National Disability Strategy launched

On 18 March 2011, Senator Jan McLucas, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers, together with Dr Rhonda Galbally, Chair of the National People with Disabilities and Carer Council, Mr Simon McKeon, Australian of the Year and Professor Ron McCallum AO, Senior Australian of the Year launched the National Disability Strategy (pictured). The Strategy sets out a bold vision - an inclusive Australian society that enables people with disability to fulfil their potential as equal citizens. The strategy is available at National Disability Strategy

Councils get in the spirit of cultural diversity

Councils across Australia are celebrating Cultural Diversity Week, from March 19-27. An example is Darebin Council, which is hosting a range of activities that showcase its cultural, linguistic and religious diversity. Key events include a Civic Welcome for international students and the launch of the Northern Interfaith Intercultural Network. Darebin Mayor Diana Asmar said "cultural diversity and Darebin go hand-in-hand". The United Nation's International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was held on March 21, also Harmony Day, when cultural diversity was celebrated Australia-wide. Details at here.

Tasmanians rewrite the record books

Records are made to be broken and that is exactly what happened during ChemClear's recent Tasmanian collection run. An unprecedented 5,532 litres of agricultural and veterinary chemicals were disposed of by 58 dedicated waste holders. ChemClear provides a national service to waste holders, with the retrieval team travelling between shire councils all over Australia to help collect and safely dispose of both group one and two chemicals. Group one chemicals are currently-registered product from participating manufacturers and are accepted free of charge, while group two involves materials that are unlabelled, unregistered or obsolete, and include a fee-per-litre for disposal. This time around, 3,241 litres of group one was collected (32 waste holders), 75 per cent of which came from primary producers. A total of 2,532 litres of group two product was disposed of (26 waste holders), with 48 per cent of this coming from primary producers and 39 per cent from resellers. To register for the ChemClear program, call the national hotline on 1800 008 182 or log onto the website

The campaign for constitutional recognition of local government is building momentum as we all work together to ensure the referendum is a success.

The ALGA Board met yesterday in Canberra and considered constitutional recognition for local government of the shape of the campaign for the referendum in 2013 and discussed the report from the ALGA Board sub-committee on constitutional recognition. The policy officers and media officers from ALGA and the State and Territory Associations recently met to canvass key messages and work on a communication model - so progress is being made on a variety of fronts. I am also delighted to see councils around Australia supporting the constitutional recognition campaign, with letters from councils flowing in to ALGA advising that they have passed resolutions to support the financial recognition of local government in the Constitution.

With each resolution, councils are also sending letters to the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and their local Members of Parliament. As part of the political campaign I wrote to all parliamentarians late last year outlining ALGA's position on constitutional reform and offering to meet those who required further information. Following these letters I have been asked by several politicians to provide a personal briefing on constitutional reform.

We need to keep this momentum going to demonstrate to the major parties that there is a wide base of support amongst councils around Australia for constitutional recognition. The Prime Minister has said that the Federal Government would need to be convinced that there is wide support prior to proceeding with a referendum.

The constitutional recognition campaign will feature heavily at this year's National General Assembly (NGA) and councils will have a further opportunity to register their support for constitutional change. A campaign update will be provided and constitutional expert Professor George Williams will present the legal framework and the financial imperative. There will be a panel session on the advertising pitch which could support the public marketing campaign - featuring James O'Loghlin (Host of New Inventors), John Hewson (former Opposition Leader), Annabel Crabb (political journalist), and Jane Caro (social commentator). The NGA will culminate with each council being able to show their support to the Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government, Simon Crean. The NGA registration brochure can be downloaded here.

Mayor Genia McCaffery
ALGA President

Briefs

Call for nominations for the 2011 MobileMuster Awards

MobileMuster, the official recycling program of the mobile phone industry, is calling on local councils who have helped promote and collect mobile phones for recycling over the last year to nominate for the 2011 MobileMuster Local Government Awards.

This year there are five MobileMuster Local Government Awards up for grabs including Best Promoter, Working with Schools Award, Top Collector Award Overall, Top Collector Per Capita and National Excellence.

The awards, established in 2007, recognise and celebrate the tremendous efforts by local government in promoting and collecting mobile phones, batteries, chargers and accessories for recycling. The winning councils will be announced during the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) National General Assembly at the National Convention Centre in Canberra from 19-22 June 2011. Nominations close on Tuesday 7^th June 2011, for more information click here or call 1300 730 070.

More councils pass resolutions on constitutional recognition

Many councils have indicated that they are planning to pass resolutions supporting constitutional reform and will send letters to key politicians advising them of their resolution. As I emphasised last week, these resolutions are important in generating the impetus required by the Federal Government to proceed with a referendum, and for ALGA to be in a position to demonstrate the high level of council support to politicians at the National General Assembly - if we have around 560 council resolutions at the NGA, it sends a powerful message to all parties. The Registration Brochure for the NGA was mailed to all councils this week. This provides information on an exciting panel session on constitutional reform - "How do we sell local Government?"

Councils which have this week advised ALGA of their resolutions:

• Camden Council
• Lockhart Shire Council
• Gold Coast City Council
• Blayney Shire Council
• City of Stirling
• Coonamble Shire Council
• City of Pingelly
• City of Monash

Any councils requiring further information should contact monica.telesny@alga.asn.au or on (02) 6122 9433.

Senate Committee Inquiry into Emergency Communications

On 3 March 2011 the Senate referred the following matter to the Environment and Communications References Committee for inquiry and report by 2 November 2011: The capacity of communication networks and emergency warning systems to deal with emergencies and natural disasters. Submissions should be received by 21 April 2011. To make a submission you can -
lodge online (preferred); or send by email to ec.sen@aph.gov.au - the submission should preferably be an attachment in Adobe PDF or MS Word format; or send by post to -
Senate Environment and Communications References Committee
PO Box 6100 Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600

If you have any queries or need any specific arrangements to participate in the inquiry, please contact the secretariat on 02 6277 3526.

Inquiry into multiculturalism in Australia

The Joint Standing Committee on Migration (JSCM) of the Commonwealth Parliament has commenced an inquiry into multiculturalism and the contribution of migration to Australian society.

The Committee will examine a range of matters of importance to all levels of Australian government. These will include the role of multiculturalism in advancing social inclusion and strategies to promote settlement, integration and participation of new migrants, including refugees, into Australian society. The Committee will also examine how best to encourage long term settlement patterns that benefit Australian society as a whole and make maximum use of the skills that migrants bring to Australia. A copy of the terms of reference is set out below.

The Committee is interested to hear from a wide range of stakeholders, including local governments and their representative organisations. It would assist the Committee if your submission could be lodged with the Committee Secretariat by Friday 8 April 2011. A submission may be lodged by emailing the document to jscm@aph.gov.au. Hard copies may be sent by post. If needed, an extension of time may be granted by the Committee Secretary. More information here.

Holy books and citizenship ceremonies

The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Chris Bowen, has set the record straight on the issue of holy books at citizenship ceremonies.

'The Bible, the Torah, the Koran or any other recognised holy book are certainly not banned from citizenship ceremonies. People have always been welcome to bring their own holy book upon which to take the pledge of commitment,' Mr Bowen said.

'As a result of changes to the Australian Citizenship Ceremonies Code under the Howard Government in 2003, holy books are not currently considered appropriate gifts to be distributed to people at the ceremonies.

The 1998 version of the Code, under the heading 'Holy Books', stated: 'Some Local Governments may choose to make a gift to each new citizen of the particular holy book on which the candidate will make the Australian Citizenship Pledge No. 1. If this is to be done, copies of the book or books could be placed on a table at the entrance to the hall and handed to the candidates as they arrive' (page 19).

This version of the Code also included 'Holy Books' under the list of appropriate gifts that may be given to new citizens (page 8).

Minister Bowen said that In 2003, this advice was changed to: 'Candidates who wish to use a holy book or scripture when making the Pledge, should be invited to bring the holy book or scripture of their choice to the citizenship ceremony' (page 35). At the same time, Holy Books were removed from the list of appropriate gifts (page 19).

'As I have said, I am happy to look at the appropriateness of the Code, but the record does need to be set straight because there is no excuse for ignoring facts and attempting to mislead the public,' he said.

Shopping trolley legislation

From 2 March 2011, it became an offence in the Act to take a trolley from a shopping centre or use one outside a shopping centre precinct. Abandoned shopping trolleys pollute urban areas, parks, lakes and waterways and can be difficult and costly to retrieve. The ACT Government will work with retailers to implement this new system to help reduce the number of abandoned trolleys littering the ACT. City rangers will be working closely with retailers to ensure a smooth transition to the new shopping trolley rules.

Emissions trading schemes

Two NSW councils have taken the lead and developed a program where communities will be able to offset their emissions by purchasing carbon credits.

The Regenesis program, designed by Blacktown council, along with the Liverpool Plains Shire Council in south-west NSW, also encourages private land owners to plant forests and sell their carbon credits to individuals or small businesses.

Each credit will offset a tonne of carbon and be available to buy and sell on an online registry.

To date, 33 forests have been planted on a combination of council, Crown and residential land in the Blacktown and Liverpool Plains regions.

WA needs workers

Yesterday's 'Financial Review' reports that the West Australian government will try to improve settlement services for skilled migrants as part of a strategy to target the worker shortage. The strategy includes a call for a more flexible migration program. WA has forecast that almost 240,000 jobs will be created in the state by 2017, leaving a 150,000 worker shortfall, based on migration levels and natural population growth.

Earth Hour will be held tomorrow!

Has your Council signed up to Earth Hour yet?

Tomorrow, Saturday 26 March 2011 from 8.30 - 9.30pm is Earth Hour. Today is your Council's last chance to register via the Earth Hour Australia home page, to add your voice to the millions across Australia who support ongoing change for a more sustainable future for us all.

Walk for arthritis

Mike Pauly, osteo-arthritis sufferer, who will celebrate his 70th birthday on May 6, is walking the Nullarbor from Melbourne to Perth to raise awareness for the Arthritis Foundation. If you wish to track Mike's progress and provide encouragement as he enters your region or offer any assistance please visit here or here.

The future of our energy

Australia21 will be holding a one day conference and dinner on Innovation - Driving Resilient Energy and Economic Futures - at the Australian National University in Canberra on 14 April 2011. The conference will examine how innovation and economic reform can assist in the efficient use and production of energy to diminish the impact of climate change and the link between market solutions for pollution reduction, and the competitiveness of energy businesses. More information here.