 | |  Ministers responsible for regional development met in Alice Springs this week for the inaugural COAG Regional Australia Standing Council meeting, where they discussed matters such as regional economies, opportunities for regional Australia in the Asian Century and infrastructure investment. Infrastructure Australia’s Michael Deegan addressed the Council about Infrastructure Australia’s regional infrastructure development strategy, identifying areas for potential collaboration, including possible trial projects. Ernst and Young Partner, Darrin Grimsey presented on the findings of a recent report commissioned by the Australian Government and prepared by Ernst and Young, which makes 13 recommendations for improving investment in regional development. Among the recommendations is the suggestion that the Australian Government investigates establishing a national financing authority for local government which would have a mandate to invest directly in local government programs. The authority would have the ability to bundle approved council borrowings into a limited number of bond issues, which could be underwritten by the Australian Government. ALGA President Genia McCaffery attended the meeting and acknowledged the need for integrated approaches between the three spheres of government and the importance of place-based approaches to take account of individual regional differences. | | | | |  Communities from Maitland to Mandurah will receive grants of up to $15 million over three years for local infrastructure projects which support new housing developments under the Australian Government’s Building Better Regional Cities program, Minister for Housing and Minister for Homelessness Brendan O’Connor said. Minister for Housing and Minister for Homelessness Brendan O’Connor said: “We know that housing shortages are creating challenges in growing regional communities, now and into the future.” “Through Building Better Regional Cities, communities will receive funding to help reduce the cost of local infrastructure needed for new housing developments, such as roads, bridges, and water and sewerage works, so that those savings are passed on to home buyers. “The funding will also help councils and developers to invest in community infrastructure, such as parks and open spaces, pedestrian and cycle paths, community centres, and recreation facilities.” ALGA President, Genia McCaffery has welcomed the announcement: “Local government is pleased that the Government has announced the allocation of this much needed funding.” “This initiative is essential given the housing pressures experienced by many of Australia’s regional cities,” Mayor McCaffery said. The President indicated that the funding would be welcomed by many regional local governments, acknowledging that there has been a perception that most of the strategic emphasis on planning and housing has been largely on capital cities. ALGA has consistently argued that more needs to be done for Australia’s diverse regional cities, maintaining that they are equally deserving of new funding to invest in local infrastructure projects that support new housing developments, such as connecting roads, extensions to drains and sewer pipes, and community infrastructure such as parks and community centres. Regional cities and projects receiving funding under the program are listed below: | Regional City | Description of Project | Australian Government investment | | New South Wales | | | | Ballina | Wollongbar – development of Sports Fields | $4.5 million | | Lake Macquarie | Wyee - sewer infrastructure | $6.3million | | Lismore | Lismore - Invercauld/Ballina Road intersection and the Oliver Avenue bridge | $5 million | | Maitland | Central Maitland - realignment and upgrade of Athel D’Ombrain Drive | $11.3 million | | Port Macquarie | Thrumster –Sancrox water reservoir at Cowarra State Forest. | $3 million | | Tamworth | Coledale - redevelopment project including road works, lighting and youth facilities. | $10.7 million | | Tweed Heads | Tweed Heads South –intersection works, parks and trunk works for the Homestead at Fraser Drive | $8.4 million | | Wagga Wagga | Forest Hill - roads, recreational elements and sewer works for Brunslea Park | $6.3 million | | Wollongong | West Dapto – road works to open up Urban Release Area. | $13.9 million | | Wyong | Warnervale Town Centre - Water and sewer infrastructure. | $4.5 million | | Western Australia | | | | Geraldton | Karloo/Wandina – roads, bridges and underpasses in the City’s south eastern suburbs to enable the release of land | $9 million | | Mandurah | Mandurah (adjacent to the Train Station) - Pedestrian bridge to span Mandurah Road and Railway line | $5.4 million | | Victoria | | | | Bendigo | Huntly – road construction, park and sewer works for Viewpoint Huntly Development Area. | $3.9 million | | Shepparton | Mooroopna West – flood mitigation, drainage and sewer infrastructure. | $5.4 million | | Warrnambool | Dennington North – redevelopment of Coghlans Road. | $2.5 million | | Queensland | | | | Hervey Bay | Kawungan – construction of trunk road and intersections. | $12 million | | Total | | $112.1 million | For more information about the program, click here. | | | | |  ALGA was represented at the ACT’s official NAIDOC Week celebration, involving a flag raising ceremony and reception in Canberra on Monday, 2 July. The event was one of hundreds held across the country this week. However, flag raising ceremonies are just one of a few types of events that have taken place, with some communities marking NAIDOC Week with Dreamtime story-telling and cultural displays. The Canberra ceremony was attended by local Ngunnawal elders, students, political leaders and citizens. Local government, as always, is showing continued engagement in this and other celebrations of Australia’s Indigenous heritage. Many NAIDOC Week events were either organised by local government authorities or held at council chambers or council-owned community centres. There is a strong and committed relationship between local government and Indigenous Australians and that relationship continues to strengthen over time. The raising of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags alongside the Australian national flag represents the importance of Australia’s Indigenous cultures and communities within the broader national identity. This is carried out along with a “Welcome to Country”, during which an elder welcomes representatives to their native lands. This event retains strong links to the past, to remind people that in order to move forward, the past must be acknowledged. NAIDOC Week has a long history going back more 90 years in the Indigenous rights movement. NAIDOC’s predecessors emerged out of a protest movement about Aboriginal displacement by European settlement. However as time wore on and the relationship and understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians improved, the nature of NAIDOC commemorations became less about mourning the past and more about recognising and celebrating a united future. | | |
| |  ALGA’s annual National Local Roads and Transport Congress will return to Tasmania this year at an important time for the planning and delivery of land transport in Australia. ALGA has established a range of challenges and objectives in the National Local Roads and Transport Policy Agenda 2010-20 and the program for this year’s Congress will reflect that Agenda. In its build up to the next federal election in 2013, the Federal Government has announced the themes and objectives for the next phase of its Nation Building Program. Importantly, it has announced its intention to continue funding for the Roads to Recovery program for another five years to June, 2019. This was a first step in the Government’s move towards the next phase of the Nation Building Program. ALGA initiated a campaign for a permanent and expanded Roads to Recovery program at last year’s Congress in Mount Gambier and the Government’s announcement is a great result for local government but there is much more to be done. This year’s Congress provides councils with the opportunity to assist ALGA to deliver their agendas through influencing the next phase of the Government’s Nation Building Program and the policy agendas of each of the political parties in the lead up to the election. One of the highlights of this year’s Congress will be the release of the first edition of the State of the Local Road Assets Report. This Report has been commissioned by ALGA and builds on the critical work undertaken in 2010 that looked at the gap in funding for local roads and will provide the technical basis in our campaign for increased government funding for local roads into the future. The Report will give a detailed assessment of the condition of the local road network and will reinforce the urgent need for funding. It will show the extent to which councils have developed asset management policies consistent with the National Framework on Asset Planning and Management and how these policies are being used to underpin the management of their local road network. While ever the shortfall in funding continues, the efforts of councils to manage their assets will continue to be undermined. The Congress will include a range of sessions focused on connecting people, particularly in regional Australia, moving freight and road safety with speakers drawn from government and industry, including a key note speaker with international expertise in the area of asset management as it applies to local roads and bridges. The Congress is to be held at the Wrest Point Casino in Hobart from 14 to 16 November 2012. Registrations for the Congress will open shortly and the initial program will be available by the end of July. I urge all councils to attend this important event and help shape ALGA’s agenda for the next federal election. Mayor Genia McCaffery
ALGA President | | |
| | Seven South Australian projects will share in a $27.8 million regional development boost through the $200 million second round of the Regional Development Australia Fund (RDAF). Five of the projects, totalling $22.86 million, will go to South Australian councils. Regional Australia Minister Simon Crean announced the following successful projects this week: - $10.03 million to Wakefield Regional Council towards the $30.11 million Wakefield Region Water Supply Upgrade;
- $5 million to the City of Port Augusta towards the $12.27 million Far North Regional Community Sports Hub;
- $5 million to the Unity Housing Company towards the $26.88 million Northern Region Affordable Housing Initiative;
- $3.91 million to the Leukaemia Foundation of Australia Ltd towards the $9.57 million Leukaemia Foundation Patient Village;
- $2.21 million to the District Council of Franklin Harbour towards the $12.16 million Lucky Bay Harbour Extension;
- $910,000 to the District Council of Coober Pedy towards the $1.84 million “Water For Growth” project; and
- $800,000 to the District Council of Tatiara towards the $1.71 million Keith and District Sport and Recreation Centre Upgrade.
“The $27.8 million of RDAF funds leverage a total of $94.5 million in partnership investment between the Federal Government, state and local governments and the private sector,” Minister Crean said. “RDAF is more than a regional investment program, it is driving cultural change - demonstrating what is possible when you prioritise, build partnerships and leverage funding from a range of sources.” Mr Crean said two of the seven projects successful in the second round of the $1 billion RDAF had been knocked back in round one. “For two projects, in Coober Pedy and Keith, it’s been a case of persistence pays. After being unsuccessful last time, both projects learnt from the feedback and strengthened their projects. Today, they’re reaping the dividends,” Mr Crean said. The second round of RDAF is being announced state-by-state. The two remaining states, Northern Territory and Western Australia, will be announced in coming weeks. | | | | | The Australian Government has recently announced that a further $4.9 million will be provided to regional airports to assist them to upgrade their security screening arrangements ahead of the new requirements that come into effect from 1 July 2012. While this funding is a welcome fillip for 18 regional airports, there will continue to be significant recurrent costs associated with these new arrangements. In most instances, regional airports will be able to negotiate for these costs to be met by the airline with these increased costs being passed through to passengers via increased ticket prices. The costs of operating a regional airport were a major focus of the recent Australian Airports Association (AAA) 2012 Regional Airport Forum, held in Canberra at the conclusion of the National General Assembly. The Forum coincided with the release of a study undertaken on behalf of the AAA by Deloitte Access Economics that examines the economic contribution of Australia’s airports and their pivotal role in linking regions and promoting social inclusion. The study concludes that there are significant differences in the business orientation of regional and remote airports and that of much larger airport operations. In many isolated parts of Australia, airports remain the only practical means of access to emergency and essential services and therefore they tend to focus on principal transport infrastructure performance. Of considerable concern though is the finding that regional and remote airports generally have low profitability, with around half of survey respondents reporting an operating loss in 2011. The increasing level of unprofitability of regional airports is a major concern for ALGA. Over the coming months, ALGA, with the assistance of the State and Territory associations, will be developing a comprehensive position paper for the ALGA Board’s consideration in September 2012. In this context, we would welcome your views on amongst other things, regulatory and other barriers that may have an adverse impact on the long term sustainability of regional airports. For more information, please contact ALGA’s Director of Transport Policy, Geoff Thompson, on 02 61229432 or by emailing geoff.thompson@alga.asn.au | | | | | Minister for the Arts, Simon Crean has announced funding of $910,633 under the May 2012 round of the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund will be distributed to 86 projects across regional and remote communities of Queensland, South Australia, Northern Territory, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. Projects supported in the current round include: QUEENSLAND - Torres Strait Islander Regional Council’s Torres Strait Choral Project, where community choir members from several islands will work together and perform as part of the Zenadth Cultural Festival.
- Crush Festival 2012 is a Bundaberg Regional Council event that will engage youth in a variety of street arts projects including zines, interactive games, pop-up acts and busking.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA - Stories from Finniss Springs - Arabunna man, Reg Dodd and writer Malcolm McKinnon will collaborate to share stories of those who spent time at Finniss Springs Aboriginal Mission. They will explore the continuing legacies of this experience relevant to many Aboriginal people today along with the broader community. This project comes out of the Marree region.
- Feast of Ephemera - Kangaroo Island Art Feast Inc. - to be held during the 10th Kangaroo Island Art Feast the Feast of Ephemera project will feature environmental sculptor Evette Sunset working with community participants to create ephemeral sculptures and installations at various locations on the island.
VICTORIA - Mother Tongue – a multimedia sound, film and drawing installation exploring the evolving Italian dialects from the first generation Italian immigrants to move to Mildura, and their subsequent second and third generations’ use of the language. This project will provide a dynamic connection between the voices and faces of immigration to this region. Project by Filomena Coppola.
- Bag Snatcher - A collaborative sculpture/traditional aboriginal painted series of moulded leather bags illustrating the stories of the stolen generation. These works will be exhibited across venues in the Wimmera and Grampians and will offer an educative, enduring and unique artistic perspective of the stories and ongoing impact of the stolen generation. Project by Catherine Johnston.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA - Staircase to the Moon - Theatre Kimberley will develop the delightful story Staircase to the Moon (published by Magabala Books and written by Indigenous author Bronwyn Houston) into a musical play for children by running puppetry, dance and voice workshops. The final production will be performed as part of the opening season of the newly refurbished Civic Centre Broome.
- Inspirational Community Arts Network (Auspiced by Jurien Bay Community Resource Centre) - Inspirational Community Arts Network will utilise the skills of old, local fishermen to demonstrate, record and document the techniques of making stickies (beehive craypots). This knowledge will be the catalyst for a series of weaving/sculptural workshops, using a variety of materials that explore and represent a contemporary artistic interpretation of our crayfishing heritage.
TASMANIA - Junction Arts Festival Inc. have been funded to develop two artist in residencies in Launceston, working with several local brass bands and students of brass instruments in order to create two new large brass bands. These two bands Red Brigade vs Blue Brigade will stage a ten part brass band battle throughout the city during the festival.
- Nadia Murphy from Queenstown has been funded to be mentored by experienced printmaker and mentor Raymond Arnold. This will benefit her work by increasing her technical skills as a printmaker and expanding her professional network, gaining greater knowledge of the profession and raising her profile. The fund will be used to pay the mentor for his time and expertise and for the opportunity to travel to Melbourne to showcase the work produced.
NORTHERN TERRITORY - Little Big Shots Workshops and Screening - Artback NT will partner with local arts organisations, schools and communities to engage young people across the Northern Territory from Darwin, Katherine, and Tennant Creek to Ali Curung, Alice Springs, Nhulunbuy, Garthalala and Yirrkala (East Arnhem) in stop motion animation workshops with nationally acclaimed animator Al Oldfield.
- Workshops at the new Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts and Cultural Centre which will provide opportunities and skills development for Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists in the Katherine region.
The Regional Arts Fund is an Australian Government initiative supporting the arts in regional and remote Australia. For the full list of projects supported in the current round, click here. | | | | | Constitutional law expert Nicola McGarrity will speak on the importance of recognising local government in the Constitution at a U3A Life in Australia lecture on Monday, 9 July, at 9.30am in Cleveland, Brisbane. Ms McGarrity, a lecturer with the Australian Research Council Faculty of Law, was invited to speak by the U3A Life in Australia program and Redland City Council. Ms McGarrity’s address will be the final in a series of lectures organised by the U3A’s Life in Australia program. Program organiser John Butters said Ms McGarrity was invited after discussions between U3A and Redland Council last year. Mr Butters said her lecture was timely due to the possibility a referendum may be held next year on including local government in the Constitution. Mr Butters also said the lecture would be pertinent following last week’s High Court decision blocking federal funding to chaplaincy programs and the question mark over whether it would set a precedent for funding from Canberra. The Life in Australia program is held every Monday at 9.30am in the Donald Simpson Centre, Cleveland. | | | | | On 28 June 2012, new regulations were made under of Division 81 of the A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999 (GST Act). These new regulations will affect councils in the determinations made under Division 81 as to whether or not the service should have the GST applied. While it is expected that very few practical changes will occur under these new regulations, it is important to ensure councils remain compliant under Division 81 of the Act. Each council will need to assess their own situation as each will have their own unique arrangement of services and therefore exposure to GST liability. In order to determine what changes may need to be made, please refer to this website www.ato.gov.au/division81. | | | | | NBN is scheduled to pass a total of 12,800 Tasmanian premises in coming weeks as more communities, including Triabunna, Sorell, Deloraine and Kingston Beach come online. The four new sites will connect another 3,900 families and businesses in Tasmania. The activation of the network in George Atown and St helens scheduled shortly, will add a further 4,900 premises to the NBN footprint in the state. Tasmania is scheduled to become the first state in Australia where the NBN rollout will be complete. | | | | | NBN Co has awarded contracts with a total value of approximately $183M over 19 months to Visionstream Pty Ltd and Service Stream Ltd to provide additional rollout capacity and support a new approach to the management of fibre deployment in new estates. Vision stream has been awarded a contract with an estimated value of $102M for the design and construction of fibre in new developments in Victoria and Queensland. Service Stream has been awarded a contract with an estimated value of $81M for contracted works in New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. NBN Co has structured these contracts to help accelerate construction across the different rollout segments - based on market and industry feedback – including construction of the local network through streets in new estates, development of local fibre nodes o which services will be connected, and construction of the major links between new developments and the rest of the network (transit links). NBN CEO Mike Quigley said the changes were designed to leverage and more closely align the greenfields rollout with construction processes in the remainder of the rollout to existing premises. “Up until now we have contracted out the management of the end-to-end processes f the rollout of fibre to new estates. This made sense at the time as we had no existing network to connect new customers to . Each application had to be designed and built individually”. Now we have brownfields rollout in every state and territory and are working to complete the national transit network over the next three years, he said. “The timing is now right to move to a different structure that gives us greater flexibility, control and potential synergies with the wider brownfields rollout.” For more information visit www.nbnco.com.au/newdevelopments | | | | | The number of homes fully owned by occupants has declined over the past five years, according to RP Data’s analysis of the 2011 Census results. The latest Census data shows 32.1 percent of households were fully owned by occupants in 2011, down from 34.0 per cent recorded in the 2006 Census. The number of mortgaged households increased from 34.1 percent in the 2006 Census, to 34.9 per cent in 2011. The number of households rented also increased over the past five years, from 28.1 per cent to 29.6 per cent. A comparison of current median house price to the median family income shows the typical home is 5.2 times more expensive – this is down from 5.3 times at the 2006 Census. A comparison of median house price to household income shows the typical home is 6.3 times more expensive, an increase from the 6.1 times recorded in 2006. Noteworthy housing Census results, according to RP Data: - While the number of occupied dwellings has grown by 7.7 percent over the past five years it has not matched the 8.3 percent increase in population
- 10.7 percent of Australia’s houses are unoccupied compared to 10.4 percent at the time of the 2006 Census
- Growth in housing loan repayments over the past five years has outpaced the growth in individual, family and household incomes
- Growth in weekly rents over the past five years has outpaced growth in housing loan repayments
| | | | | Fifty-seven people have become Australian citizens at a ceremony in Alice Springs this week. The new citizens come from countries including Colombia, Sudan and India. Mayor Damien Ryan says it is the biggest citizenship ceremony the town has ever held. "Citizenship ceremonies are always special, it doesn't matter whether it's for a single family or for a while group," he said. "But today, I mean 57 people, conferees have decided to become citizens on what is our Territory Day citizenship ceremony, so it's just a great community feel." | | | | | Nominate an outstanding early childhood education professional today in the 2012 HESTA Early Childhood Education & Care Awards. The search is on for Australia’s best early childhood educators - professionals who provide outstanding levels of education and care to children, from birth to eight years of age. HESTA CEO Anne-Marie Corboy said the awards, run in conjunction with peak not-for-profit group Early Childhood Australia, were an opportunity to highlight professional excellence in a wide range of early childhood roles. “These awards are open to everyone working in early childhood education and any member of the public can make a nomination,” Ms Corboy said. “The types of professionals we would like to hear about include outstanding childcare educators, kindergarten teachers, innovative service managers and people working in intervention programs.” There are two award categories - Advancing Practice and Outstanding Educator - and the winners will share a $20,000 prize pool provided by ME Bank. In the Advancing Practice category, judges will be looking for early childhood education professionals who have initiated practice improvements that benefit children or the community. The winner will receive a $10,000 development grant. The Outstanding Educator award will recognise the achievements of an individual in the provision of outstanding early childhood education and care. The winner will receive a $5,000 online EveryDay Transaction Account from ME Bank and a $5,000 education grant. To make a nomination, visit hestaawards.com. Nominations will be accepted until 17 August 2012. | | |
| | |  $100 discount off today’s rate for ALGA News subscribers! 2012 is a big year of procurement reform. The Federal Government procurement rules are changing and state departments are restructuring and developing new models. In order to meet the government’s increase in the efficiency dividend of 2.5% in 2012-2013, category management, risk management and e-procurement are now essential to achieving a streamlined and efficient procurement process. The 2nd Public Sector Procurement Innovation Conference will feature leading presentations and case studies by some of Australia's biggest names in public sector procurement. You will take away strategies to give your department the edge in a highly competitive and volatile environment. Learn how to: - Apply category management in your department
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Featuring expert analysis from: - Ian Laverock, National Manager Marine Acquisitions, Australian Customs & Border Protection Security
- Peter Morichovitis, Chief Procurement Officer, Gold Coast City Council
- Ian Rudgley, Procurement Manager, City of Sydney
- Sharon Jones Baldwin, Commercial Director, eSolutions, Department of Education & Communities, NSW + many more!
For the full speaker line-up and conference agenda visit: http://publicsectorprocure.com/agenda/ Criterion Conferences are pleased to offer ALGA News subscribers an exclusive $100 discount off today’s conference rate. For more information or to register contact Criterion Conferences on 1300 316 882, email registration@criterionconferences.com or visit http://publicsectorprocure.com/. Don’t forget to quote CC*ALGA when registering to receive your $100 discount. |
| | | | | |  “I am thrilled to have brokered this deal - at no cost to the taxpayer,” the Mayor of London Boris Johnson said. The same contract that Lord Mayor Boris Johnson negotiated for the Tower Bridge can be used to upgrade to energy efficient streetlighting in Australia. The contract is called an Energy Performance Contract and its an excellent vehicle to use for cities to upgrade their public lighting, reducing energy costs, and beautifying the city using the energy savings to pay for the project. The Citelum Group, international public lighting operator is in Australia to offer public lighting customers a choice in their public lighting operation. Citelum is here to compete with the traditional monopoly providers of public lighting the Electrical Distribution companies. “We are based in Victoria as its the only State in Australia with a specific contestability policy on Design, Installation and Maintenance of Public Lighting and we are working through, educating customers, liaising with the MAV on how to bring the benefits of competition to their procurement activities,” said Adam Carey, Managing Director, “Every State is potentially contestable,” he added. Citelum have expanded the energy performance contract to construct large scale 800kW solar power stations, deploying city-wide municipal wi-fi including the ability to remotely switch and dim each streetlight and beautify city landmarks. In most contracts, these projects are cost neutral to councils. “Citelum wants customers to dream of the possibilities of what might be achieved when they are given the opportunity,” Adam said. Contact Citelum Australia on 1300 CITELUM or info@citelum.com.au |
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