not just our view. It is also the view of the independent officials in the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government who took the extraordinary step of writing to the ANOA to point out that the report was lacking balance.

The importance of community infrastructure should not be underestimated. Community infrastructure provides the social backbone for every community in Australia. Well located, well designed and properly maintained community infrastructure is fundamental to the social and economic wellbeing of Australia. It helps facilitate social inclusion, tolerance and cultural awareness, promotes preventative health outcomes and enhances community cohesion.

ALGA's main priority for the federal election campaign will continue to be to secure commitments from both sides of politics to an annual and ongoing Regional and Community Infrastructure Program. Perhaps another priority should also be to seek reform of the ANAO to properly refocus it back to objective and impartial analysis.

Cr Geoff Lake
ALGA President

Briefs

Front Line Management certificate for local government

Certificate IV in Front Line Management is a nationally recognised qualification. In a recent article for LG Focus magazine, Rum Charles, motivational speaker, author and principal trainer at Indigo Training in Victoria, quoted Logo Recruitment's Wendy Burdis, who said that "candidates applying for management positions who have their Cert IV are looked upon much more favourably...." and that she "would advise anyone wishing to progress in their careers to gain this nationally recognised qualification as soon as possible".

Rum Charles said that Certificate III and IV have already become a prerequisite for many management, coordination or team leader positions in councils. In childcare, he said, there will be a requirement for a Certificate III in children's services by the end of 2011. This is to give those already working in the sector time to gain the qualification, thus creating a level playing field. For those wishing to join the industry, most local governments will now expect candidates to have their qualifications or at a minimum have started a course.

To find out more information on Certificate IV Front Line Management programs, call (03) 9820 0277 or email Rachal@indigotraining.com.au

The Cook, the chef, the broker and the money

The Minister for Employment Participation and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery, Mark Arbib, this week announced the Cooks and Chefs Employment Brokerage program under the Gillard Labor Government's Employer Broker program.

The program, being run by the Restaurant and Catering Industry Association, is expected to create 160 much needed jobs for Australia's hospitality industry. Senator Arbib said the program would assist job seekers looking for a career as a cook or chef in the hospitality industry.

"Hospitality employment service providers will be provided with a tool that will enable them to assess job seekers' suitability for jobs in the hospitality industry. This will ensure job opportunities are matched to individual job seekers."

Senator Arbib said that the Government was allocating $6 million in funding for Employer Broker activities over three years to June 2012.

Applications for Round Two funding of projects for the Employer Brokers program is open and further information is available at: www.deewr.gov.au

Tony Abbott talks about policies

Tony Abbott told Alan Jones this week that it was hard to know what the current PM's deeper political convictions were and that he was concerned about the internal divisions within the Labor Government.

He also focused on the financial waste of establishing "super clinics" since doctors in the private sector are already establishing some, at no cost to the taxpayer.

"You do not need to set up these inefficient government clinics in competition with existing or planned effectively super clinics that have been put up by the private sector," he said.

Questioned by Alan Jones, Mr Abbott reiterated that the Labor Government could not make hard decisions and that it just kept pretending to make decisions, while stalling for time. He said that he would re-open the Nauru detention centre as soon as he could. He said that he would look into just how real rising sea level predictions were because this would affect people's investment in coastal properties, and that he would also investigate how necessary the idea of increasing staff-to-child ratios in childcare were, because this would cost a great deal of money.

ALGA President joins the Outback Way Tour

The ALGA president, Cr Geoff Lake, will be joining the tour from Longreach to Alice Springs to experience first-hand the issue of local communities in outback central Australia.

There is still time to join the Outback Way tour to the 2010 National Local Roads and Transport Congress.

The Outback Way tag along tour is proceeding with a convoy of vehicles already signed up for the tour. There is still the opportunity to join the tour in your own vehicle or to hitch a ride with one of the other vehicles (at minimal cost) and experience the diversity of outback Queensland, NT and WA.

The tour departs Longreach on 5 October and can also be joined in Alice Springs and Uluru (9 October).

The tour is designed to highlight key road issues as you travel the Outback Way while enjoying the adventure of the Outback in Central Australia.

All participants taking part will receive a host of memorabilia commemorating the trip.

For more details contact Jo Molin at generalmanager@outbackway.org.au or 0419 429 198

2010 National Local Roads and Transport Congress - super early bird registrations closing 8 August

Super early bird registrations for the 2010 National Local Roads and Transport Congress can be made until 8 August online here or through the ALGA website by following the links from the 2010 National Local Roads and Transport Congress button.

The "super early bird" rate of $795 offers a substantial saving compared to the early registration price of $845 and the standard registration of $960.

The Roads Congress is being held from 13-15 October immediately following the WA Roads Forum in Bunbury, Western Australia.

An extensive pre, during and post Congress program of tours has been developed and can be booked at the time of registration for delegates and partners wanting to explore the marvellous south west of Western Australia.

The registration brochure for the Congress can be viewed on the ALGA website and will be posted to all councils next week.

Book early to make great savings.

Free Ticket Giveaway!

The Walkley Foundation is pleased to offer one lucky ALGA reader a free ticket to the Walkley Public Affairs Conference program valued at $500! To win contact (Amanda.Lynch@alga.asn.au) by 5 August and let us know why you would like to attend. Details of the conference follow:

The Walkley Public Affairs Conference 2010
Thursday 12 - Friday 13 August 2010
8:30am-5:00pm (Conference) and 7:00-10:00pm (Ross Gittins Dinner)
www.walkleyconference.com.au
Follow us on twitter: @walkleys, and join the conversation on #walkleyspa

Speakers include: Deborah Cameron, ABC Radio 702, Ross Gittins, Economics Columnist, Sydney Morning Herald & The Age, Tim Gartrell, CEO, Generation One & CEO, Auspoll, Peter Khalil, Hawker Britton, Richard Birdsey, Bicycle NSW, Greg Daniel, Executive Chairman, SR7, Chris Pash, Director of Content Licensing, Dow Jones & Co, Gavin Heaton, servantofchaos.com, Trevor Cook, Communications Consultant, Brian Giesen, Director, Digital Strategy - Australia & Asia Pacific, Ogilvy Public, and Paul Ritchie, Senior Public Affairs Manager, NSW Business Chamber.

Book before 30 July for the early bird discount at www.walkleyconference.com.au.

Australian Conservation Foundation's environment scorecard

The Australian Conservation Foundation's first scorecard of the federal election campaign shows the main political parties are currently failing on cutting pollution and protecting the environment. ACF's scorecard has Labor on 33 out of 100, the Coalition on 15 and the Greens on 81.

"More than three quarters of Australians agree that our economy is too dependent on energy sources that cause pollution," said ACF Executive Director Don Henry, "and 92 per cent of Australians are concerned that pollution is damaging our natural and economic assets like the Great Barrier Reef (Auspoll, June 2010).

"With effective action to tackle pollution, we can create a clean, vibrant economy, sustainable cities and a safe, healthy environment for our children.

"The major parties need to pull up their socks and prove they have policies that will protect our iconic Coral Sea and south-west marine areas, Tasmania's ancient forests, the Murray-Darling Basin and the Kimberley .... ACF is urging all parties to go for a 'high distinction' on climate and environment by campaign's end."

The scorecard will be updated every week during the election campaign to reflect new commitments from the parties. The ACF does not endorse any particular party, and the scores are calculated using available criteria. You can see it at www.acfonline.org.au and click on Scorecard.

Changes in building requirements affect local government

A seminar on new design, construction and building management requirements is due to come into force next May. This will be an opportunity for Local Government to learn about the changes.

These new requirements are to be included in Premises Standards due to come into force on 1 May 2011. The Premises Standards specifically identify those responsible for the design, certification and management of new and renovated buildings as having a responsibility to ensure the requirements of the Premises Standards are met. These same requirements are expected to be included in a revised Building Code of Australia at the same time.

The seminars will be presented by the Australian Building Codes Board and the Australian Human Rights Commission.

The seminars will take place in all capital cities around Australia and will be an important opportunity for building professionals to receive in-depth information and training on the Premises Standards before the requirements come into force and you and your colleagues should find the opportunity to participate in one of the seminars invaluable.

The seminars qualify for 3 CPD points.

More information including registration can be found here.

Behaviour Change for Sustainability National Congress - Sydney, 11^th & 12^th Oct

Councils interested in climate change and sustainability might be interested in the Behaviour Change for Sustainability National Congress, which will focus on the considerable divide between sustainable intention and action. It will be the biggest opportunity for progressing global sustainability today. Everything we do as professionals and as human beings to advance sustainability means very little if we don't actually effect change - in the behaviour of consumers, companies, communities and governments.

Speakers include Barack Obama's Chief Blogger, Sam Graham-Felsen, world renowned economist and thinker, Jeremy Rifkin and the Director of the Committee on the Human Dimensions of Climate Change, Paul C Stern.

Early Bird Discount applies until 10th September 2010.

To book your place today, visit www.3pillarsnetwork.com.au, email registrations@3pillarsnetwork.com.au or call 02 555 4203.

Extension of time for Performance Benchmarking of Australian Business Regulation: Planning, Zoning and Development Assessments

On Friday 16 July, the Commission received notification that the Assistant Treasurer granted our request for an extension of time to conduct the benchmarking study into planning, zoning and development assessments. The deadline for releasing the final report is now April 2011. Accordingly, our timelines have changed, including that for the receipt of submissions, and are now:

31 Aug, Tues: deadline for submissions
29 Nov, Mon: working draft to the Advisory Panel
13 Dec, Mon: meeting of the Advisory Panel to comment on the draft
23 Dec, Thurs: receipt of comments from the Advisory Panel on the working draft
7 Jan, Fri: receipt of official inserts from governments
31 Jan, Mon: public release of the draft report
29 Apr, Fri: public release of the final report

Fast-tracking for NSW broadband infrastructure

The NSW Government has fast-tracked the delivery of telecommunications facilities, including new broadband infrastructure such as the Federal Government's National Broadband Network.

Proposed changes to the Infrastructure State Environmental Planning Policy were publicly exhibited in 2009, along with a draft Telecommunications Guideline.

The new measures were finalised and adopted in July 2010. They support all new telecommunications facilities in New South Wales being consistent with a set of principles covering issues such as site selection, design, construction and operation.

The Infrastructure SEPP introduces new provisions that allow telecommunications infrastructure providers to be either exempt from planning approval, or be able to receive a ten-day complying development approval, for a number of telecommunications facilities subject to strict criteria including health and amenity considerations.

New telecommunications towers in residential zones will continue to require development application approval from the local council.

The Telecommunications Guideline provides further detail about the types of infrastructure that can be classified as exempt or complying development and the requirements and development standards that must be met for each facility type.

For more information on the National Broadband Network in New South Wales visit www.broadband.nsw.gov.au

Expanding the Stormwater-Harvesting Program

A re-elected Gillard Labor Government would help more communities across Australia roll out stormwater projects that assist in securing their future water supplies.

The Gillard Labor Government recognises water supplies in Australia's cities and towns are under pressure due to the impact of record drought and the onset of climate change.

Securing and diversifying water supplies is central to building a sustainable Australia. We simply cannot afford to let precious water go to waste. Based on the strong community interest to date, Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced on Wednesday that the Stormwater Harvesting and Reuse program would receive a significant boost.

The Prime Minister also announced that Waterproofing Eastern Adelaide would be the first project to be funded from the expanded program. This project brings together the Burnside, Norwood, Payneham, St Peters, Campbelltown, Tea Tree Gully and Town of Walkerville councils to create a network of stormwater capture, storage and distribution sites across eastern Adelaide.

Treated stormwater can be used to maintain sporting ovals, parks, and gardens, or by local businesses and industry. By investing in over 160 urban water projects to date - including stormwater, desalination and recycling - the Gillard Labor Government is helping prepare Australia for a future with less water.

Tie car subsidies to carbon: Greens

Government subsidies for Australian car manufacturing should be tied to bold innovations in fuel efficiency and carbon cuts, according to the Greens, reports Rosslyn Beeby in Wednesday's Canberra Times.

The call comes as scientists at Swinburne University in Melbourne announced a joint research venture with China to produce a lighter car body and better battery technology to lower the cost of electric cars. Launching a policy calling for mandatory fuel efficiency standards, Greens deputy leader Christine Milne said cars were responsible for 12 per cent of Australia's greenhouse emissions.

"Old thinking from governments and manufacturers alike has meant that we are making gas guzzlers in this country that nobody outside the Middle East wants to buy any more," Senator Milne said.

Taxpayers subsidised the Australian car manufacturing industry, "yet perversely these manufacturers have focused on large vehicles, inappropriate to a society concerned about climate change." Senator Milne has proposed adopting a mandatory fuel efficiency standard for Australia's car fleet of 160g of carbon per kilometre by 2015 to bring the country in line with European standards. Scientists at Swinburne University and Hefei University of Technology in China are already working on a project to develop lightweight electric cars with batteries that could be recharged in under an hour.

Finding data made easy in the National Regional Profile

Looking for data about your Local Government Area? The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has now released updated snapshots of over 600 LGAs across Australia.

The profiles have hundreds of data items from the ABS and other sources, with up to five years of data where it is available. For example, you can find out what the average taxable income is, the number of births, or the age of motor vehicles.

The NRP makes it easy for you. You can see changes over time, and a number of other types of regions are available for comparison, including Statistical Local Areas and states and territories.

Finding data for your LGA is now just a few clicks away. This latest NRP has a new look to the 'entry' page, which uses an interactive map and list. You can find your LGA on the map, in the list of LGAs provided, or enter its name in the search bar. From here you are just one click away from data.

There is also extensive help available on the entry page in 'How to find a region', and 'Compare regions' as well as a series of Demonstration Videos to guide you through the NRP. The NRP is available from the ABS Home page, or directly from this link: National Regional Profile

Mental health problems affecting youth

One in four young Australians (16 to 24 years) are affected by mental illness, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most common afflictions are anxiety disorders, depression and being bi-polar. Mental health advocates have launched a report, Our Children, Our Future, which advocates greater funding for services for children. They note that "up to 30 per cent of adult mental health problems are related to negative things that happen to children early on". Less than a quarter of people with mental health disorders have used mental health services in the last year, but Health Minister Nicola Roxon told mental health advocate Professor Patrick McGorry that the Government will not single out the mental health sector for special attention at the expense of other health services.

Dog attacks increase

In New South Wales, dog attacks have surged to 1,306 - a 16 per cent increase in local councils' dog attack statistics for the period between April and June. The Canberra Times (26 July) reports that according to NSW Local Government Minister, Barbara Perry, there were also 1,235 animal victims (cats, other dogs and livestock) which resulted in 522 animal deaths during the past three months. The Staffordshire bull terrier was the breed most commonly involved, responsible for 167 of those attacks, then cattle dogs came next, with 99, and thirdly, German Shepherds, with 82.