The biggest National General Assembly ever!

This year's National General Assembly (NGA) will be the biggest ever, attracting more than 830 people.

With more registrations than ever before, high calibre speakers, high level federal politicians, engagement of key federal government departments and a full exhibition area, attendance is a must for representatives from all councils across Australia.

Attendance at this year's NGA will provide insights into local government policy at the national level, the case for constitutional recognition of local government and informative speakers addressing topical issues for local government.

By now, registered delegates will have received the Business Papers, and a quick read through indicates the level and quality of debate to expect. Participating in the NGA means the views of your council and your community will be included in the debate on local government policy initiatives.

The program features a concurrent symposium in which delegates can attend one of three sessions which explores climate change adaptation action for your council and community, the broadband rollout and digital television switchover, and the regional development agenda and Regional Development Australia Fund.

Among the many attractions at the NGA will be the i-MiEV, which stands for Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle. The i-MiEV is a fully electric vehicle with zero drive-time emissions and will be available to test drive.

A number of councils and government departments around Australia already currently lease Model Year 10 i-MiEVs as part of their fleet.

Other attractive exhibitions include the Defence Reserves Support Stand, where councils can find out how to become a supportive employer of ADF Reservists.

Mayor of Port Adelaide Enfield, Gary Johanson has seen first hand the difference reservists can make, following a recent visit to the Solomon Islands. Mayor Johanson joined a group of employers on Exercise Boss Lift travelling to the Pacific nation to meet with their deployed reservist employees.

The four-day Exercise Boss Lift program highlights the important role the reserves play in the Australian Defence Force, through allowing employers to experience directly the essential roles played by their employees.

Mayor Johanson said he was keen to see the Port Adelaide Enfield Council develop policies that would encourage reservists to consider council as a potential employer and make it easier for current employees to consider joining the ADF Reserves.

"I think it should be the right of any person to choose to be a reservist and have reserve leave considered under an enterprise bargaining agreement," Mayor Johanson said.

The program for the NGA is now finalised and the website has been updated. Remember it is not too late to register - to find out more about this year's program and to register go to http://nga.alga.asn.au

South Australia leads the constitutional campaign

Many councils have been advising ALGA that they have passed resolutions in support of constitutional recognition of local government. Nationally, we already have 45% of councils putting their weight behind the constitutional campaign.

At this stage, South Australia has streaked in front by a large margin, with 71% of councils in SA having passed resolutions of support. In New South Wales, 45% of councils have passed resolutions, 44% in Queensland, 40% in West Australia, 41% in Victoria, 34% in Tasmania, and 23% in the Northern Territory.

Another 20 councils have advised ALGA in the last day and will be added to the statistics. We want to be in a position to show the Prime Minister; the Minister for Local Government; the Coalition and minor parties that we have at least 50% support when they address the National General Assembly in two weeks. Over half of Australia's councils passing resolutions in councils send a strong message that councils support the reform and will be strong advocates in their communities to vote "yes" in a referendum.

Local Government is essential in providing the every day services that communities need. Referencing Local Government in Australia's Constitution will ensure that funding which already comes directly from the Commonwealth to Local Government - such as the Roads to Recovery and Community Infrastructure programs - can continue to do so. This practical change will secure the Commonwealth Government's current funding to Local Government and also facilitate future direct funding grants to Local Government and its communities. Nothing else will change.

The campaign is gaining momentum every day, so be sure to advise ALGA when your council votes in support of financial recognition. There will also be an opportunity at the National General Assembly to affirm you support and demonstrate the groundswell of support to the Prime Minister.

Councils which have recently advised ALGA that they have passed resolutions supporting financial recognition of Local Government include:

Accessible Communities funding round announced

The Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers, Senator Jan McLucas, recently announced the 76 projects that will be funded across 67 local governments under the Accessible Communities initiative.

The Accessible Communities funding round opened on 24 January 2011 and closed on 25 March 2011. Each local government was permitted to submit up to two applications for up to $100,000 (GST-exclusive) based on meeting a range of criteria.

This funding was available under the Australian Government's $5 million Accessible Communities initiative which is part of the Commonwealth Government's commitment of $11 million to an accessibility package of initiatives to support people with disability and their carers participate in community life as part of the new National Disability Strategy.

The Strategy is an important element of the Commonwealth Government's commitment to promoting social inclusion for all Australians. It will continue reform begun under the National Disability Agreement. This initiative is focused on ensuring that people with disability have the same access to public infrastructure as the general public.

Each of the Accessible Communities projects that will be funded under this initiative will improve the accessibility of local buildings and public spaces for people with disability.

Interest in this initiative was considerable with a total of 377 eligible applications received from 277 local governments. Of these applications 367 were considered eligible and were assessed using the selection processes as set out in Part B of the Program Guidelines.

Letters have been sent to all local governments in relation to those applications which were unsuccessful to advise what arrangements have been put in place to provide further feedback on their applications if required.

More information on the Accessible Communities initiative, including general feedback on the application process in available on the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs' (FaHCSIA) website.

A full list of successful applicants will be available on the FaHCSIA website once all funding agreements with successful applicants are in place.

Managing emergencies and natural disasters has always been part of the job description for local government but the enormous cost of helping communities bounce back from natural disasters and mitigate the risks of future emergencies was highlighted again this week when the Brisbane City Council handed down its budget for 2011-2012.

The Brisbane City Council has forecast a recovery bill of more than $400 million for the January flood and included $116.7 million in the 2011-2012 budget for the city's flood recovery.

Of course Brisbane is not alone. The floods and Cyclone Yasi affected up to 100 councils over the summer and the recovery bill is going to run into the billions. The National General Assembly of Local Government, being held in Canberra between 19 and 22 June will be a chance for us to hear first hand from the mayors of two councils which suffered from flooding: Mayor Leo Tellefson, from the Buloke Shire Council in Victoria, and Mayor Ray Brown, from the Western Darling Downs Regional Council in Queensland. We will hear how their communities dealt with the recent disasters and the lessons we can all learn.

While damage was severe in the floods, it's clear that it could have been much worse and the floods served to underline the value of effective mitigation and education. Significant damage was avoided in many towns because flood levees had been built to protect those towns after earlier flood events. Quality risk assessments and the identification of cost effective treatments such as levees, acquisition of properties, house-raising and effective warning systems are equally important. Governments at all levels have accepted this for a long time and that is why we have partnership funding programs such as the Regional Flood Mitigation Program and the Natural Disaster Mitigation Program. Such programs need to continue because local councils do not have the resources to tackle this work alone and it makes economic, social and environmental sense to reduce the impact of disasters rather than spending huge amounts on recovery.

These recent events highlight the importance of resilient communities. A resilient community understands the risks and is aware of the limits of their governments. They are communities where people do what they can to prepare for disasters by having a plan, by preparing property to withstand natural hazards and by taking reasonable steps to insure.

At the last meeting of the Council of Australian Governments in February, I was pleased to agree with the Prime Minister, the Premiers and Chief Ministers on the adoption of a new National Strategy for Disaster Resilience, which sets out a number of ways to improve resilience. ALGA is working to encourage state governments to work with councils in implementation of the Strategy. Specific issues for local councils include identifying priority hazards at the local level and communicating those hazards to property owners, ensuring that local and regional land use planning takes account of identified hazards and partnering with other levels of government to fund mitigation measures.

The Resilience Strategy recognises that all levels of government must work more closely with communities at the local level and that building resilience is a responsibility that is much broader than just involving those who deal with emergency services operations.

Mayor Genia McCaffery
ALGA President

Briefs

Government Responds to the Disability Transport Review

The Australian Government has welcomed the findings of the first five year statutory review of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (Transport Standards).

The Government commissioned an independent consultant, the Allen Consulting Group, to conduct the review. The review found that the introduction of the Transport Standards has significantly changed the way government and public transport operators and providers deliver access to public transport for people with disability.

The report includes 15 recommendations to improve accessibility of public transport. These recommendations address a range of issues in areas such as mobility aids, school buses, taxis, air travel, transport in rural and regional areas and improving data on accessible public transport.

The review report and Government response are available here.

Indigenous Education

The COAG Reform Council released a report this week into Indigenous education levels across the country. The main focus was on basic levels of literacy.

There was positive news that the proportion of students at or above national basic levels of literacy in years 3, 5 and 7 were higher than the target for 2010. The main concern, however, was that students in year 9 recorded a drop in basic literacy, as well as a considerable drop compared to 2008.

Under the 2008 COAG agreement, the states and the Commonwealth agreed to measures to "close the gap" between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children by 2018. These figures suggest that there is significant work left to do, although the substantial improvement in the results for those in year 3, suggest that there is cause for hope in the future. For the full report, click here.

Alliance of western councils to cease operation

The Barwon Darling Alliance, which is made up of five councils in western New South Wales and the Murdi Paaki Regional Assembly could be dissolved by the end of the month.

The member councils of Bourke, Coonamble, Brewarrina, Walgett and Central Darling will this month vote on winding up the organisation following unsuccessful attempts for a socio economic zone to be trialled in the region.

The Executive Officer and General Manager of the Bourke Shire, Geoff Wise, has indicated that leftover funds will be donated to charity.

Climate change risks to coastal buildings and infrastructure

This week, the Australian Government Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency released Climate Change Risks to Coastal Buildings and Infrastructure. The report identifies more than $226 billion of assets in coastal areas that are potentially at risk from climate change.

The new report supplements the Climate Change Risks to Australia's Coasts report which was released in 2009, and quantifies the risks to residential properties and natural ecosystems, beaches and landscapes. The new report identifies the exposure of commercial buildings, light industrial buildings, and road and rail infrastructure to risks based on a sea level rise of 1.1 metres, representing a high-end scenario for 2100.

The report presents the findings nationally by state and territory, along with local government areas at most risk for each state.

To access the new report, click here.

Nominate for PM's Awards for Excellence

The local government sector is invited to nominate major projects, programs or initiatives for the annual Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Public Sector Management.

The Awards are an initiative of the Institute of Public Administration Australia and aim to encourage and recognise better practice and innovation at all levels of government. They are designed to honour achievements of work groups, units and teams rather than individuals and focus on specific projects, initiatives and change processes.

Any work unit, group or team within the Commonwealth, State or Territory and local government public sectors may nominate for the Awards, however the process requires a comprehensive application and attracts a fee of $880.

For more information click here.

CSIRO dam break modelling to help flood planning

CSIRO scientists have developed powerful modelling techniques to help understand the full impact of flooding that occurs when dams collapse.

The research has been helping China's disaster management authorities better understand the full impact of the catastrophic flooding that would occur if one of China's, and the world's, biggest dams collapsed.

The work could also be applied in Australia to help plan for extreme weather events. Working with China's Satellite Surveying & Mapping Application Centre (SASMAC), CSIRO scientists have modelled the effects of a catastrophic failure of the massive Geheyan Dam in China's Hubei province. They have simulated the impact of flooding on the surrounding region and its infrastructure if the dam suddenly released its 3.12 billion cubic metres of water.

CSIRO's innovative approach combines data that changes over time - the water flow - with static landscape data from a Geographic Information System to show how infrastructure will be affected.

For more information about the research, click here.

Adapting to climate change - implications for transport infrastructure, transport systems and travel behaviour

A paper prepared by Michael A P Taylor and Michelle Philp on this topic was presented to the Australian Transport Research Forum in October 2010. The paper reviews the impact of climate change on land based transport and considers some adaptation strategies for Australia.

The paper finds that climate change poses a significant risk to infrastructure and its owners, managers and operators. The two main issues for climate change adaptation for transport are rising sea levels and the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.

It considers the risks to existing transport infrastructure and the resulting considerations necessary in planning new infrastructure and transport systems and operations under changing climatic conditions, and potential changes in travel behaviour. The use and capability of regional rural networks in emergency evacuation planning are also discussed.

More generally, the paper concludes that recognition of the risks associated with climate change is required for better planning of new infrastructure and mitigating potential damage to existing infrastructure.

Click here for the full paper.

Nominations open for farmer of the year awards

With nominations now open for the 2011 Australian Farmer of the Year Awards, farmers from across the nation are encouraged to nominate and help promote Australian agriculture.

The following categories are open for nominations:

• Farmer of the Year
• Young Farmer of the Year
• Diversification Farmer of the Year
• Farm Industry Leader of the Year
• Biosecurity Farmer of the Year
• Wool Producer of the Year
• Livestock Producer of the Year
• Grain Grower of the Year

For more information and to download the nomination forms click here.