ALGA's submission to the Productivity Commission's draft report on airports and related services focuses on three areas dealing with planning, rates and regional airports.

Planning

ALGA has welcomed the intent of the changes in airport master planning required by the Airports Amendment Act 2010 as a significant step forward in recognizing the role airports, both the aviation an non-aviation elements, play in local economies, communities and transport systems.

ALGA agrees with the Productivity Commission that it is too early to evaluate how these arrangements are working in practice and supports the Productivity Commission proposal that they be reviewed in five years.

Rates and developer contributions

ALGA asks in its submission that the Productivity Commission consider recommending that local government has the ability to directly charge rates to non aeronautical developments on airport land and have the ability to directly negotiate for "developer contributions" for upgrading infrastructure surrounding airports where the upgrade is directly the result of non-aviation developments on the airport.

Regional airports

ALGA agrees with the Productivity Commission that councils are likely to be at a relative disadvantage in negotiations with airlines as result of their limited experience and resources and supports the Productivity Commission proposal to develop Regional Aeronautical Pricing Principles that could be used a basis and guide for negotiations.

The full ALGA submission can be found the ALGA website.

The federal environment department is calling for public comment on potential cost recovery mechanisms under national environment law.

Federal environment minister Tony Burke recently announced major reforms of national environment law, and noted that cost recovery options would be further investigated.

The department has now released a consultation paper outlining options for recovering the costs of regulatory activities and reform under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

"All submissions received will be considered, to help the government make a fully informed choice on cost recovery options to resource the activities delivered by the legislation," federal environment spokeswoman Vicki Middleton said.

The cost recovery consultation paper will be open for public comment for six weeks until 31 October 2011.

The paper is available here, by emailing epbc.costrecovery@environment.gov.au or by calling 1800 423 135.

The Australian Government is asking for public input in developing a Cyber White Paper to outline how government, industry and the community can work together to address the challenges and risks that arise from greater digital engagement and consider the relationships in the cyber environment between Australia's social well-being, economic prosperity and broader national interests.

To inform the White Paper, the Government will be conducting an extensive consultation process. This commenced last week, with the release of the public discussion paper and will conclude after a two month period.

This discussion paper is a 'conversation starter', designed to allow all Australians to participate in an open discussion on how government, industry and the community can work together to address the challenges and risks arising from greater digital engagement and, in doing so, complement the government's vision for Australia to become a leading digital economy by 2020. The result of this conversation will be the release of Australia's first Cyber White Paper in the first half of 2012.

This discussion paper seeks views on a wide range of issues, including how the Government can assist to minimise cyber risks and maximise social and economic opportunities in the digital economy.

The Cyber White Paper website will enable electronic lodgement of submissions relating to questions in the discussion paper. Written submissions can be forwarded electronically to cyberwhitepaper@pmc.gov.au or via mail to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, One National Circuit, Barton, 2600, ACT.

The White Paper team will accept written submissions from 14 September to 14 November, after which formal submissions will close.

Should you have any questions regarding the White Paper, please direct them to cyberwhitepaper@pmc.gov.au.

Queensland's flood inquiry has heard that in times of disaster, insurers do not have to meet national standards.

Counsel assisting the Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry, Peter Callaghan told the session that in times of unprecedented disaster, insurers do not have to meet national standards.

He said they could instead meet their own internal guidelines on how best to deal with the volume of claims being made.

"In times of catastrophe or disaster, and when faced with an unusual number of claims, the code allows that insurers may not be able to meet the standards which would ordinarily apply," he said.

"It requires instead that insurers establish their own internal processes for responding to such situations."

The inquiry was also examining whether planning authorities were doing enough to alleviate the risk of flooding.

Mr Callaghan said development decisions currently require up-to-date flood mapping that is often based on a statistic described as the Q100 - a one-in-100-year flood event.

"These phrases, acronyms, statistics, while convenient, have the capacity to mislead," he told the inquiry.

"There is another way of interpreting such statistics. Namely, over the period of a lifetime, or at least, over a period of 70 years, there is a one-in-two chance that a so-called one-in-100 flood will be experienced."

In line with arguments made by ALGA, the Insurance Australia Group (IAG) wants a substantial increase in government budgets for disaster mitigation, which are miniscule compared to the $6 billion spent on recovery and rebuilding in recent years.

Addressing the trans-Tasman business circle lunch in Melbourne, IAG chief executive Mike Wilkins said mitigation expenditure had averaged just $27 million over the last four years.

"In other words, we've spent 220 times more on the cure than prevention," Mr Wilkins said.

"This is the equivalent of sitting by and doing nothing to educate smokers on the risk of smoking and then simply accepting the huge health bill down the track.

"Clearly, it's an unsustainable allocation of resources."

The good news, Mr Wilkins said, was the Federal Government agreed, and had shown a willingness to review the situation.

The IAG chief's comments come ahead of Natural Disaster Insurance Review chairman John Trowbridge's report to the government, due at the end of this month, on last January's severe floods in Queensland and Victoria.

A new resources package to help small businesses deal with emergencies was launched this week by the Minister for Small Business, Senator Nick Sherry.

The Emergency Management and Recovery Resources package was developed by the Australian Government's small business website, in response to natural disasters in Australia during the past year.

"Natural disasters like cyclones, floods and bushfires are part of the Australian landscape," Senator Sherry said.

"Many businesses are just too busy with the demanding day-to-day task of running a small business to think about planning for unpredictable events. This package helps small businesses prepare for the worst, rather than hope for the best."

"The key feature of the package is a template with an instruction guide that businesses can use to create their own emergency management plan."

"We're not far off our bushfire season and I encourage all small businesses to visit www.business.gov.au and start creating their emergency management plans," Senator Sherry said.

The Emergency management and recovery resources package can be found here.

It takes more than eight times the average annual income to buy an average Sydney home, according to a report by a housing action group.

Australians for Affordable Housing (AAH) - which is made up of 60 community and housing groups - launched the report this week as part of a push to make housing more affordable.

"Australian households are paying more than they can afford for housing, with over 740,000 renters and more than 380,000 mortgaged home owners reporting significant financial stress," spokeswoman Sarah Toohey said.

In Sydney, it takes 8.1 times the average annual income to afford the median house, up from 5.6 times in 2001, according to the report.

The group is concerned that increased prices cause first-time buyers to stay in the rental market for longer, competing for properties and pushing up rental prices.

Since 2005, rents in Australian cities have risen at twice the rate of inflation, according to the report.

The report also found that 50 per cent of low-income home owners are in mortgage stress.

"The NSW housing system is failing too many people. We need the NSW government to commit to working with federal and local governments to solve this crisis."

Garbage trucks could soon be replaced by a network of underground pipes transporting rubbish from inner-Sydney homes to a central collection point.

Sydney City Council is considering the automated system as part of the new draft waste strategy which aims to make Sydney more sustainable by 2030.

The council's sustainability manager, Chris Derksema, says it will make Sydney a more liveable city on top of reducing landfill and greenhouse gas emissions.

"It's a way of getting rid of those noisy, smelly garbage trucks on the streets," he said.

"And especially at those times - they're usually collecting at difficult times, early in the morning and so it reduces the amount of truck movement."

Some 320,000 veterans, partners and war widows and widowers will now receive increased pensions and income support payments.

Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Warren Snowdon said the increase was part of the bi-annual pension indexation process and will help to support veterans and provide extra assistance to those who need it most.

"The indexation reforms introduced by this Government have delivered a fairer pension system for our veteran community and will help them to meet the increasing costs of living," he said.

This increase will affect all DVA pensions, including the Service Pension, War Widow Pension and Disability Pension.

The first full payments under the new rates will take place on 6 October 2011.

A full list is available on the fact sheets section of the DVA website or by calling 133 254 (from metropolitan areas) and 1800 555 254 (from regional areas).

With just a few years to go before Australia commemorates the 100th Anniversary of Anzac Day on 25th April, 2015, a group of Australian ex-Servicemen have been busy planning a travelling exhibition which will feature a portrait of every Victoria Cross recipient from Australia and New Zealand.

The exhibition - "In the Company of Heroes" - is being organised by the Operation Pilgrimage Group and will travel to every Australian state and territory and both islands of New Zealand from 2012 to 2015.

Councils around Australia will be contacted during the next few months and invitations extended for their participation and inclusion on the itinerary.

Operation Pilgrimage's Allan Miles says there has never been a national event of this importance in Australia's short history.

"Councils who have a connection with a Victoria Cross recipient will find this as an excellent opportunity to pay tribute to the many thousands of men and women of our Defence forces who participated in conflicts, as we focus on the highest award for valour," Mr Miles said.

For more information and details for councils wanting to participate or be included in the planning of this major undertaking, please contact:

Allan Miles
Chief Planner
Operation Pilgrimage Group
email: operationpilgrim@hotmail.com

Students from inner regional areas will be able to access independent Youth Allowance under the same rules that apply to students from Outer Regional, Remote and Very Remote areas under legislative changes to be introduced to Parliament next week.

Recognising that students from regional areas also experience higher costs in relocating for the purposes of study, the Australian Government will also increase the value of the Relocation Scholarship for eligible students from regional areas.

A central Victorian green group says it is pleased the local council has decided to fight the State Government's strict new wind farm planning rules.

The Mount Alexander Council voted this week to write to the Victorian Premier to ask him to remove a recent ban placed on wind farms in the east of the shire.

It is hoped any change would allow plans for a small community-owned facility at Sutton Grange to go ahead.

Dean Bridgefoot of the Mount Alexander Sustainability Group says the project is well supported by the community and the government's rules do not acknowledge that.

"It seemed completely contrary to the whole idea or the rhetoric that was coming out from the Planning Minister that this was putting communities in control," Mr Bridgefoot said.

"It was taking control away."

We may live in the lucky country but Australians are in denial about their ever-expanding waistlines and claim to be the unhappiest in the world.

The findings come from an international health survey by health insurer BUPA, which also reveals that Australians are among the world's biggest drinkers, coming in just behind their British cousins.

While one-third of the 1200 Australians surveyed admitted to being too fat, BMI (body mass index) measurements suggest that 60 per cent are actually overweight.

The BMI results put Australia in equal third place with Britain, just behind the US and Saudi Arabia where nearly two-thirds of people are overweight.

While more than half of the Australians surveyed wanted to shift those extra kilograms, 44 per cent spent less than two hours a week working out.

Three-quarters said they drank alcohol - second only to Britain, where 84 per cent enjoyed a tipple - and just over a quarter eat the recommended five serves of fruit and vegetables a day.

As well as battling the bulge, Australians are also struggling with depression.

One-fifth of the Australians surveyed said they suffered from depression, the highest result for any country.

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