 | |  The Australian Government has now released guidelines for its much vaunted Regional Infrastructure Fund that was created in June 2010 to invest the proceeds of the resources boom. The Regional Infrastructure Fund is worth $6 billion over 2010-11 to 2020-21 with $5.6 billion of the fund drawing on the proceeds of the Minerals Resource Rent Tax (MRRT). The broad objectives of the Regional Infrastructure Fund are to: - Promote development and job creation in mining communities, and in communities which support the mining sector;
- Provide a clear benefit to Australia's economic development, and to investment in Australia's resource or export capacity; and
- Address potential capacity constraints arising from export production and resource projects.
There are three program streams under the Regional Infrastructure Fund: - Stream 1-Implementation of commitments made in 2010 for funding from the Regional Infrastructure Fund-worth $916 million
- Stream 2-Comprising two elements: Economic Infrastructure projects and Regional Infrastructure Planning projects-worth approximately $4.5 billion
- Stream 3-Part of the Regional Development Australia Fund-worth approximately $1 billion, with $573 million to be funded from the RIF.
Projects that are eligible for consideration for funding under stream 2 are major, large-scale economic infrastructure projects including rail, road, ports, airports, energy, communications, water and other critical economic infrastructure, as well as planning, feasibility studies and development work. The Australian Government’s preference is for projects involving infrastructure that will be common-use infrastructure or infrastructure that has open access arrangements proposed or in place. There will be no public call for submissions or application rounds for funding from stream 2. Infrastructure Australia may accept and consider proposals, but is not obligated to make recommendations in respect of unsolicited submissions. Proposals must be assessed by Infrastructure Australia in order to be eligible for funding. Infrastructure Australia will work with state, territory and local governments, Regional Development Australia (RDA) committees and the resources sector, in consultation with the Department, the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism and other relevant Departments, and the Minister to identify long term economic infrastructure priorities in regions that are likely to meet the objectives and criteria of the Regional Infrastructure Fund. This work will build on the current analysis of Infrastructure Australia to identify infrastructure needs and capacity constraints. | | | | |  The Heavy Vehicle National Law Bill 2012 has been introduced into the Queensland Parliament this week. In July 2009, as part of the national reforms to deliver a seamless national economy, COAG agreed to establish a National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) to administer a national body of law to govern the regulation of all heavy vehicles. This recognises the importance of national consistency in heavy vehicle law and regulations and the huge contribution made by the transport industry to the national economy. The national law includes provisions to create a single national regulator with regulations applying to heavy vehicles over 4.5 tonnes. It will not cover the transportation of dangerous goods, heavy vehicle driver licensing and bus industry accreditation which are covered under separate legislation. Queensland will be the first state to pass legislation to implement the new independent regulator responsible for regulating all vehicles in Australia over 4.5 tonnes. Other states and territories are expected to deliver the legislation through their own Parliaments over the coming months, so that the NHVR will be operational from January 2013. This piece of legislation is just the first step in transforming the governance of heavy vehicles in Australia, containing the vast majority of the legislation the regulator will administer and establishes the regulator itself. A second bill is to be introduced in the House later this year and will contain a number of policy refinements and technical amendments. Under the legislation that is currently before the Queensland Parliament, the NHVR has the power to authorise access for all categories of Class 2 Heavy Vehicles in stated areas or on stated routes and during stated hours of stated days. Alternatively, the Regulator may give an individual a permit that authorises access, for a period of not more than 3 years, the use of a class 2 heavy vehicle (a) in stated areas or on stated routes; and (b) during stated hours of stated days. The Regulator may only authorise access once the relevant road manager gives their consent to the grant of a mass or dimension authority. For the purposes of the draft Bill, local government authorities will be the relevant road manager for those roads for which they are responsible. Once asked by the Regulator, the relevant road manager must decide to give or not to give the consent: - within 28 days after the request is made; or
- within a longer period, of not more than 6 months after the request is made, agreed to by the Regulator
The NHVR Project Office is currently developing a set of Ministerial guidelines that road managers must have regard to when making access decisions. There will also be national route assessment and bridge and pavement assessment guidelines that will be required to be used when determining access to the road network. One of the key objectives of the NHVR is to increase the consistency of access decision making throughout Australia. ALGA will continue to work with the state and territory associations and the NHVR Project Office to ensure these guidelines meet the needs to local government. This will involve further engagement on the part of the Project Office with local government over the coming months and we expect the Regulator will participate in the 2012 National Local Roads and Transport Congress in Hobart in November. | | | | |  The University of Canberra’s Australia and New Zealand School of Governance (ANZSOG) hosted a seminar this week to discuss the issue of localism and what it means for regional Australia. Speakers suggested that localism had become a fashionable term in federal politics, often presented as a solution to problems related to Government decisions imposed on rural and regional Australia. Megan Lancaster, Director of Stakeholder Engagement at the Murray Darling Basin Authority joined a panel of academics with extensive international experience, including Professor Gerry Stoker from the University of Southampton, UK; Dr Deirdre Wilcock from Victoria University; and Professor Lawrence Pratchett from the University of Canberra to shine light on a range of interrelated questions about what localism meant in practice and how it could help to generate solutions to problems being confronted in rural and regional Australia. Subsequent debate around the issue of localism reinforced the critical role played by local governments in Australia, with discussion raising the need for all governments to find legitimate roles to engage the citizens in managing a range of issues that are locally significant. Professor Stoker argued that it was possible to characterise localism as a strategy aimed at devolving power and resources away from central control and towards front line officers, local democratic structures and local consumers and community groups. As such, localism can be seen when higher levels of government devolve certain powers of decision-making to support and encourage local governments to act as they see appropriate. For further details on the panel members and the ANZSOG governance research program, click here. | | |
| |  In Perth this week I addressed the Western Australian Local Government Association’s (WALGA) Annual General Meeting, where I outlined what ALGA had achieved at the national level during the past 12 months and flagged the challenges that lay ahead for local government. Given we are now two years into the Government’s three year term, this is a useful time to reflect on our major election requests and to assess progress. As a priority, ALGA has consistently called for Financial Assistance Grants (FAGs) to be increased. The Grants provide the majority of general funding for local government, amounting to more than $2 billion to councils in all states and territories. While this sounds like a lot of money, the fact is that the relative significance of those Grants has been declining since 1996. At that time, FAGs amounted to 1.1 per cent of federal government taxation revenue excluding the GST - they are now less than 0.7 per cent. The Grants also represented 10 per cent of local government revenue across the country. Now, they make up less than seven per cent. ALGA’s requests to have the Grants increased have been met with limited success. At the time of the 2010 election, we sought a parliamentary inquiry into the adequacy of local government revenue. While we didn’t secure an inquiry, a review of FAGs was announced during the 2011 Budget. The review is due to be completed by the end of June next year. But the Government is yet to announce a detailed timeframe, the terms of reference and scope of the review, the identity of the agency that will undertake it or the mechanisms for consultation with local government. We have also called for support for a referendum to recognise local government in the Constitution. While the Government has committed to holding a referendum and has established an expert panel and received its final report, which favours ALGA’s preferred option of financial recognition, we have yet to hear the Government’s formal response to that report. Without the Government’s strong commitment, there is only so far that ALGA can go on its own. That is why the response to the Expert Panel report is so important - we need the Government to commit to the form of recognition that it will take, so that we can begin the national conversation that needs to take place with the Australian community. Other ALGA priorities for Government include support for communities to deal with climate change adaptation, the need to work with councils on waste management, the need to acknowledge local government’s role in planning, support for indigenous services and working with councils on the broadband rollout. I am pleased to report that there has been some progress on each of these, although there is still more work to be done. WALGA has done a great job over the past couple of years in promoting the role of councils within the community. ALGA’s success depends on the engagement of state associations and I thank WALGA for its ongoing contribution to driving local government’s agenda at the national level and the opportunity to present at its conference. Mayor Genia McCaffery
ALGA President | | |
| | The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy recently announced funding under the Digital Local Government Program to assist a further 14 Australian local governments to deliver enhanced council services using the National Broadband Network (NBN). Funding will be used to deliver a range of NBN-enabled services to communities, including high-definition videoconferencing to enable greater access to council staff and improved efficiencies in council operations. Further information on the Digital Local Government Program can be obtained from the Department of Broadband, Communication and the Digital Economy’s website. An interactive map is available on the website which shows a range of digital economy initiatives occurring across the country, including the Digital Local Government projects announced recently. | | | | | | | | | | Local councils looking to reduce their energy and operating costs are able to finance energy efficiency upgrades through Low Carbon Australia. CEO, Meg McDonald said Low Carbon Australia was offering up-front finance for a range of energy saving equipment to help councils reduce their operating costs in the face of rising energy costs. “We’ve funded heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) upgrades as well as lighting upgrades for public buildings including administration centres, civic centres and an airport.” Ms McDonald said Kingborough Council in Tasmania was reaping the benefits of an energy efficient lighting upgrade that used Low Carbon Australia’s finance to cover the $45,000 upfront cost. “Using more energy efficient LED tube lighting is now saving the council around $11,000 annually on its energy costs and has cut these lighting operating costs by 75 per cent,” she said. Great Lakes Council on the New South Wales mid-north coast has 20 energy efficiency upgrade projects in progress using Low Carbon Australia finance. “Upgrades focusing on lighting, water heating and insulation are planned for both Great Lakes Aquatic and Leisure Centre and the Great Lakes Council Administration building, at Forster. This should reduce electricity costs for the two buildings by 12 per cent or $30,000 per year on current prices.” Ms McDonald said Low Carbon Australia was also working with councils seeking the Australian Government’s Community Energy Efficiency Program (CEEP) funding. “We’ve helped Cardinia Shire Council in Victoria and Wagga Wagga City Council which both were successful in gaining first round CEEP grants earlier this year,” she said. To learn about Low Carbon Australia, visit their website. | | | | | The Regional Australia Institute (RAI) is undertaking a stocktake of Regional Research to catalogue existing research on regional issues. The Stocktake will help make the knowledge from existing research more readily available to users of research in the community, government and industry. Products from the Stocktake will include: - An online searchable database of research undertaken since 2000 that anyone can search to identify existing knowledge on regional issues of interest
- A series of literature reviews summarising the state of knowledge for each RAI research theme
- A list of the datasets available for analysing regional issues; and
- A gap analysis to identify areas of knowledge where further effort is needed
The aim of the stocktake is to make it much easier to identify and use relevant research when working on regional issues. RAI needs is seeking assistance in completing the stocktake process, requesting help in identifying relevant research and in designing the on-line database so that it will be useful for you when it is finished. As a first step, an online survey will be sent to all subscribers to www.regionalaustralia.org.au. Please forward this information to colleagues who may be able to contribute to the project and recommend they subscribe at www.regionalaustralia.org.au/subscribe to participate in the survey. | | | | | The $45 million Suburban Jobs Program was announced as a measure under the Sustainable Australia - Sustainable Communities Strategy in 2011. Grants under the program will support the implementation of projects from 2012-13 to 2014-15. The objective of the Suburban Jobs Program is to support state and local governments to plan and provide for increased local employment opportunities in the suburbs of Australia’s major capital cities that are subject to growth pressures. The strain of traffic congestion and long distances to work can take a toll on people’s financial situations, personal health, family relations and workplace productivity. In many cases, residents of outer suburbs spend several hours each week commuting for work. This time spent commuting means there is less time for social, learning or family activities. The Australian Government recognises that well planned and delivered local employment precincts will assist communities to be more sustainable in the long term by providing local employment opportunities for the diverse skills and aspirations of residents, improving the quality of public spaces, increasing the outputs of the local economy, and fostering a vibrant sense of place for residents. Attracting and retaining jobs closer to where people live will also help to reduce the environmental impacts of our suburbs - by encouraging people to walk or ride to work, reducing traffic congestion on the road, and taking advantage of new technologies to design healthy, productive workspaces. Congratulations to the University of Western Sydney, which will receive $13.5 million in funding to support the $29.5 million Werrington Park Corporate Centre in Penrith, New South Wales. Further announcements of successful projects under the Program are expected to occur in the near future. | | | | | For the first time, India is Australia's largest source of permanent migrants, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Chris Bowen, announced this week. Indian migrants comprised a total of 29,018 places or 15.7 per cent of the total migration program of 185 000 places under the 2011-12 permanent migration program. “For some time, India has been a source of increasing numbers of new migrants to our country and it is now our largest source of permanent migrants,” Mr Bowen said. “The Indian community has made a valuable contribution to economic, social and cultural life in Australia, and I know this will continue with more Indians choosing to make their home here.” China and the United Kingdom were Australia's second and third largest sources of permanent migrants, with 25,509 and 25,274 places respectively. Seven of the top 10 source countries in Australia's 2011-12 migration program are from Asia: India, China, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea and Vietnam. Skilled migration accounted for over two-thirds of Australia's total migration program, with a 2011-12 skill stream outcome of 125 755 places. The 2011-12 migration program report is available. For migration program statistics, click here. | | | | | Eric Martin and Associates, a Canberra-based architectural consultancy firm, has been commissioned by Roads ACT to: - ascertain as far as possible which councils around Australia are implementing the new parking standard AS2890.6 with existing parking;
- for councils who have implemented the new standard, ascertain how it is being received by the community particularly in respect to the imposition of bollards in the shared zone; and
- investigate and advise on the use of and best design of bollards (frangible, non-frangible).
If your council is interested in participating in this work, please contact Francis Lenny at Eric Martin and Associates on 0410 183 283 or via email at francis@emaa.com.au. Unfortunately, timing for responses is understood to be quite tight, with Roads ACT expecting a report by mid to late August, 2012. | | | | | Keep Australia Beautiful Week kicks off on Monday, 20 August with Keep Australia Beautiful (KAB) targeting motorists in this year’s campaign, calling on them to stop rubbishing our highways and roads with litter. Councils are being urged to get involved by assessing and addressing local litter issues and infrastructure, as well as targeting residents with the anti-litter message through local media. According to the annual National Litter Index, highways and roads are the highest littered areas in Australia in terms of volume of litter, indicating that Australian motorists are not doing the right thing with their waste. A template media release will be available for councils to adapt with local clean-up costs and messages, whilst councils may also like to arrange litter clean-up activities with local community groups or schools during the Week. The latest figures for 2011-2012 in the National Litter Index will also be launched during Keep Australia Beautiful Week. The Hungry Jack’s ‘Bag it and Bin it’ program is Principal Sponsor of Keep Australia Beautiful Week, and will be targeting customers with the anti-litter message to remind them of the need to dispose of their packaging waste responsibly when on the road. To get involved visit www.kab.org.au or contact Lara Shannon at laras@kab.org.au | | | | | Improved seasonal conditions across most agricultural areas saw Australian farmers recycling a record tonnage of chemical containers last year as part of an industry-led stewardship program. Some 2,200 tonnes of rubbish were taken out of the waste stream by farmers taking part in the well known national drumMUSTER program, according to survey results released this week. This represents a 10 per cent increase in the total weight of rubbish removed compared with 2009, when the last survey was carried out. The independent survey is conducted every two years on behalf of AgStewardship Australia Limited, the body responsible for overseeing drumMUSTER, and another environmental stewardship program, ChemClear. ALGA sits on the Board of AgStewardship, representing local government. The study found that farmers returned more than two million farm chemical containers in 2011 through drumMUSTER, one of the most successful programs of its type in agriculture anywhere in the world. “Compared with two years before, when drought conditions were affecting many major cropping and grazing areas, last year saw sales of farm chemical rise sharply,” AgStewardship Australia’s Chief Executive Officer Karen Gomez, said. “This led to a significant increase in containers entering the system, but farmers responded by returning more through our collecting systems and depots. “And while the overall percentage of drums recycled compared with those sold was lower than the 2009 survey, the percentage was comparable with previous surveys which means the program is still being strongly supported by farmers and coping with increased volumes,” Ms Gomez says. “With the large number of containers still entering the system, we expect this year to collect our 20 millionth drum, a major milestone for stewardship in Australian agriculture.” | | | | | Hearing Awareness Week is Australia’s annual event to raise community awareness of hearing impairment and ways to protect your hearing. Have you heard? Hearing loss affects everyone. One in six Australians is deaf, deaf/blind, hearing impaired or has a chronic ear disorder. Hearing Awareness Week is being held from 19-25 August. It provides an opportunity for the 22 per cent of Australians aged 15 and over who are deaf, or have a hearing impairment, to share their experiences and knowledge and help to create a greater understanding of their needs, aspirations and the contributions they can make to the nation. Hearing Awareness Week is hosted by the members of the Deafness Forum of Australia Councils wanting free posters or balloons to promote the week are invited to contact info@deafnessforum.org.au | | |
| | |  Given the introduction of the Carbon pricing mechanism on July 1 2012, it is imperative for local government to develop business processes to manage their new obligation Operating a landfill site is one of the greatest carbon challenges for local government. Landfills currently account for approximately 60% of local governments’ total GHG emissions. This conference will cover strategies for effective measurement and modelling of landfill carbon emissions. It will provide case studies on mitigation measures to manage carbon emissions and corresponding liabilities. Criterion Conferences are pleased to offer ALGA members a $100 discount off today’s price when you quote the code CC*ALGA. |
| | | | | |  “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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