 | |  Long-serving Mayor of North Sydney and President of ALGA for the past two years, Genia McCaffery has marked her last day in local government, having decided not to run again for the Mayoral position in tomorrow's local government elections in New South Wales. "After 17 years in local government and having served four terms as North Sydney Mayor, I have decided that I will not be standing for re-election. While this has been a difficult decision to make, I’m happy to pass on the reins to a new generation," Mayor McCaffery said. In retiring from local government, Mayor McCaffery is also stepping down as ALGA President, a role in which she has made a major contribution since November 2010. Mayor McCaffery's strong advocacy for constitutional recognition of local government has ensured that the Government, the Opposition and all political parties at the federal level are well-informed of ALGA's commitment to a referendum on this issue at a time which maximises the chance for success. Local government has maintained that the only way to ensure that direct federal funding for community services and infrastructure is protected is to have local government recognised in the Australian Constitution. "The whole question of adequate and certain federal funding for local services is of great concern to councils and communities alike. It must be remembered that the key reason local government is working so hard to gain full recognition in the Australian Constitution is to ensure that federal funding is secure and effective," Mayor McCaffery said. The ALGA Board recently appointed the Mayor of Marion in South Australia, Felicity-ann Lewis to fill the role of ALGA President until the Board votes on the presidency at its Annual General Meeting in November. Retiring President, Genia McCaffery has warmly welcomed Mayor Lewis to the role, who will be focusing on progressing the issue of constitutional recognition of local government. "I am looking forward to working with all sides of politics to progress our proposal for constitutional recognition of local government," Mayor Lewis said. ALGA has presented the Government with a proposal to take forward the case for constitutional recognition of local government, which includes the establishment of a Parliamentary Committee; funding of a public education and awareness program; and suggestions for the specific wording of the amendment to the Constitution. President Felicity-ann Lewis will be instrumental in negotiating the case for constitutional change and ALGA congratulates her on her appointment. | | | | |  A national report which recommends ways to enhance housing supply and affordability has been released by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). The Federal Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Brendan O’Connor said COAG’s Housing Supply and Affordability Reform (HSAR) report recommended measures for all levels of government to adopt to ensure more efficient use of existing land and housing stock and to reduce unnecessary costs. Mr O’Connor said he understood that housing affordability was a significant issue for many Australians, especially those on low and moderate incomes and that housing affordability was not an issue that the Commonwealth could solve alone. “It requires the combined effort of governments at all levels as well as the wider private and community sector,” he said. Mr O’Connor said the HSAR report was developed in close cooperation with the states and territories and recommended working towards greater use of code-based frameworks for assessing residential development applications and considering the costs and benefits of local councils’ regulatory proposals before they were allowed to exceed state planning requirements. He said it further recommended that jurisdictions agree to principles for infrastructure charges and that they trial a new set of principles to identify government land that could be used for housing. “We are conducting a pilot of the principles for assessing under-utilised government land consistent with the report’s recommendations,” he said. “In addition, we will continue to work with State and Territory governments to ensure that the objectives, roles and responsibilities of each level of government are clearly defined and the results and effectiveness of the interventions made by each level of government are as transparent as possible. The report contributes little new information to the discussion about making Australia's housing markets more affordable but it does recognise that more national commitment needs to be given to expanding e-planning systems. ALGA has championed the need for more investment in this area to assist in creating more efficient jurisdictional planning systems and make planning, building and subdivision processes more transparent. COAG agreed to the recommendations of the Final Housing Supply and Affordability Reform report out-of-session in July 2012. The report was authored by the HSAR Working Party and presented by the Standing Council on Federal Financial Relations, with an aim to increase Australian housing supply and affordability. COAG’s HSAR report can be accessed here. | | | | |  The Austroads Traffic Management Review Panel, responsible for maintaining the currency of the Austroads Guide to Traffic Management, met at ALGA’s offices in Canberra for two days this week to progress a number of traffic management projects, including some specifically relating to traffic management in intersections and activity centres. Local government is represented on the Review Panel by Griff Davis from the City of Whittlesea. Mr Davis has been a member of the Panel for about 15 years and has participated in the review and updating of the 13-part Guide to Traffic Management, as well as a wide range of other traffic management projects, many of which have been of great value and interest to council engineering staff across the country. ALGA is a member of Austroads, along with the state and territory roads agencies, and councils are able to access Austroads Guides and other publications free of charge through the Austroads website (www.Austroads.com.au). Council staff also represent local government on a number of other Austroads Panels and project teams and ALGA is always keen to hear from qualified council staff who may be interested in playing a role in Austroads work, much of which is undertaken by correspondence with the cost of involvement usually met by Austroads. For further details on Austroads projects and opportunities to be involved contact Geoff Thomson via Geoff.Thompson@alga.asn.au. | | |
| |  As this will be the last column that I write as ALGA President prior to my retirement from local government, I thought I would take the opportunity to reflect on the work that I have been involved in with ALGA over the last two years. Advocating the need for constitutional recognition of local government has been a priority of mine since I was elected to the presidency in November 2010. For many years, local government has maintained that the only way to ensure that direct federal funding for community services and infrastructure is protected is to have local government recognised in the Australian Constitution. Through consistent engagement, ALGA has ensured that the Government, the Opposition and all political parties at the federal level are informed of ALGA’s position and our commitment to a referendum on this issue at a time which maximises the chance for success. The decision to hold a referendum by 2013 on the financial recognition of local government in the Constitution was made by Prime Minister Julia Gillard when forming Government in 2010. In June 2011, the Government established an Expert Panel on the Constitutional Recognition of Local Government, which was chaired by former New South Wales Chief Justice, James Spigelman. I was a member of the Expert Panel, as was ALGA Board member for Queensland, Councillor Paul Bell. The Expert Panel released a final report on 22 December last year supporting ALGA’s case for the financial recognition of local government in the Constitution through a simple change to section 96 to allow the continuation of direct funding. Local Government Minister Simon Crean indicated that the Government would need to make a decision about the referendum by October. The Government’s support and leadership for constitutional change is critical and ALGA will continue to advocate for a referendum. During my time as President, ALGA has managed a successful national campaign to extend the Federal Government’s Roads to Recovery (R2R) program. The campaign culminated in the Government’s announcement during the 2012-13 Budget to provide additional funding to assist councils to maintain local roads and extend the R2R program to 2019 at $350 million a year. The Government also announced that it would provide blackspot funding of $60 million a year for a further five years to 2019 and, in addition, provide $20 million a year over seven years from 2012-13 for heavy vehicle safety, including more rest stops for truck drivers. ALGA had argued that both initiatives were vital to help achieve the target of a 30 per cent reduction in fatalities and serious injuries on the nation’s roads by 2020. Our strong advocacy for local government has also resulted in the exemption of small landfills from the Australian Government’s carbon pricing legislation. The original draft legislation would have seen small landfill facilities, with direct annual emissions of between 10,000 and 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, liable under the carbon price mechanism. The amended legislation addresses local government’s concerns about the impact of a carbon price on small landfills, many of which are owned by councils. Other priorities that ALGA has achieved through advocacy include last week's announcement by the Australian Government of a Commonwealth review of Financial Assistance Grants (FAGs). Over the last decade, local government has consistently raised more than 80 per cent of its total revenue from its own sources. The Local Government (Financial Assistance) Act 1995 embodies the principle that the Commonwealth should distribute a proportion of revenue to local government to support the building of resilient and prosperous communities. The FAGs are intended to improve local government’s capacity to provide the effectiveness and efficiency of local government but ALGA believes that the amount provided under the grants is not adequate and that the current indexation methodology does not maintain the grants' purchasing power. ALGA looks forward to working with the Government on the review and to strongly putting forward the case for a fairer deal for councils. I am confident that the interests of councils will continue to be represented passionately at the federal level under Felicity-Ann Lewis, Mayor of Marion, South Australia, who will succeed me as President. I congratulate Mayor Lewis on her appointment and I have enjoyed working with her during her transition to the presidency. Finally, I say to all elected members throughout local government, keep up the good work. The role of councillor is vital in representing the interests of local communities and while the role requires sacrifices, the rewards in terms of what we can achieve for our communities make it worthwhile. Mayor Genia McCaffery
ALGA President | | |
| | The first offset projects under the national Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) have been approved, with four landfill sites set to earn carbon credits and reap environmental rewards from capturing dangerous greenhouse gases from waste. Two gas capture projects based in Perth at the South Cardup and Mirrabooka landfill sites will abate 134,000 tonnes of emissions every year and turn them into renewable energy. Two other CFI projects are at landfills in Darwin, and Buderim in Queensland. Visiting Perth for Community Cabinet this week, Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Mark Dreyfus, praised project proponent LMS Energy for its leadership and innovation in the waste industry. “These projects are a milestone for Australia’s pioneering Carbon Farming Initiative,” said Mr Dreyfus. “LMS specialises in transforming waste to energy. These successful CFI landfill projects are helping our communities tackle climate change by turning emissions from decomposing rubbish into clean, renewable energy. “Australian businesses paying the carbon price will be able to buy carbon credits from LMS, knowing these offsets are producing multiple benefits for the community,” he said. “Overall, the landfill gas industry is now abating more than 4 million tonnes of CO2-e emissions every year, creating 850 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy - enough to power more than 120,000 homes.” The Carbon Farming Initiative, which is a key plank of the Federal Government’s Clean Energy Future plan, also applies to the agricultural sector which creates about 18 per cent of carbon emissions annually. The CFI provides an opportunity for farmers and landholders to earn carbon credits for storing or reducing carbon pollution on the land. These credits can be sold to businesses requiring offsets or in the voluntary market. In addition, carbon price revenue will fund $1.7 billion of investment in land sector measures over the next 6 years to improve sustainability and productivity. Approved CFI projects are listed on the Register of Offsets Projects on the Clean Energy Regulator website. | | | | | The Government has released its formal response to the Regional Telecommunications Review (the Sinclair review) on 23 August. In the response it restates its commitment to every community in regional Australia receiving fair and equitable access to affordable high-speed broadband. The Regional Communications: Empowering Digital Communities report was tabled in Parliament on 23 May. In its response, the Government says it has already begun implementing the recommendations, including: - Allowing remote schools and health facilities to access the NBN Co Interim Satellite Service
- Releasing the NBN Co Network Extension policy on 12 July 2012
- Continuing the provision of untimed local calls in the Extended Zones (remote areas of Australia) for 2012-13 in line with the Sinclair Review's recommendation
- Providing funding to relevant Regional Development Australia committees to develop digital economy strategies for the rollout of the NBN in regional communities
- raising awareness of the benefits of the digital economy and emerging opportunities for regional communities through business forums and campaigns.
The Review found that there is a growing recognition in Australia that better broadband will support regional economic development, improve health and education outcomes as well as help small business. People living in regional Australia have welcomed the Government's decision to prioritise the rollout in regional areas. The Review made several recommendations targeted at local government. It called for the expansion of the Digital Local Government Program, to increase the capacity of local governments in regional and remote areas to take advantage of digital technologies to provide a wide range of services on-line. The Government responded that the program, which assists the first 40 councils to benefit from the NBN, funds projects that are replicable and scalable and which have the potential to be implemented in councils across Australia, but did not make any commitment to expanding the program. The Review recommended that Regional Development Australia committees, in conjunction with local councils , should develop digital economy plans for their regions. The Government's response indicated progress in this area as several RDAs and councils had realised the benefits of the digital economy and were developing digital economy strategies for their regions. The full response is available here. | | | | | Queensland Premier Campbell Newman believes some communities will win their battle to undo forced council mergers. "I reckon there'll be some de-amalgamations," Mr Newman told ABC Radio on Wednesday. "I'm assuming the Noosa one is going to get up. That's just my personal take on it, that's not inside knowledge. "I just know how strongly the people of Noosa feel about it, and how committed they are to separating out." He didn't name any others he believed would have a strong case. Noosa is among 19 communities that have made de-amalgamation submissions to Local Government Minister David Crisafulli. Those submissions have gone to the boundaries commissioner, who will work with Queensland Treasury to determine their viability based on financial and other criteria. A final report, including recommendations, will be handed to Mr Crisafulli by November 28. Noosa, on the Sunshine Coast, and the former Douglas Shire Council, in far north Queensland, are considered likely prospects for progressing towards a vote on de-amalgamations some time next year. | | | | | The second phase of the Low Income Energy Efficiency Program will open for applications shortly. The Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency will be holding a series of sessions around the country to assist in the preparation of applications. The two-hour information sessions will address the LIEEP guidelines, EOI guidance, draft funding agreement, and tips on developing a data collection and analysis plan. There will be additional time at the end of each information session to speak with program staff and network with other attendees. The information sessions will focus on LIEEP only and will not provide information relating to the Community Energy Efficiency Program (CEEP) or the Energy Efficiency Information Grants Program (EEIGP). Local government is not specifically eligible for this program, however, related organisations may be. Information on the LIEEP is available here and registrations can be made here. | | | | | The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has released a National Food Plan Green Paper. The aim of the national food plan is to foster a sustainable, globally competitive, resilient food supply that supports access to nutritious and affordable food. To achieve this outcome, the Australian Government proposes to focus on the following objectives, helping the government better integrate what it already does and help identify if and where a better approach might be needed. - Identify and mitigate potential risks to Australia's food security
- Contribute to global food security
- Reduce barriers to a safe and nutritious food supply that responds to the evolving preferences and needs of all Australians and supports population health
- Maintain and improve the natural resource base underpinning food production in Australia
- Support the global competitiveness and productivity growth of the food supply chain, including through research, science and innovation
- Reduce barriers faced by food businesses to access international and domestic markets
- Contribute to economic prosperity, employment and community wellbeing in regional Australia.
To make a submission or for more information about the national plan, click here. | | | | | Fifteen post offices are to be included on the Commonwealth Heritage List. Minister for Environment, Tony Burke announced the plan saying post offices in Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia had been added to the list. “From the central business districts of our capital cities to our remote regional and rural communities, the local post office can provide invaluable insights into how historical events impacted the local community,” Mr Burke said. “Building a permanent post office was often the first major government service or infrastructure given to a new community." He said there was a story behind each post office added to the List. “In Tumut in NSW for example, the post office was built to service the area that was growing rapidly after gold was found just south east of the town in 1859,” he said. “I can imagine the pride that early settlers in Tumut would have felt when their growing community got their new post office in 1879 and this was even before they had a town Council or railway.” Mr Burke said the 15 new post offices being placed on the Commonwealth Heritage List were: - Ayr Post Office, QLD;
- Bondi Beach Post Office, NSW;
- Byron Bay Post Office, NSW;
- Camden Post Office, NSW;
- Cobar Post Office, NSW;
- Cooroy Post Office, QLD;
- Cronulla Post Office, NSW;
- Euroa Post Office, VIC;
- Ingham Post Office, QLD;
- Marrickville Post Office, NSW;
- Scone Post Office, NSW;
- Tumut Post Office, NSW;
- Victoria Park Post Office, WA;
- Wingham Post Office, NSW; and
- City Streets Delivery Centre, VIC.
| | | | | The Planning Institute of Australia and the Petcare Information and Advisory Service are pleased to announce the 2012 “Pet Friendly Planning Awards”. This award will recognise planners whose work accommodates and encourages socially responsible pet ownership in Australia. The award value is $8,000, which includes a $4,000 travel grant and $4,000 stipend. The winner of the award will be announced on World Town Planning Day in November 2012 and present their project at the 2013 PIA National Congress. The winner will also have their guidelines published, promoted and distributed nationally. Entries will be judged by a panel of experts, including Virginia Jackson, an internationally renowned authority on public open space planning and author of 'Dogs in Public Open Space' and 'Four Legs Four Walls'. For more information, click here. | | | | | A one day research forum will be held in Brisbane in October for council staff and elected councillors interested in improving the evidence base for local decision making and in contributing to the local government research agenda. Being organised by the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government (ACELG) in partnership with the Local Government Association of Queensland and the Council of Mayors SEQ, this free Forum will be held on Thursday 11 October 2012, 9am to 3.30pm at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Creative Industries Precinct (The Glasshouse), Musk Ave, Kelvin Grove Urban Village, Brisbane. Research papers will be presented around the following themes: local government innovation, economic development, collaboration and shared services, low carbon futures, innovation in food safety, political governance and community wellbeing. As well as showcasing examples of recently completed research, the Forum is designed to generate discussion about the priorities for future research and how to build research capacity in the local government sector. For program details and to register go to http://lgresearch.net.au/brisbane-showcase. For more information, contact ACELG Research Program Manager Stefanie Pillora on (02) 95144897, or at Stefanie.Pillora@acelg.org.au. | | | | | AEMI regularly runs nationally recognised training courses and professional development programs. Upcoming courses include: To enrol in any of the courses above, please contact Alita Menchavez at aemi@ag.gov.au | | | | | World Suicide Prevention Day is on Monday, 10 September 2012. The 2012 international theme for day is Suicide Prevention Across the Globe: Strengthening Protective Factors and Instilling Hope. For more information about the international theme and what is happening across the globe visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention. This year we are encouraging people to support local community events. By starting local we can create a global action! Below are just a few of the events that will be happening on the day. For a full list of events please visit www.wspd.org.au. | | |
|
