Constitutional recognition of Indigenous people

The Prime Minister's Expert Panel on the constitutional recognition of Indigenous people released a paper last week discussing issues and challenges and canvassing options for recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Australian Constitution. The Expert Panel, announced in November last year, was established to guide national debate on the issue in a bid to maximise the chance of the vote being successful, and to report to the Prime Minister by the end of 2011. Release of the Expert Panel's Discussion Paper coincided with the establishment of a new Constitutional Reform Unit at the University of Sydney, headed by Professor Anne Twomey.

The Expert Panel has suggested seven ideas for change. Symbolic recognition would involve a Statement of Recognition in the Preamble and/or inserting both a Statement of Recognition and a Statement of Values into the body of the Constitution. Further suggestions for the body of the Constitution involve a repeal of Section 51 (xxvi) and Section 25, which contemplate whether State Governments might exclude some Australians from voting on the basis of race, through to including a new agreement-making power enabling the Australian Government to enter into specific agreements with Indigenous communities.

In January, the Coalition signalled that it was open to a more substantive acknowledgement in the Constitution than recognition in the Preamble, shifting from its earlier position that it would not consider reform beyond the Preamble. None of the agreements involving the Gillard Government, the Greens and Independents suggest that reform be confined to the Preamble.

In the words of one of the leaders of reconciliation, Professor Pat Dodson, the need for reform to the Constitution is a matter of "justice, not special benefit," which will redress a history of exclusion.

In the lead up to the 2010 election, the Australian Government committed that dual referenda on the Indigenous question and the question on local government recognition would be held by 2013. ALGA has been engaged in a process aimed at Constitutional recognition since 2008, including commissioning social research on community attitudes and understanding of local government and the Constitution.

As the referendum process for the Indigenous question and the local government question will be running in parallel, it is important for the two organisations to work in unison. In the past fortnight, ALGA has met with Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR) and Oxfam and the ALGA President has met with co-chair of the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples and member of the Expert Panel on Indigenous recognition, Sam Jeffries. ALGA is keen to engage further with the Expert Panel in the lead up to the referendum to explore opportunities for the two campaigns to work together to maximise the chance of a positive outcome for both questions.

New National Road Safety Strategy for Australia

Australia has a new National Road Safety Strategy which aims to cut the road toll by at least 30 per cent by 2020.

The new Strategy was endorsed by the Australian Transport Ministers Council meeting in Alice Springs on 13 May. Local government was represented by Mayor Felicity-Ann Lewis, ALGA vice president.

Anthony Albanese, Minister for Infrastructure and Transport and Catherine King, Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport said the National Road Safety Strategy 2011-20 marked a commitment by all governments to significantly improve road safety across the country.

Road crashes kill approximately 1,400 people each year and seriously injure another 32,000 people. The National Road Safety Strategy is a comprehensive plan to reduce this level of trauma on Australian roads.

"The strategy sets out a range of measures to reach this ambitious, but achievable target," Ms King said.

"This new target is challenging but realistic - and we must make every effort to do even better."

Mayor Lewis said she was pleased that there was greater emphasis on the safety of local roads in the new strategy.

"Death and serious injury should not be accepted as an inevitable cost of road travel, and the release of this strategy is welcome news for motorists and families across the country."

As part of the strategy, all governments have agreed to implement a number of actions, based on a Safe System approach, which aims to achieve Safe Roads, Safe Speeds, Safe Vehicles, and Safe People.

Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) Review of the Community Infrastructure Program

The ANAO has released a report into the design, implementation and administration of the direct council allocation element of the Community Infrastructure Fund totalling $450m with particular focus on the first round of the program that was due to be completed by 30 September 2009.

The ANAO concludes that the program was appropriately designed, and endorsed by the Australian Government to distribute funds on a formula basis to local government. Implementation has proceeded with more than 6000 projects approved for funding over three rounds with the final round due to be completed by February 2012. By the middle of March 2011, more than 71 per cent of the approved projects had been completed and a further six per cent of projects were underway.

The main criticisms of the report are that council spending is slower than forecast and that the stimulus effort was therefore slower than expected. In particular, the ANAO found that:

• the $250 million in Round 1 funding was required to have been spent by 30 September 2009 but, by this date, nearly one quarter of the funds paid to councils remained unspent. It took a further nine months (to June 2010) for the expenditure of program funding to reach $250 million and, of this amount, $7.8 million related to expenditure on Round 2 projects due to continuing delays with a small number of Round 1 projects;
• the $100 million in Round 2 funding was required to have been spent by 31 December 2010 but for a significant number of projects, this milestone was not met; and
• as at mid-April 2011, more than 26 per cent of Round 3 projects had been reported as having not yet started, with less than $14 million of the Round 3 $100 million allocation having been reported as spent.

The ANAO makes two broad recommendations:

• To improve the monitoring of performance by funding recipients, the ANAO recommends that the Department of Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government require grant applications to include a profile of planned expenditure, and progress reports to include revised expenditure profiles; and
• To promote the timely and effective delivery of community infrastructure programs, ANAO recommends that the Department of Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government regularly evaluate the need for, and the optimal timeframe of, subsequent rounds having regard to any delays with the commencement and completion of projects funded in earlier rounds.

The Department has agreed to both recommendations.

There is no suggestion in the ANAO report that the money was spent on anything other than infrastructure projects to benefit local communities as required by the program guidelines.

With only three weeks until the opening of the annual National General Assembly of Local Government, I am delighted to learn that we have received more than 700 registrations and confirmation from a long list of high-profile speakers, including the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, who will address the Assembly.

The 2011 National General Assembly is being held in Canberra from 19-22 June and provides an opportunity for local government and the Commonwealth Government to discuss priorities and goals for local communities. It has been quite some years since the Assembly was last addressed by the Prime Minister and Ms Gillard's speech on the opening morning of the Assembly on Monday, 20 June, should set the scene both for the rest of the Assembly and for our relationship with the Commonwealth.

The themes of the 2011 National General Assembly - Place, Position and Partnership - reflect the new environment local government faces. The Place theme reinforces the importance of local government and the Australian Government working together so that national policies and programs are tailored to meet local circumstances. The Position theme picks up on the importance of local government being seen and treated as an integral part of the Australian federal system. The third theme, Partnership, recognizes the mutual benefits of the Australian Government working with local government in delivering quality services and infrastructure to local communities throughout Australia.

The Assembly is also an opportunity to increase the community's understanding of the role of local government and its place in government, and will be an important component in increasing awareness and understanding of local government in the lead up to the referendum on constitutional recognition.

The Assembly is also an opportunity for councils to meet and discuss key issues and share resources.

As I have said on previous occasions, I am making constitutional reform a priority in my term as ALGA President. Including local government in the Australian Constitution will protect the local services that we take for granted and ensure that councils have the funding security to provide the level of services that local communities need and deserve.

Earlier in the week I attended the Local Government Managers Australia Conference in Cairns, where Constitutional Expert, Professor George Williams and I addressed the meeting on the importance of recognition for local government. Such opportunities to highlight our campaign for constitutional recognition are critical and Professor Williams and I will be speaking at state and territory conferences across the country to reinforce our position and raise awareness inform you of our progress and raise awareness in the lead up to the referendum.

I am looking forward to addressing the Shires Association of NSW Annual Conference on this very issue next week.

Mayor Genia McCaffery
ALGA President

Briefs

Betterment option under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements

The need to make councils more aware of the betterment option under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements was highlighted at this week's Senate Estimates hearings in Canberra.

It emerges that only one proposal for betterment (ie. restoring or replacing a piece of public infrastructure to a more disaster resilient standard) has been received from a jurisdiction in the last five years (relating to a swimming pool in New South Wales) despite councils apparently expressing a desire to access the betterment opportunities.

The NDRRA was amended in 2007 to allow for betterment of assets after a natural disaster and councils wanting further information on betterment provisions can refer to the Emergency Management Australia website or contact their relevant state agency.

Simon Crean disappointed with Grattan regions report

Minister for Regional Australia, Simon Crean has expressed disappointment in a new report that says extensive federal investment in regional Australia was not producing the promised economic development.

Mr Crean said the report by the Grattan Institute failed to recognise the challenges and circumstances facing those in the regions. In particular, Mr Crean objected to the claim that the presence of a regional university did not increase rates of tertiary participation or graduate retention in the local area or boost private sector growth.

He said that was based on attainment rates of 22-year-olds from the 2006 census, whereas a 2008 study found 65.7 per cent of students from regional universities remained in regional areas for jobs five years after graduating.

Data from the Charles Sturt University shows 88 per cent of agriculture and environment graduates take up employment in rural and regional locations. For health graduates the retention rate is 70 per cent.

Mr Crean said the report strengthened the government's resolve to keep investing in the regions.

Recognising Sorry Day

Local governments across the country recognised National Sorry Day this week.

On May 26 each year, various National Sorry Day activities and events take place throughout Australia, including concerts and barbeques, reconciliation walks, flag raising events, morning teas and lunches.

This day gives communities the chance to come together and acknowledge the impact of Australia's Stolen Generations.

Two-thirds of recent migrants employed

Figures released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) estimate that as at November 2010, 66 per cent of recent migrants and 63 per cent of temporary residents were employed.

Associated research has found that 10 per cent of recent migrants who have had a job in Australia had their employment arranged prior to arrival, while 43 per cent spent three months or less looking for their first job.

About one third of recent migrants reported experiencing difficulty finding their first job. The most common reason being a lack of work experience or references (64%) followed by language difficulties (33%).

Since 2001, approximately 1.4 million people aged 15 years or older on arrival have entered Australia - or around eight per cent of Australia's population aged 15 years and over. Of these, 51 per cent were recent migrants and 34 per cent were temporary residents.

The research can be accessed via the ABS website.

National Heavy Vehicle Regulator coming by 2013

Following a decision by COAG in July 2009, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) will become operational by January 2013 to regulate heavy vehicle business in Australia. The NHVR Project Office, based in Brisbane, is tasked with the job of building a regulator that meets the needs of the industry while aiming to reduce compliance burden, increasing safety and efficiency and productivity gains.

To receive updates on progress in this area, interested parties are asked to access www.nhvr.gov.au and subscribe to the regular e-newsletter and other alerts highlighting key milestones.

In addition, the NHVR Project Office will be conducting market research to gain insights and perceptions of the project and regulator, preferred methods of communication channels, perceived affect/impact on business and industry and key issues relating to establishing a national regulator.

If you would like to participate in the market research to ensure your views are considered, please email info@nhvr.gov.au by 10 June, 2011, with the following details:

• your name
• position
• organisation's name
• street address
• postal address
• phone number
• mobile number
• email address (please note your email address and internet access will be needed to participate in an online survey)
• and your preference to be added to the NHVR Project subscriber list to receive the "Road to Regulator" newsletter.

For further information, contact Tim Hansen (phone: 07 3253 4951 or email: tim.hansen@nhvr.gov.au) or Sharon Light (phone: 07 3253 4259 or email: sharon.light@nhvr.gov.au) from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator Project Office.

Forestry and industry statistics now available online

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has launched an online database containing consolidated, publicly available data and analysis of employment; skills; training; other socio-economic aspects; future industry structure projection modelling; sectoral profiles; and wood flow statistics.

General Manager of the Forestry Branch, John Talbot said the database was developed to understand the requirements of different sectors of the forestry industry in relation to skills, training and staff recruitment and retention, and model trends within sectors and geographical regions.

"It helps industry understand key areas of shortages or growth to assist in investment decisions, and any skills and training gaps to identify what the industry currently has and what it needs to meet future demand and growth," Mr Talbot said.

Mr Talbot said the database also highlights important trends within sectors and geographic regions and has the capacity for modelling the forest industry extending out to 2030 through the use of wood flow data.

The database is available here.

Draft Standard for Rural & Urban Addressing

Standards Australia has released a draft revised Standard on rural and urban addressing for public comment.

"The purpose of the revision is to provide instructions for assigning addresses that can be readily and unambiguously identified and located," said Colin Blair, Chief Executive Officer, Standards Australia.

"Reliable and readily understandable addresses are critical for emergency services, postal services and the community at large," Mr Blair said.

Mr Blair said the Standard is not mandatory or retrospective, but will be far-reaching. It identifies key areas for improvement and clarification. Jurisdictions will be expecting a high level of conformance from local councils more.

Final Meeting of the Australian Transport Council

Transport Ministers from the Commonwealth, States and Territories, together with representatives from New Zealand and the Australian Local Government Association, met in Alice Springs on 20 May as the Australian Transport Council (ATC) to consider a range of national transport initiatives. This was the final meeting of the ATC which will be replaced by Standing Council on Transport and Infrastructure under the new Ministerial meeting arrangements agreed by COAG.

ALGA was represented by Mayor Felicity-Ann Lewis, Deputy President of ALGA.

ATC discussed National Transport Regulation Reforms and agreed to forward to COAG for signature, at their next meeting scheduled for mid 2011, the Intergovernmental Agreements to establish the national maritime regulator, the national rail safety regulator and investigation system and the national heavy vehicle regulator.

ATC Ministers agreed to submit an updated National Ports Strategy to COAG subject to final consultation and a new National Transport Commission (NTC) strategic plan and work programme for 2011-12 to 2013-14.

ATC Ministers heard that work on the COAG Road Reform Plan (CRRP) continues to progress constructively and is on schedule. Work has commenced on the development of a Feasibility Study Consultation Paper.

The ATC communique can be found here.

$300m for Mackay region roads

Premier Anna Bligh and Federal Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese announced that a record $300 million will be spent repairing flood and rain damaged roads in Mackay and the Whitsundays under Operation Queenslander.

The package to repair 257 kilometres of roads was the largest ever announced in Queensland under the joint Commonwealth/State Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) program.

Around 1050 jobs will be created throughout the three-year work program.

Mackay and the Whitsundays have been hit by repeated cyclones, heavy rainfall and flood damage throughout 2010 and 2011. The $300 million funding is for both 2010 and 2011 events with further NDRRA funding for 2011 likely later in the year as assessment of damage continues.

Anthony Albanese said: "These funds will go a long way toward repairing road damage but also ensuring local roads are better able to cope with future wild weather.

Under NDRRA, the Federal Government provides 75 per cent of the funding, with 25 per cent from the State Government.

Awards for those who contribute

People or organisations who help those with disabilities can receive recognition in the National Disability Awards.

The Federal Government is asking locals to nominate people or businesses for the seven award categories, which include the Young Disability Challenge Award, Local Government Award and Health and Wellbeing Award.

Nominations close on June 30, with winners announced in November. To submit a nomination for the 2011 National Disability Awards click here.