Reform of the Federation debated in Senate Committee hearings

ALGA will be putting the case for reform of the Constitution to include local government when it appears before the hearings of the Senate Select Committee of the Reform of the Australian Federation in Canberra on 5 May. The Committee, chaired by Senator Russell Trood, is due to report to Parliament by 20 June 2011 and has already held hearings in Sydney, Perth and Brisbane. ALGA's submission was one of 45 made to the Committee, with submissions also being made by the Local Government Association of South Australia, the Western Australia Local Government Association and three councils.

The Committee is looking at a range of issues including the distribution of powers and finances between the three levels of government, the role of COAG and regional development issues, as well the possible constitutional recognition of local government. The previous hearings of the Committee have explored many of the options for constitutional change as well as the arguments for and against different regional development approaches and provide a valuable insight into the current debate on reforming the Federation.

The ALGA Board has proposed a narrow and pragmatic change to the Constitution to provide for direct Commonwealth funding of local government and inclusion of local government in a Preamble if one is to be developed. ALGA will be arguing that the uncertainty about the validity of direct Federal funding of local government created by the 2009 High Court decision in the Pape case needs to be addressed though constitutional change so that programs such as Roads to Recovery can continue without challenge. ALGA's submission can be found here and further information on the inquiry is available from the committee website.

ALGA submission to the National Land Freight Strategy

Infrastructure Australia released the National Land Freight Strategy - Discussion Paper examining land freight in Australia in February and sought submissions from interested groups. The Discussion Paper examines how the transport system will cope with an expected 110% increase in freight volumes by 2030. The Strategy in the Discussion Paper identifies the regulatory deficiencies and the infrastructure needs likely to develop as the freight volumes increase. The Discussion Paper can be found on the Infrastructure Australia website.

The ALGA submission to Infrastructure Australia emphasises that different stakeholders will have different perspectives on the movement of freight. While the efficient movement of freight is important from a community perspective it can not be at the expense of the amenity and safety.

The ALGA submission also emphasises the importance of the local road system, especially the first/last mile, to the overall national freight network and that there are numerous examples of local government and the freight industry working together for mutually satisfactorily outcomes. The ALGA submission reminds Infrastructure Australia that local roads are, in aggregate, primarily funded by councils from their own funding sources and that at present there is no link between the use of local roads by heavy vehicles and funding.

The specific issue of grain lines is also raised and the pressure of their closures on local roads.

The ALGA submission is available on the ALGA website.

Lithgow in NSW wins the Australian Tidy Towns Awards

The New South Wales town of Lithgow has been announced the Overall Winner of the Keep Australia Beautiful, Australian Tidy Towns Awards 2010/11. The announcement was made at the national awards ceremony held on the weekend at Beechworth in Victoria, the winner of the prestigious award last year. As well as winning the overall Australian title, Lithgow won the Environmental Innovation and Protection award and received a commendation in the Water Conservation and the Heritage and Culture category awards.

According to the Australian Tidy Towns National Judge, Dick Olesinski, Lithgow's community members demonstrate a great sense of commitment and pride.

"Led by Lithgow's longstanding Tidy Towns committee and the Lithgow City Council, the community as a whole is involved in a wide range of initiatives to ensure a sustainable future for their town.

Lithgow's active Swampwatch network continued to restore large areas of swampland, the town was recognised for its environmental improvement projects, as well as water conservation initiatives. Community groups are also passionate about historic preservation and restoration of important historic facilities.

Chairman of Keep Australia Beautiful National Association, Don Chambers, said "the Tidy Towns awards and their participants provide great examples of what individuals and their communities can achieve by working together sustainably. Well done to everyone involved in Lithgow, your efforts are helping to make a real difference and will provide inspiration to other local communities."

The towns of Westonia in WA, Barunda in the NT, Stanthorpe in Queensland, Rutherglen, in Victoria, Waikerie in SA, and New Norfolk in Tasmania also took out awards in various categories.

Through the Australian Tidy Towns Awards, Keep Australia Beautiful is able to recognise local community and individual efforts that are helping rural and regional communities to become environmentally, economically and socially sustainable. The awards are sponsored by 'Do the Right Thing' and Replas.

For further information click here.

This week ALGA lodged a submission to the draft report of the Productivity Commission into Disability Care and Support. The Productivity Commission proposes two new schemes - a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and a no-fault National Injury Insurance Scheme (NIIS) for those people who suffer catastrophic injuries.

Local government has a long involvement in the provision of human services in recent times including through homecare, transport assistance, respite and other carer services. We are committed to providing these services and recognize the urgent need for more action in the area of disability services and support. Any of us who care for a person who has a disability or who is aged is keenly aware of the need for them to be able to have choices and adequate funding. We are very supportive of the reforms proposed in a new NDIS scheme.

The second scheme, the no-fault National Injury Insurance Scheme, proposes lifetime support for people who have suffered catastrophic injuries such as major brain or spinal cord injuries, and is also a welcome proposal, but the Productivity Commission's recommendation that this scheme would be funded through local government rates is not so welcome.

The Commission's principle argument for rates as a source of funding is that rates are an efficient and stable funding base for any proposed program. ALGA does not believe this is a sufficient justification for rates to become a funding source. Local government rates are often seen by other levels of government as an attractive mechanism to raise funds for non-local government activities such as emergency services. Local Government has opposed, and will continue to oppose, the use of rates. We strongly believe that the service to be provided is better funded from a broader revenue base.

I made ALGA's position on the funding of this scheme clear when the Commission's draft report was first released and will continue to argue that any no-fault disability scheme is more appropriately funded through combination of general revenue and existing insurance premiums from areas such as motor vehicles and medical indemnity.

There is no doubt that people who suffer catastrophic injuries which leave them permanently disabled often do not receive the care and funding they require. ALGA fully supports a separate scheme to support these individuals and supports the NIIS in principle. However, more thought needs to be given to the funding of the scheme.

Mayor Genia McCaffery
ALGA President

Briefs

Planning handed back to councils in NSW

The workload of NSW councils will increase as the NSW state government hands back large-scale projects to local councils to assess. But how much exactly will be handed back is yet unclear.

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell scrapped Part 3A of the planning act as part of an election promise. Previously the Part 3A of the act allowed the planning minister to assess projects worth more than $10 million, taking assessment powers away from local councils.

Applications already lodged under Part 3A of the act will be divided into three categories. Half will be sent to local councils, a quarter will be sent to NSW Planning Assessment Commission and applications that have been on the books for more than two years will lapse.

Lake Macquarie state MP and mayor Greg Piper said he fully supported the scrapping of the Part 3A planning provision.

"Overall councils [in NSW] do a pretty good job and they have been dealing with big developments for a long time," he said.

But Cr Piper said there had been a loss in skills within many councils due to not handling large developments. However, he said he was still confident Lake Macquarie Council was able to handle the job. He described $10 million as quite a moderate development for Lake Macquarie or Newcastle.

Newcastle lord mayor John Tate said the council employed qualified planners but they did not regularly assess large-scale projects. Cr Tate said although the experience may not be there, it was an important principle the council had the final say over developments. He said the council was elected by the local people and things of local significance, such as what to do with a piece of land or what type of building goes in, should be decided by it.

ICAC suggests audits on all NSW councils to weed out corruption

The internal operations of the state's 152 councils should be audited to weed out corruption, the Independent Commission Against Corruption has recommended. The ruling came after ICAC found that Burwood Council's former general manager Pat Romano acted corruptly by invoicing the council for thousands of dollars for surveillance of his wife's colleague with whom he suspected she was having an affair.

ICAC also found that Mr Romano recruited a friend and paid $40,000 above his contract, and took adverse action against staff whistleblowers.

Among 31 recommendations ICAC called on newly appointed Local Government Minister Don Page to legislate statutory internal audits of all 152 councils. Under proposed changes, internal auditors would be given "unfettered access to all documents and any council staff they deem necessary for the conduct of their role".

ICAC advised that all NSW councils be forced to set up audit committees with an independent chair and to discipline councils who refused to comply. A spokesman for Mr Page said he would consider the report in detail and respond.

ICAC advised Burwood Council to rewrite its policies so that employees would be banned from claiming out-of-pocket expenses if there was a risk of personal benefit. Any "significant" councillor expenses would need to be signed off at a full council meeting and the general manager's expenses would need to be approved by the mayor. An internal audit committee should monitor staff expense claims, and be responsible for approving "unusual" claims.

ICAC referred findings to the DPP to prosecute Mr Romano for 17 offences, including giving false or misleading documents to defraud the council, misconduct in public office, causing disadvantage to persons for assisting the ICAC, and providing false or misleading evidence.

The fact sheet on ICAC's findings is available here.

The full report can be accessed from the ICAC website.

Crean encourages councils to push barriers on regional infrastructure funding

Regional Development Minister, Simon Crean has encouraged councils to push the barriers on regional infrastructure funding, during recent visits to NSW South Coast councils.

During a visit to Shoalhaven, Mr Crean was not critical of the Shoalhaven City Council's late bid to prioritise projects, nor was he concerned its main priority was outside the city limits. The council decided only last week to push for funds for a $1.2 million upgrade to the Oallen Ford bridge over the Shoalhaven River west of Nerriga in what is supposed to be a joint project with Palerang and Goulburn-Mulwaree councils.

Mr Crean said this was what the federal government's Regional Development Australia Fund was all about. He said it was important that priorities be established and then councils should prioritise the priorities.

"These projects create a leverage of funding and provide avenues for local government to create the best outcomes for the region as a whole. The benefits flow across to all communities. We are committed to empowering regions to secure their futures," Mr Crean said.

"We want to entrench localism so that no future government will be able to unpick the legacy the regions are building together."

First-round applications for up to $100 million in RDA funding close next month. The funds will be rolled out from July.

Mr Crean said regions throughout Australia "were crying out for infrastructure".

"By working with the community and the private sector, councils and regions can supplant a dynamism that has previously not been afforded to them. We have talked about a patchwork economy. By working together and gathering a regional input and a local input we can start to join the dots. Today is a great example of joining the dots.

"Councils and regions must learn to push the barrier on how they can best spend Commonwealth dollars. The $1 billion RDA fund now provides councils with a broader framework.

"It is a new model and provides councils the opportunity to deliver better results in terms of health and educational improvements and infrastructure", Mr Crean said.

Heart Foundation Healthy Community Awards - entries open

Entries are now open for the Heart Foundation Healthy Community Awards 2011. Previously known as the Local Government Awards these new look awards recognise Councils for their contribution to improving heart health and aim to encourage their ongoing commitment to creating healthy communities.

Any Council working to improve the health of their community is invited to submit an entry for these awards. Winners will be awarded at both the state and national levels, with $38,000 in cash awards on offer.

If your Council initiatives are addressing some or all of the following important elements of a healthy community the Heart Foundation wants to hear from you:

• Opportunities for recreational and incidental physical activity
• Safe, connected walkable catchments
• Accessible, safe and appealing environments and facilities that encourage healthy lifestyles
• Access to affordable healthy foods
• Smoke-free environments
• Opportunities for community members to lead interactive and socially connected lives
• Appropriate, well designed and maintained infrastructure that supports recreation, social interaction and active transport options.

Entries must be received by 5.00pm on Friday 27 May 2011. The electronic application process at www.heartfoundation.org.au/lga makes submitting an entry easier than ever! Alternatively call 1300 36 27 87.

Nominations open for the 2011 Diversity@Work Employment and Inclusion Awards

If your council supports the employment and inclusion of People with a Disability, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse individuals, mature age, youth, Indigenous Australians or gender diversity, you should nominate for the diversity@work Awards. In 2011, size does not matter and the distinction between large and small subcategories has been removed - greater emphasis will be placed on the individual capacity and resources that support their diversity and inclusion business case. More information is available here or by contacting 03 9862 4222 or emailing diversityawards@marketing.com.au.

A Local Focus: Community Broadcasting & Local Government in Australia

Around Australia, many local councils have close relationships with their local community radio station. The April edition of CBX, the magazine of the Community Broadcasting sector, profiles some of these relationships and how they benefit local communities. Australians need to know what's happening in their own area and to share information about their own communities. Community broadcasting complements commercial and national media by providing a local focus, as well as alternative and niche programming. With more than 300 radio stations around the country, Community Broadcasting is Australia's largest media sector. More than 80 per cent of community stations are located in rural and regional areas, providing important coverage of local issues and local events.

In areas such as disaster preparedness and management, community information campaigns and canvassing local issues and policies, close links between local government and community broadcasters protect and inform communities. Follow the links to page 12 of CBX magazine to read 'A Local Focus' and find out more about Community Broadcasting via the Voices & Vision introductory booklet. The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia looks forward to developing closer links with local councils around Australia.

First wave-power unit

The Southern Hemisphere's first commercial-scale wave power unit has begun producing energy as part of a trial project in Carnegie in West Australia. Carnegie Wave Energy Ltd on Wednesday said its CETO 3 unit on Garden Island, south of Perth, had begun producing hydraulic power and was performing to expectations. The current trial operation would be followed up by a demonstration project.

Managing Director of Carnegie Wave Energy Ltd, Mr Michael Ottaviano said the purpose of the trial project was to demonstrate Carnegie's pumping technology, not the power offtake technology, which was "off the shelf".

Power from the trial project was not being used. The company was instead focused on collecting performance data. A full idea of this unit's performance will be available in a matter of weeks. Power from the forthcoming demonstration project could be sold to state electricity retailer Synergy or the Department of Defence for use on Garden Island, which is Australia's largest naval base, he said.

WA to spend all red light camera revenue on road safety

The Western Australian Government has undertaken to spend all speeding and red light camera revenue on road safety initiatives. The move has been welcomed by the Western Australian Local Government Association(WALGA). WALGA president Troy Pickard says the extra funding will go towards improving local roads by widening lanes and building passing lanes.

"Ultimately this increased funding will reduce death and serious injury on our road network," he said. The money will make a huge difference, according to Mayor Pickard.

$16 million investment in local communities

The Australian Government will provide over $16 million to around 60 community projects across Australia to strengthen vulnerable communities and support disadvantaged Australians. From 1 July 2011, community organisations funded under the Community Investment Program, will have their funding extended and increased to account for indexation, for three years to 30 June 2014.

The announcement was made in a joint release by the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services, Jenny Macklin and Parliamentary Secretary for Community Services, Julie Collins.

Ms Collins said the move to three year funding contracts reflected the consultation between the Gillard Government and community organisations to provide on-going support. The projects are delivered through community organisations and are developed in consultation with the local community to ensure community needs are met. The program funds a diverse range of projects such as community kitchens, homework clubs, volunteer training and leadership projects.

Ms Collins said the Community Investment Program sought to build more cohesive and resilient communities. A full list of the projects is available here.

Local government leads climate watch

Earthwatch has begun a national program to alert Councils to the ClimateWatch Citizen Science program and the opportunity to establish their own ClimateWatch Trails to promote awareness of the local environment. Local councils are important environmental guardians and carry out many environmental protection and education programs, Richard Gilmore, CEO of Earthwatch Australia said.

Councils can add the ClimateWatch link to their website and promote the program's availability online for local schools, environment groups and council employees and their families. The program shows how councils can develop their own local ClimateWatch Trail and become part of a growing network of climate change monitoring sites across the country.

The local government campaign follows an announcement that Earthwatch will launch a ClimateWatch Trail for the Federal Parliament on May 25th. ClimateWatch is part of Earthwatch's Citizens Science program aimed at encouraging people to take notice of what is happening in their local environments and record the information.

ClimateWatch gives every council in Australia the opportunity to make a difference and help shape Australia's response to climate change by contributing to a national database whilst also promoting their unique local environment, according to Mr Gilmore. It's easy to get involved. Simply choose the mammal, bird, insect, reptile or plants you are interested in or would like to keep an eye on and start recording what you see online.

To register to become a Climate Change Watcher click here. Further information is available from the website and you can see the launch of the first Climate Watch trail at the City of Melville Climate Watch Trail Launch at City of Melville WA.

Carbon farming discussion paper released

The Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency released a discussion paper on the carbon farming initiative on 21 April. The Carbon Farming Initiative is a carbon offsets scheme being established by the Australian Government to provide new economic opportunities for farmers, forest growers and landholders and help the environment by reducing carbon pollution.

The paper provides the department's "preliminary indicative view of the abatement from the Carbon Farming Initiative in 2020". This work is separate from the Treasury modelling exercise regarding the Government's carbon pricing mechanism and its relationship to land sector abatement. Legislation to underpin the Carbon Farming Initiative was introduced into Parliament on 24 March 2011 The discussion paper is intended to promote further discussion with stakeholders and follows a consultation paper released on 22 November 2010.

The discussion paper can be accessed here.

Ombudsman calls for more use of Indigenous language interpreters

A report by the Commonwealth Ombudsman has said that the wider use of Indigenous language interpreters would help to break down communication barriers and build stronger relationships between many Indigenous Australians, governments and service providers.

Acting Ombudsman Alison Larkins said that government agencies-and their contracted service providers-needed to:

• increase their awareness of the need for Indigenous language interpreters
• train staff to work with interpreters and develop comprehensive policies on their use
• build their engagement with interpreter services and include the costs associated with training interpreters into new policy initiatives
• remove the barriers to recruiting interpreters.

Ms Larkins said that her office readily conceded that there was a shortage of Indigenous language interpreters, however government agencies had an obligation to establish policies and provide services that meet the needs of all Australians. She was particularly concerned about the investigation finding that even when interpreters were available, they often were not used.

Ms Larkins was encouraged by the work being done by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs on a National Framework for the use and supply of Indigenous interpreters. The Ombudsman's report, 'Talking in Language; Indigenous language interpreters and government communication', is available here.

StepOne web resource

The StepOne web resource - provides guidance and practical resources to councils and community groups interested in implementing community cohesion initiatives in their local areas. The website features downloadable 'good practice' case studies covering a range of communities and issues such as reducing racism, intolerance, and negative stereotypes and building positive and sustainable relationships between communities. Submissions of new case studies from local councils are welcome. Please complete this FORM and email to casestudies@stepone.org.au

General enquiries: Centre for Research on Social Inclusion Email: crsi@scmp.mq.edu.au Phone: 02 9850-9171

Lights, camera, strategic planning

A novel community consultation initiative from Adelaide City Council asks local residents to shape the future look of Adelaide through photos. The "Picture Adelaide" campaign encourages all South Australians to get involved in creating their city.

The public can photograph parts of the city they love or want improved, or images representing what they want created, and submit the pictures via a smart phone application.

Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood said: "We want people to be part of the big picture, and there are some really exciting ways to get involved. This is a new way for people to have a say."

Information gathered will be used to shape a vision for the city and is the first step in developing Council's 2012-2016 strategic plan. It is a new and innovative approach to public consultation, according to Mr Yarwood.

Information collected from the Picture Adelaide campaign will be presented on a website. A phone application will also be launched this month. More information can be found on the Council's website.

Council concerned about its long term sustainability

Dungog Shire Council will report a budget cash deficit for the fifth year, with the deficit again reflecting the council's inability to fund the replacement of assets.

Council general manager Craig Deasey has concerns about the organisation's ability to sustain itself in the longer term. He said it would take $50 million to bring all of council's assets up to a satisfactory standard.

"At a local level I still believe council must seriously consider its future in consultation with our community . . . and this is a role the elected representatives of council and as community leaders must embrace in the ensuing 12 months.

"At present the council cannot keep pace with such maintenance requirements, and as a consequence, certain infrastructure assets continue to deteriorate at accelerated levels and in some cases certain assets have not been replaced," he said.

He stressed the importance of recognising local government in the constitution, saying it was of prime importance, "otherwise future funding of councils could well be jeopardised".

Cane toads breeding in Sydney

A cane toad breeding colony at Taren Point in the Sutherland Shire in Sydney's South has been discovered and monitored through a radio tracking project by the University of Sydney. Sutherland Shire Mayor Phil Blight says toads were first discovered in Taren Point some years ago, but their numbers are declining.

Scientists want to use the knowledge from the tracking project to help prevent the resilient toad from spreading and breeding in Sydney. Rick Shine, from the University of Sydney, is part of a team that is trying to better understand the local toad population and says it is vital to interrupt the breeding cycle, due to the rapid breeding of the toads and the capacity of female toads to lay over 30,000 eggs. The tracking program, which started earlier in April, is run by the University of Sydney, the Office of Environment and Heritage and Sutherland Shire Council.

The study has found that the introduced black and brown rats, which evolved in the Northern Hemisphere just like the introduced toad, are capable of dealing with the toad's poison and are assisting in toad control in Sydney.

Trials are also occurring with dogs which are sniffing out the toads with success. It is hoped that the dogs will soon be used on a regular basis to seek out the toads' hideaways.