Active transport could save 16 000 lives

Major political parties have been urged to embrace active transport as part of the policy cure for the challenges of chronic disease, climate change, congestion and pollution. The call was made at a launch outside Parliament House yesterday by a unique partnership of organisations from the health, transport and local government sectors. Representatives from the three major political parties attended the launch - Senator Kate Lundy, Senator Gary Humphries and ACT Greens Senate candidate Lin Hatfield Dodds.

The five groups - The Australian Local Government Association, Bus Industry Confederation, Cycling Promotion Fund, the National Heart Foundation of Australia and the International Association of Public Transport - collaborated on a policy framework, An Australian Vision for Active Transport, which sets out a nine point plan for a national approach to boosting participation in walking, cycling and public transport.

Initiatives include support for infrastructure, social marketing campaigns, embedding Healthy Spaces and Places planning principles into practice and enhancing safety for walkers and cyclists.

"Encouraging Australians to use more active forms of transport rather than cars or taxis has a very wide range of benefits," Vice President of the Australian Local Government Association, Mayor Felicity-ann Lewis (pictured in the middle of the photo) said.

"Once adopted, our vision for active transport in Australia has potential to impact at least five major areas of government policy:

1. local economy - towns with high levels of public transport use are wealthier, happier and more sustainable
2. climate change and pollution - fewer cars reduces greenhouse gases and improves air quality
3. congestion - more cycle ways and footpaths reduces cars on the road
4. prevention - physical activity reduces chronic disease and social isolation
5. savings for government - by easing the economic burden of chronic disease caused by inactivity."

A copy of the document is available here

ALGA President outlines priorities for local government

ALGA President Cr Geoff Lake outlined the issues facing local government over the next 12 months in an address to the West Australian Local Government Association conference in Perth on Saturday. Cr Lake said he was pleased with how councils had performed under the community infrastructure program roll-out and nominated the progress made towards achieving the inclusion of local government in the Constitution as one of ALGA's key achievements over the past year. As for the election, he said, "We wait to see what else the major parties promise for local government. One thing that the major parties do know is that programs to fund councils are programs that can be delivered on time and on budget in a transparent and accountable way."

He said that whichever party formed government after the election he considered the priorities for local government to be:

• Increased funding for local government and a Parliamentary Inquiry into local government funding;
• Permanent Roads to Recovery funding;
• An annual and ongoing Community Infrastructure Program;
• A referendum on the inclusion of local government in the Constitution;
• Strengthening the 2006 Local Government Cost Shifting Intergovernmental Agreement, which is due for review in 2011;
• Making sure the interests of local government are addressed in any population inquiry;
• Continuing to protect the role of councils in town planning; and
• Keeping local government interests at the forefront of climate change policy.

Communication the key to community connection

NSW Council initiatives and projects that encourage open and transparent communication between councils and communities were recognised at the R H Dougherty Awards Local Government Week Awards Evening in Sydney recently.

The RH Dougherty Awards for Excellence in Communication are the highest accolade a council can receive in the area of communications, with more than 150 councils in NSW eligible for the coveted trophy. The award has three categories based on population. The 2010 winners include Parkes Shire Council (Pictured with President of the Local Government Association of NSW, Cr Genia McCaffery) for its hugely successful Elvis Festival, Pittwater Council for its Ban E Waste in Landfill campaign, Gosford City Council for its Gosford Challenge which is a good example of communicating a complex urban design program, and the City of Newcastle for its Newcastle Voice Community Reference Panel.

Councils that won in other categories in the R H Dougherty Awards include: Tweed Shire, Randwick City and Rockdale. Councils that received highly commended include: Lithgow City, Auburn, Willoughby City, Hornsby Shire, Goulburn Mulwaree, City of Ryde, and Mid-Coast County.

A full list of the winners, finalists and judges comments are available here.

As the penultimate week of the 2010 Federal Election draws to a close, communities across Australia are watching the parties closely to see which of them will, as the PM might say, 'move them forward' or as Tony Abbott might say, deliver 'real action.' Local government is watching just as closely.

ALGA's 10-point Federal Election plan was launched during the National General Assembly of Local Government in Canberra. Soon after, I wrote to the major parties seeking their formal response to the issues raised.

I am hopeful that with just over one week of campaigning left, the parties will give more prominence to the concerns and issues facing local and regional communities. Most are not new and ALGA has outlined many of them before.

The 10-point plan includes a call for: ongoing funding for the maintenance of local road networks; more certainty about the place of local government in the Australian Federation, including support for a constitutional referendum to include local government in Australia's Constitution; greater funding to support local government's everyday functions; and further support to enable local councils rejuvenate and upgrade ageing local community infrastructure that has been neglected for too long.

So far, there have been a number of announcements over the course of the campaign about specific policies of relevance to local government - for example road projects and strategic community infrastructure projects. We hope that both sides will release a wider local government policy next week which addresses the issues raised in the 10-point plan.

The ALGA 10-point plan can be accessed at www.alga.asn.au/federalelection/.

Cr Geoff Lake
ALGA President

Briefs

Constitutional change getting closer...

ALGA's '10-Point Plan' election document calls for constitutional recognition for local government. In this context it is encouraging to see candidates on the campaign trail all indicating a level of support for constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians. On the weekend of 7 and 8 August 2010, the ALP promised to set up an expert panel to build support for the constitutional recognition of Indigenous people. Noel Pearson stated "Ours is the least changed constitution anywhere in the planet"; see report here. This was followed on 9 August 2010, by the Greens who indicated support for recognition. On 10 August, the Coalition spokesman backed a referendum in 2013 on the recognition of Indigenous persons, if elected, but Leader Tony Abbott later indicated whilst supporting the proposal, the importance of getting it right was the primary concern and did not commit to a timetable - see here and here.

Climate change planning

The Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW (LGSA) recently released the Climate Change Action Planning for Local Government Workshop Package.

The Workshop Package is a resource designed for NSW councils, or Regional Organisations of Councils, to use to facilitate workshops and meetings to plan actions for climate change mitigation and /or adaptation. It may also be useful to other councils, professionals and community members. More than a quarter of councils have already completed a risk assessment off their own initiative which identified over 7,000 risks to their operations from climate change, including water shortages, warmer temperatures, a longer fire season and rising sea levels.

The Workshop Package offers:

• step by step guidance for preparing for and facilitating a series of structured workshops and meetings
• risk assessment tools and templates
• technical guidance and references
• PowerPoint presentations
• details for group activities and facilitation techniques
• evaluation forms
• a template for a climate change action plan

Chief Minister commends Women in Politics

ALGA's publication 'Women in Politics' - to support 2010 the Year of Women in Local Government - has received accolades from the ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope. The ACT Government is represented on ALGA's Board. "I appreciate you taking the time to provide me with a copy of this publication which is an impressive culmination of two decades of research," Mr Stanhope wrote. "I congratulate the ALGA on its efforts to address the under-representation of women in local government and hope that the mission to inspire more women to become involved in political life proves successful." For inquiries about the booklet: contact Monica Telesny on 02 61229433.

Riverprize finalists announced

An Australian project has been shortlisted among the international Riverprize finalists and in the running for the $350,000 prize money. Riverprize provides recognition, reward and support to those who have developed and implemented the most outstanding visionary and sustainable programs in river management.

Reviving the drought-ravaged Hattah Lakes, Australia is a visionary project led by the Mallee Catchment Management Authority as part of a sustained effort to restore better health to a system of semi-permanent freshwater lakes within Australia's Murray Darling Basin. This will be competing with the River Thames, England, which has been transformed into a thriving ecosystem teeming with fish, and with a returning salmon and otter population; the Smirnykh Rivers Partnership, Russia; and the Yellow River, China.

The National Riverprize Finalists in contention for a $200,000 prize are: Cooks River, New South Wales, a voluntary association of local councils and state government agencies; the Derwent Estuary, Tasmania which is a regional partnership between the Tasmanian Government, six councils, five businesses, scientists and the community to address the issues of heavy metal contamination, nutrient enrichment, introduced species and habitat loss in the Derwent estuary; Hattah Lakes, Victoria; and Lake Illawarra, New South Wales. The winner of the 2010 National Riverprize will be announced at a gala award presentation dinner on Tuesday 12 October, 2010, at the Burswood Entertainment Complex, Perth, during the 13th International Riversymposium. Details here.

Global City Indicators Facility

Australian councils are invited to become a member of the Global City Indicators Facility (GCIF). Membership is free. The Facility has been established at the University of Toronto, with support from the World Bank's Development Grant Facility, the Government of Canada, and participating cities. The Facility enables cities to measure, report, and improve their own performance in the areas of city services and quality of life. Cities lead and own the process by inputting, monitoring and updating the indicators of their city in a web-based relational database. As a member city, you will have access to all city members' indicators in the global data base and be contributing to the important process of knowledge sharing, comparative analysis and development of new and improved city indicators over time. To sign on go to www.cityindicators.org and click on 'GCIF Membership Form.'

Multiculturalism and local government

The 'Local Government and Multiculturalism: Innovation & Leadership on the Ground' conference will be held on Friday 27 August 2010, in Wangaratta. The conference will provide an opportunity to learn about outcomes of current research and examples of innovation and leadership from metropolitan and regional local councils across Victoria, while also developing a richer understanding of multicultural communities and the challenges and benefits that cultural diversity brings to municipalities. Speakers will include the Hon James Merlino, Minister Assisting the Premier on Multicultural Affairs; Cr Bill McArthur, President of Municipal Association of Victoria; and Mr Pino Migliorino, Chairperson of the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia. The conference will be preceded by a conference dinner on Thursday 26 August, which will be addressed by Cr Geoff Lake, President of the Australian Local Government Association. For registration and program details click here, phone Dianne Tran on 9651 0629 or email her at Dianne.Tran@vmc.vic.gov.au.

Swine flu pandemic officially over

World Health Organisation (WHO) director general Margaret Chan announced on Tuesday the end of the swine flu pandemic, more than a year after it was declared.

"The world is no longer in phase six of the pandemic alert. We are now moving into the post-pandemic period," Chan said in a telephone news conference.

"The new H1N1 virus has largely run its course," she added.

The top phase of the WHO's six tier pandemic alert scale corresponds to a pandemic, or global spread of a disease. The step followed advice given earlier on Tuesday by the WHO's advisory emergency committee of 15 external scientists headed by Australian infectious diseases expert John Mackenzie. (Source AFP).

The Future of Australia's Mid-Sized Cities

Despite being home to over one in five Australians and collectively growing at a faster rate than Australia's capital cities, mid-sized cities are often overshadowed by the demands of the nation's five largest centres. The Community Planning and Development Program at La Trobe University, Bendigo, has convened a Policy Workshop on September 28-29 to provide an opportunity for representatives from Australia's mid-sized cities to contribute their unique perspectives to a collective policy and research agenda. The Policy Workshop will be immediately followed by a national conference The Sustainability of Australia's Country Towns, which will seek to explore how the diversity of towns across the nation are responding to the call for a sustainable future. Further information and register click here.

2011 Census - connecting with local communities

With one year to go until the Australian Bureau of Statistics' (ABS') Census of Population and Housing, planning is well underway for the largest peace time logistical exercise in Australia. The Census aims to accurately measure the number of people in Australia on Census night wherever they are, from Australia's research hubs in Antarctica to remote Indigenous communities in northern Australia. The first results from the 2011 Census will be made public in June 2012. For the first time the ABS will use Local Engagement Managers to connect with communities in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales.

Right to vote challenge heard in the High Court of Australia

Last week, GetUp! supported a High Court challenge to the validity of amendments to Federal election legislation and won. Electors who submitted correctly completed enrolment forms after 8pm the day the writs for the election were issued - Monday 19 July - and before 8pm the following Monday will now be eligible to vote on August 21. Click here for further information.

Cameras to beat school aggression

The 'Guardian Messenger' reports that Holdfast Bay parking inspectors are wearing mini video cameras to capture abuse from "aggro" parents, pinged for illegally parking outside schools. The council has bought four $200 video cameras - the size of a pen - for inspectors patrolling school zones throughout the Bay at peak pick-up and drop-off times. Regulatory services manager Ken O'Neill said the council's inspectors copped verbal abuse from school parents several times a week and the video footage would provide evidence of the incidents. "Funnily enough it seems to be a very nasty time when the schools are busy and the officer does get a lot of people, particularly females, abusing him," he said. "Obviously they are in a rush and tend to get a bit aggro."