Briefs
NSW and Victoria storm assistance
Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, has announced that the Commonwealth Government would provide financial assistance to New South Wales and Victorian communities affected by recent storms and torrential rainfall. Commonwealth assistance is being provided through the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) and in NSW will apply to the nine natural disaster declared areas of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Kiama, Wingecarribee, Shoalhaven, Eurobodalla, Tumut, Gundagai and Tumbarumba shires in NSW. In Victoria, Emergency relief centres have been established in Bright, Creswick and Euroa. Funding will include assistance for the restoration of essential public infrastructure and relief operations. For more information visit the website.
Constitutional convention push by Beattie
Readers of ALGA News will know that ALGA has strongly advocated for reforms to the Federation, including in its recent submission to the Senate Select Committee on the Reform of the Australian Federation.
Writing in the Australian last weekend (September 11-12 2010), former Premier Beattie also urges national debate on the Federation. He comments in the article that 'the list of demands from the independents and Greens for the formation of federal government under Prime Minister Julia Gillard has missed the opportunity to dramatically improve the operation of the federation' and that 'Australia needs a constitutional convention 110 years after federation to clearly define and delineate the role of the states within the Constitution and the
Commonwealth'.
Peter Beattie argues that the convention should discuss not just heads of power for the different jurisdictions, but whether Australia needs to abolish the states altogether or create new ones to 'better represent regional Australia'. He also says that 'the future role and power of local government should be thrown into the mix.'
Roads Congress - register now
The 2010 Roads Congress is shaping up to be a very important opportunity to hear and question the priorities of the new Federal Government. Following the announcement of the Ministry and Shadow Ministry, we have invited the relevant new players to come and address delegates at the Congress in three week's time. Be sure you register for the Congress to show the new Minister that transport remains a key issue for local governments across the country.
In a packed program, we will hear from the major political players, key transport stakeholders, release a 10 year needs study on future local roads funding - all in the beautiful wine region of Bunbury, West Australia.
Please continue to send us your photos showing the need for greater investment in local road infrastructure by entering the Worst Road and Bridge competition which will be judged at the Congress. We need your photos to build our case. Photos should be sent to andy.hrast@alga.asn.au. Award winners will be selected at the Congress.
Safe disposal of chemicals
ChemClear continues to provide a great service to farmers and other chemical users to safely dispose of their old and unwanted agricultural and veterinary chemicals which they may be holding and are no longer useable.
Nationally the program has collected 232 tonnes of obsolete agricultural and vet chemicals and has a further 109 tonnes registered awaiting collection. Register at 1800 008 182, click here or here.
Setting the agenda for local government
The Australia-New Zealand School of Government's (ANZSOG) Excellence in Local Government Leadership Program was commissioned by the Federal Government in June 2009 as part of the
remit of the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government to support the development of "World-class local government to meet the emerging challenges of 21st century Australia".
Its objective is to enhance the capacity of local government leaders to provide innovative, community-centred governance that delivers genuine public value for Australian citizens.
The program will provide the first executive leadership course which brings together elected leaders and general managers to solve critical issues in local governance. It proceeds from the assumption that excellence in local government leadership requires a creative and dynamic working relationship between elected leaders and general managers. As 2010 is the Year of Women in Local Government, the program will also celebrate the contribution of women to excellence in local government leadership. The program will be launched in Melbourne from 22 November to 10 December 2010 but will then move annually to a different state or territory building case studies and better practice toolkits in local government innovation
as the course rolls-out.
The content of the program is the product of a comprehensive national consultation with local government leaders, professions and stakeholders conducted over the last six months in every state and territory. The evidence from the national consultation exercise has emphasised the importance of bringing together some of the world's leading academic thinkers and public sector practitioners to address the challenges of contemporary local governance. However, respondents have also highlighted that the program should focus on the 'real issues' faced by local government leaders and it should be taught in a dynamic, interactive learning environment with a problem-solving focus. Learn more>>
World Carfree Day
Every September 22, people from around the world get together in the streets, intersections, and neighbourhood blocks to remind the world that we don't have to accept our car-dominated society. Let World Carfree Day be a showcase for just how our cities might look like, feel like, and sound like without cars...365 days a year. As the climate heats up, World Carfree Day is the perfect time to take the heat off the planet, and put it on city planners and politicians to give priority to cycling, walking and public transport, instead of to the automobile. Check out our resources and find inspiration there. Find potential allies in your neighbourhood / town. A general tip is to get the local authority and shop owners on your side as early as possible, generally nine months before the event, if you intend to close streets to private cars for the day.
Share your Census story
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is seeking potential speakers and exhibitors for a conference from 2-4 March 2011 on the Census. The program will feature a variety of presentation formats, including plenary presentations, panel discussions, concurrent sessions and workshops. If you or your organisation would like to join us or know of others who have a Census story to tell, we would like to hear from you. Visit www.abs.gov.au/beyondthecount for more information.
Is life in Australia getting better?
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released a report containing a range of information that should help Australians decide if life is getting better.
The report, Measures of Australia's Progress, describes how Australia is progressing across a range of social, economic and environmental measures. For example:
- Health: During the past decade Australia's health improved - children born in 2009 were expected to live two to three years longer than those born in 1999.
- Education and training: During the past 10 years, the Australian population became more educated - between 1999 and 2009 the proportion of people with a vocational or higher education qualification rose from 49% to 63%.
- Work: Despite the recent economic downturn, Australia's annual average unemployment rate was lower in 2009 (5.6%) than in 1999 (6.9%).
- National income: Australia experienced significant real income growth during the past decade. Between 1998-99 and 2008-09, real net national disposable income per capita grew by 2.6% a year.
- National wealth: National wealth, as measured in Australia's balance sheet, grew over the last decade. Real national net worth per capita increased by about 0.9% a year between June 1999 and June 2009.
- Household economic wellbeing: In the decade to 2007-08, the real average household income of low income Australians grew by 41%.
- Biodiversity: There's been a decline in Australia's biodiversity over the past decade with the number of threatened animals increasing by 37%.
- Atmosphere: Australia's total net greenhouse gas emissions in 2008 were 16% higher than they were in 1998. More information here.
Councils want action on the Inquiry into Local Water Utilities
The Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW want action from the State Government on the Inquiry into the Local Water Utilities, saying councils are the best positioned to manage local water supply and sewerage.
The Minister for Water, the Hon Phillip Costa MP, told delegates at the 2010 Water Management Conference in Orange he supports a model of regional alliances of Local Water Utilities that is consistent with the one proposed by the Associations.
President of the Shires Associations of NSW, Cr. Bruce Miller, said while he thanks the Minister for consulting with councils and taking Local Government's views on board, councils want to see these words put into action and put through cabinet in the coming months.
"A number of council groups would like to go ahead with a co-operative alliance structure, however, we've been waiting almost two years for the government to respond to the inquiry recommendations and provide regulatory certainty," said Cr. Miller.
Cr. Miller said that it is widely acknowledged that councils are consistently delivering best-practice water management and the 106 Local Water Utilities in NSW are well placed to manage water supplies and sewerage.
"It just makes sense for councils to continue to handle water management - we're performing at best practice levels, we know what local priorities are and we can provide a whole-of community approach to water management - something that other agencies are not in a position to do."
New book on local government
In 2006, a group of four Canadian and four Australian researchers were invited to share their work. 'Local Government in a Global World: Australia and Canada in Comparative Perspective' is the culmination of this work with authors completing chapters on four key issues that impact on local government in both countries. The book is edited by John Martin (La Trobe University) and Emmanuel Brunet-Jailly (University of Victoria, BC). Published by the University of Toronto Press, it contains chapters on citizen participation and engagement, restructuring and reform, performance management and inter-government relations. These chapters are book-ended with chapters that draw comparisons between the two countries. For more information, please follow this external link.
Emergency warning funding
The Australian Government has announced that it will fund the upgrade of the national emergency warning system, 'Emergency Alert', to deliver warnings to mobile phones based on the location of the handset. The 'Emergency Alert' system currently sends warnings by recorded voice and text message to landlines and mobile phones based on an owner's billing address rather than the actual location of a handset at the time of a disaster or emergency. This has meant that people caught in a disaster zone, who have a billing address outside the affected area, have been unable to receive the vital and potentially lifesaving warnings. Following the Interim Report of the Victorian Bushfire Royal Commission in August 2009, the Australian Government supported the Commission's recommendation to implement a national warning system based on the location, in addition to the billing address, of a mobile phone. To achieve this, the Commonwealth provided $1.35 million to the Victorian Government to investigate the capability on behalf of all States and Territories. Since 'Emergency Alert' became operational in December last year it has been used 56 times and has issued in excess of 500,000 messages. The system has been used in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland for flood, tsunami, bushfire, chemical incidents and even a missing child. The feasibility study into location based warnings conducted by Victoria earlier this year concluded that it is possible to implement these enhancements across all Australian mobile networks. The Victorian Government will now commence and lead negotiations with each of the mobile phone carriers, the outcome of which will be considered by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG).
Banksia Awards finalists
ACF's Sustainable Cities Index has made it to the finals of the prestigious Banksia Awards. Finalists were announced in Melbourne. The Sustainable Cities Index provides a snapshot of comparative performance in each of Australia's 20 largest cities, with the aim of encouraging healthy competition, stimulating discussion and suggesting new ways of thinking about how our cities can be sustainable. The winners will be announced on 15 October in Sydney.
Climate change and risk management
The National Exposure Information System (NEXIS) is a capability developed by Geoscience Australia, an agency within the portfolio of the federal Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism. NEXIS is a nationally consistent database of building assets, essential infrastructure, economic activity and demographic information. All these community elements are at risk to natural hazards and will be exposed to the unavoidable, long term influences of climate change. The system collects and collates a broad range of information for research and policy development in Australia, including that associated with climate change adaptation. The development of NEXIS has been undertaken in parallel with ongoing national assessments of climate change risk for hazards such as storm surge, severe wind, bushfire and extreme temperature.
NEXIS employs a largely statistical approach to developing a national definition of exposure using a number of existing databases maintained by others. These include the Geocoded National Address File (GNAF), the Property Cadastre, the Business Registry, and census datasets from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Costing modules developed by quantity surveyors have also been incorporated to provide estimates of building replacement costs across Australia. State Government departments have supplied data on local building information in Tasmania and South Australia. The Census of Land Use and Employment (CLUE) has also been made available by local government for comprehensive information about land use, employment and economic activity across the entire Greater Melbourne area.
Local governments are a major source of the data needed to make NEXIS more specific and useful to decision makers. This is not suprising given their role of maintaining regional infrastructure, assessing rates and taxes, and providing essential services for the community. Information as diverse as that pertaining to historical waste landfills are needed to support improved assessments of the risk of sea level rise to coastal communities. As local governments are custodians of many of the datasets required, they are being invited to have an increased role in both the development of NEXIS and the utilisation of the information it brings together. Access to nationally consistent information will in-turn enable local government to more effectively assess their community risks and secure the funds they will need for community adaptation into the future. For more information, contact nexis@ga.gov.au, or click here.
Ban on smoking 'breath of fresh air'
The Heart Foundation says it hopes a Melbourne council's move to consider a ban on smoking in outdoor areas is the first of many.
The Monash City Council will decide this week whether to start community consultation on a ban on smoking in alfresco dining areas, shopping strips, and sports clubs.
The Frankston Council is planning to ban smoking in its CBD from November and the Surf Coast Shire has already banned smoking on beaches.
The chief executive of the Heart Foundation, Kathy Bell, says the most recent research shows that more than 70 per cent of Victorians surveyed are against smoking in outdoor areas around children.
"I think what we're really trying to support here is not only reducing second-hand smoke, but we're also trying to make smoking less visible in the community," she said.
"If we can do that, our kids are less likely to take up smoking and it's going to be easier for smokers who want to quit to actually be able to quit."
Farmer of the Year finalists announced
A Kimberley fruit producer and a Tasmanian grain grower are among the finalists in the inaugural Australian Farmer of the Year Awards. Farmers from right across Australia have been nominated for their diversity, innovation and success. Winners will be announced at an awards dinner in Sydney on September 21. Finalists at www2.kondinin.com.au/awards/
Multicultural guide for councils
A new publication, Implementing the Principles of Multiculturalism Locally: A planning guide for Western Australian local governments, incorporates case studies highlighting the innovative multicultural programs and experiences of several Western Australian local governments.
The guide was developed by an across-agency Working Group coordinated by the Office of Multicultural Interests (OMI). The Working Group comprised of representatives from the WA Local Government Association, Department of Local Government, non-government agencies and WA local governments.
Parts of the guide were adapted, with permission, from the NSW Community Relations Commission's 2008 publication - Implementing the Principles of Multiculturalism Locally. Local governments are encouraged to use this guide and the accompanying easy-to-use Local Government Multicultural Planning Framework, to integrate multicultural initiatives and principles into their planning and reporting processes.
The new publication is available online at the OMI website
Indigenous families miss out on regional spending
Increasing the quantity of goods and services produced in northern Australia regional communities mainly benefits non-Indigenous households, according to new research.
Researchers from the Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge (TRaCK) program developed a model that shows that merely injecting money into an area doesn't mean that Indigenous people will automatically reap the benefits.
TRaCK researcher Dr Natalie Stoeckl from James Cook University found this to be the case whether the increased cash flow came from stimulating industry or increasing non-Indigenous household incomes (by, for example, providing tax refunds).
The new economic simulation model tracked impacts on household incomes for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people from stimulating different businesses, including accommodation, cafes, and restaurants, agriculture, mining and government.
"It's a chain of supply issue, and it demonstrates how economic benefits can flow in very lopsided ways," Dr Stoeckl says.
Researchers used towns in the Mitchell (Queensland) and Daly (Northern Territory) river catchments as case studies areas.
The model showed that money coming into the region disproportionately flows to non-Indigenous households. For example, just 1-3 cents of a $1 stimulus in the agricultural, construction and recreational sectors reaches Indigenous households, while non-Indigenous households receive between 20 cents and 33 cents.
"Put simply, because many Indigenous people aren't employed by private businesses and the number of Indigenous business owners is comparatively low, the money coming into these areas flows straight to the shop-owners and business operators - who are mostly non-Indigenous," Dr Stoeckl says.
"Indigenous people in northern Australia are often disconnected from the mainstream economy, so actions that increase the size of the non-Indigenous economy do not generate significant benefits to the Indigenous sector.
"This research has important implications for regional development policy, since only a relatively small share of monies injected into these regional economies will find its way into the pockets of Indigenous householders."
For more information click here.
Councils to Launch ECO ERA Website
Seven councils in Adelaide will launch a new website on Wednesday 8 September designed to help people find ways to be more environmentally friendly.
The ECO ERA - Sustainable Living Guide is packed with ideas about how you can make small changes that are good for the environment, your health and your wallet.
The website shows people how they can do their bit for their environment in their neighbourhood: where they can buy locally grown food, how they can save water and what they can do to reduce their power bills.
Developed in conjunction with The Natural Strategies Group, this Guide is designed to help our residents take action to live more sustainably at home and in the community.
The Eastern Region Alliance (ERA) is a cooperative between the Cities of Burnside.
Remote Economic Participation
The new Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation (CRC-REP) was launched by the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Senator Kim Carr. The Centre will be based in Alice Springs but with research nodes and partners spread widely across the continent. A central part of our mission is to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and governments to "close the gap" of disadvantage by identifying how to achieve successful enterprises, genuine livelihoods and skilled people in remote areas," the CRC-REP managing director Jan Ferguson said. "We will not only study the drivers and results of disadvantage in order to overcome them, we will analyse what communities are doing to close the gap successfully. These communities will become potential models for others to follow," she says. "We are also working with pastoralists, miners, tourism operators and small businesses to identify the keys to business and employment success in remote Australia - where the challenges are so different, and usually far greater, than in the cities." Together with partner contributions, the Centre will invest over $100 million over seven years in research and development in remote Australia. Partners include the Australian and four state and territory Governments, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and communities, non-government organisations, universities and other research providers, private businesses and industries such as mining, pastoralism and tourism. More information here.
Quote of the week
"I was involved in two great struggles: a great public struggle...the Republican Congress, and a private struggle with my old demons. I won the public one and lost the private one." - Former US President Bill Clinton
International news 
Singapore is launching another campaign to promote dating among its notoriously love-shy singles as the city-state grapples with low birth and marriage rates. The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports issued a tender this month through the government's official procurement website calling for proposals on how to encourage singles to date. "This tender is called to engage a communications agency to conceptualise, plan and implement a public communications campaign to promote dating," said a notice monitored on the government's online procurement website GeBIZ. (AP)
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