 | |  President of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), Felicity-ann Lewis has welcomed Parliament's decision to support local government's call to establish a Parliamentary Committee as the next step towards a referendum on the constitutional recognition of local government. A motion to establish a 12 member Joint Select Committee to consider constitutional recognition of local government was carried through both the upper and lower houses this week. "Prime Minister Julia Gillard gave an undertaking when coming to office in 2010 to hold referendums by the end of 2013 on both constitutional recognition of indigenous Australians and constitutional recognition of local government. Despite the Government's recent decision to defer a referendum on indigenous recognition, ALGA will continue to work with the Commonwealth on putting in place the conditions for a successful local government referendum, which will ensure that important federal funding for local communities can continue," Mayor Lewis said. ALGA has long maintained that the only way to protect direct federal funding for community services and infrastructure is to have local government recognised in the Australian Constitution and earlier this year, local government called on the Australian Government to establish a Parliamentary Committee to consider the timing of a referendum and the wording of the constitutional amendment. "ALGA is seeking an amendment of Section 96 of the Constitution so that it would read: 'Parliament may grant financial assistance to any state or local government body formed by or under a law of a state or territory on such terms and conditions as the Parliament sees fit'," Mayor Lewis said. "The report of an expert panel, established by the Government to explore the need for acknowledging local government in the Constitution, recommended last December that our case for financial recognition was a viable option." Polling commissioned by ALGA in 2011 found that 60 per cent of Australians believe that local government is important and up to 68 per cent of adults said that they might support financial recognition of local government in the Constitution. "ALGA acknowledges the need for support from all sides of politics to ensure maximum success for a referendum proposal and we are seeking to ensure that all parties support direct funding of local government." "That is why I have sought the support of MPs from all sides of politics, and the Independents, for ALGA's proposed way forward on constitutional recognition." | | | | |  ALGA, as part of the Healthy Spaces and Places Coalition, has applauded this week's release of the Federal Government’s active travel discussion paper. The Healthy Spaces and Places Coalition is a joint initiative of the Heart Foundation, the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) and ALGA, which promotes active travel modes such as walking, cycling and public transport. The national discussion paper, Walking, Riding and Access to Public Transport, is the first ever federal report on active travel and demonstrates the multiple benefits to health, wellbeing, environment, productivity and transport. It details the high cost of car dependency on health and traffic congestion and how helping to build active, social communities through walking and cycling can benefit Australia. The discussion paper highlights: - Traffic congestion costs $13 billion a year - 50 per cent of car trips are less than 5km
- Inactivity costs Australia $13.8 billion every year
The Healthy Places and Spaces Coalition is pleased to see the principles of its healthy urban design guide, Healthy Places and Spaces, included in the discussion paper. The Healthy Spaces and Places document provides practical information from experts in health, planning, urban design, community safety and transport planning on how to design active, healthy neighbourhoods, towns and cities. The discussion paper also reflects ALGA's National Local Roads and Transport Policy Agenda 2010-20, which highlights the need to encourage more physically active transport in urban, regional and rural Australian and provide funding for the associated infrastructure. In July last year, ALGA's Felicity-Ann Lewis addressed the Emerging Crises Summit - Cities, Population, Climate Change and Energy in Canberra, which heard that Australian cities would have to become denser to ensure more people were living in walking distance from public transport hubs. Mayor Lewis indicated that the Federal Government needed to be more involved in future infrastructure planning and funding to assist communities in managing the effects of population growth. "There is no question that our cities are facing major issues with their transport systems as they deal with congestion, escalating prices for fuel and the pressure to reduce all forms of pollution, including greenhouse gas emissions," Mayor Lewis said. "Governments need to work with their communities to guide the evolution of our cities to meet the transport and lifestyle challenges of the future. These challenges include Australia's high rate of obesity and the need to create environments that support physical activity and active transport. In doing so, expectations need to be realistic, recognise emerging new technologies and accept that change will be slow." The discussion paper, Walking, Riding and Access to Public Transport, is open for public consultation until 31 January 2013. For more information on active living and a free copy of the healthy urban planning resource Healthy Spaces and Places visit www.healthyplaces.org.au. | | | | |  The local government sector has welcomed the Asian Century white paper, which outlines plans for Australia's regions to drive stronger links with Asia to seize the economic opportunities that may emerge during the next century. ALGA recognises Australia's long history of engagement with Asia, from exports to Japan to the recent growth of many of the nation's regional cities, particularly mining regions, which have benefited significantly from growth in Asia, especially China. However, successive State of the Regions Reports, which are prepared for ALGA by National Economics, warn of growing regional disparity in incomes. The Reports suggest that if all Australians are to benefit from the opportunities of economic growth, all of Australia's regions need to be performing. The 2012 State of the Regions Report highlights the strengths of each region and pinpoints under-utilised resources. The analysis identifies the under-utilisation of local and regional resources for Australia's 67 regions and the potential reasons for this under-utilisation. Such analysis is useful for planning regional development and investment that will drive jobs, real wages and regional productivity. By appropriate targeted support, some regions will greatly benefit from trade opportunities to Asia and others will benefit from supporting those regions to increase their productivity. One of the problems that has been identified from the mining boom is that only some regions benefit. To counter this, industry and regional development policy needs to consider how every region can be supported in reaching its potential. ALGA will continue to work with National Economics on improving regional data and information that can be used to inform investment decisions. Local governments understand multicultural Australia, support creative industries and understand the barriers to productivity growth at the local and regional level. Local governments have the local knowledge to identify regional infrastructure and support services that will underpin regional economic growth and assist regions to take advantage of the opportunities that the growth of Asia will bring. To purchase a copy of the 2012 State of the Regions Report, click here. | | |
| |  I was delighted to address the Local Government Association of NSW’s annual conference in Dubbo this week, where hundreds of council delegates gathered to discuss and debate issues relevant to local government in NSW. The conference was an opportunity to update members on what ALGA had achieved at the national level over the past 12 months and to talk about the challenges that remain for local government. Constitutional recognition of local government is just one of the many issues that ALGA is working on. ALGA has engaged in months of advocacy to move this issue forward since the Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Local Government handed down its final report last December, which recognised ALGA's preferred option of financial recognition. The report supported a simple change to Section 96 of the Constitution, to allow the continuation of direct federal funding to local governments, as a viable referendum question. We have since pushed the Government for a response to the Expert Panel report and during meetings over the past several months with the Minister for Local Government, Simon Crean, I have discussed ALGA's request for the Government to establish a Joint Select Committee of Parliament to look at the wording and the timing as the next step in the process towards a referendum. The Minister gave notice during the previous parliamentary sitting period that he would introduce a motion into Parliament to establish such a committee. I am pleased to say that the motion was debated and carried in Parliament this week, paving the way for a parliamentary committee to now be established. The strength of our case for constitutional recognition of local government has been acknowledged by leading figures in the legal world. As recently as last week, while addressing the Queensland local government conference, the Chair of the Expert Panel on Local Government Recognition and former Chief Justice of NSW, the Hon James Spigelman, said: "A particular focus of concern of the local government community which I regard as very real, has been the Roads to Recovery program. In my opinion, it is more probably than not, constitutionally invalid." Justice Spigelman also responded to concerns raised by some states about the possible impact on state powers from financial recognition, in reference to the words for the constitutional amendment which ALGA supports: "Nothing in what is proposed in any way impinges upon the constitutional responsibility of state parliaments for the form, structure and powers of the local government system - or indeed its existence - within each state." ALGA will be making a strong submission to the recently announced Joint Select Committee to argue for a referendum on financial recognition to be held at a time which maximises the chance of success and we will be encouraging all councils to make their views known to the Committee. Mayor Felicity-ann Lewis
ALGA President | | |
| | Final election results for Victoria's 78 municipal elections show 331 re-elected councillors will be joined by 300 new councillors. Mr Rob Spence, Chief Executive of the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) said while a higher number of women councillors were elected this time, other election results reflected similar trends to the 2008 elections. "It's fantastic news for communities and the local government sector that women’s participation in civic duties is on the rise and being strongly supported by voters." "We now have 34 per cent women elected as councillors, a rise of five per cent. "Unlike the 2008 elections when five all-male councils were elected, all 78 municipalities now have female representation including 10 majority-women councils. "New and re-elected councillors are almost evenly split, with incumbents making up 52 per cent of councillors elected. "While three quarters of all sitting councillors contested the election, only 71 per cent will go on for another term including 46 incumbent mayors. "A further 16 mayors retired and 16 more were defeated, as 133 contesting councillors did not secure enough support at the ballot box for their re-election bid. "Most of these trends are similar to 2008, but with two per cent fewer contesting councillors losing office in 2012 there’s a slightly lower turnover this year. "The exception is some urban fringe and coastal areas who will have a majority of new councillors due to higher numbers of incumbents defeated. Tensions between growth pressures and protecting local amenity are likely to have played a role in voting in these areas," he said. | | | | | Melbourne's Lord Mayor, Robert Doyle, has been returned for a second term with a resounding electoral win. Team Doyle secured around 40 per cent of the primary vote in last weekend's elections. The incumbent Lord Mayor says the level of support is a welcome surprise. "I've done a lot better than I thought we would do," Mr Doyle said. "It's a very, very strong vote. If we are up above 40 per cent then that is an extremely strong result and gives me a very powerful mandate into the next council," he said. Mr Doyle's campaign was marred by campaign funding questions and by allegations that one of his running mates organised cash-for-access deals with developers. He says this year's mayoral contest was the dirtiest political fight of his life, but he is looking forward to another four years in the job. "People say that incumbency has benefits, but let me tell you it also has drawbacks," he said. "You're the one with the target on you and that's what the mud gets thrown at." "I don't think the public like the state of toxic political debate that is just slogan-shouting at each other or personality-driven." | | | | | More than 700 people gathered in Dubbo in the state's central west for the New South Wales Local Government Association's final conference. The conference opened with speeches by the Association's President Cr Keith Rhoades and Local Government Minister Don Page. In his welcome address to the conference, Minister Page called on councillors to put forward their ideas for how the system should work and for new governing legislation. More than 90 motions from member councils were debated. The Lithgow Council wanted the government to stop mining companies from hiring fly-in fly-out workers. The Greater Taree City Council said local governments should have the ultimate approval authority over any coal seam gas activity in their area while Shoalhaven wants public risk assessments carried out before amateur shooters are allowed into national parks. The Leichhardt City Council's called for research on how local government could better deal with a shortage of affordable housing. The Orange City Council wanted a review of the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal's decision to allow electricity price hikes. Delegates also discussed whether companion animal laws can be amended so council officers have more power to assess dogs suspected of being a restricted breed. It's the last time the NSW Local Government Association will meet before it merges with the Shires' Association next year. | | | | | The Townsville City Council wants to strengthen the building certification process by requiring all approved certifiers to register in each local government area they work in. The push to make the building approval process more accountable to councils was passed by the Local Government Association of Queensland last week, which will now lobby the State Government to make the regulatory changes. Currently, the Building Services Authority is responsible for licensing and administering certifiers, but council wants to establish local government registers. The proposal would force certifiers working in an area to register with the council to prevent structures that don't comply with the planning scheme being approved. The formal and technical licensing process would still be conducted by the BSA. Mayor Jenny Hill said council had experienced numerous problems with building certifiers signing off on work that didn't fit within the city's planning scheme. "Consumers are the real losers because they pay for building work in good faith only to find out the extension or renovation doesn't meet the (requirements of) the planning scheme," she said. Cr Hill said several other councils had experienced similar problems. The motion put to the LGAQ states having registers in individual councils would improve accountability and ensure building work was compliant with relevant local planning schemes. | | | | | The Lake Macquarie City Council has won the NSW Local Government and Shires Associations’ AR Bluett Memorial Award for 2012 on Sunday. The council said it was "the greatest accolade a NSW council can achieve". Council general manager Brian Bell said the council had ‘‘pride in our identity". "Over the last year, Lake Macquarie has emerged as a confident, self-sufficient city with its future in its own hands," Mr Bell said. AR Bluett Memorial Trust chairman Graeme Fleming said it was ‘‘the premier award for local government in NSW". Mayor Jodie Harrison said the award recognised work done in the past 12 months. "Now it’s time to make sure the council gets on with the job of improving infrastructure," Cr Harrison said. The council listed its achievements as a children’s playground at Speers Point, approval of a $7million plant to recycle demolition waste and the launch of a Lake Macquarie tourism campaign. | | | | | The Regional Australia Institute (RAI) has just released what it considers are arguably the top 50 most influential pieces of regional relevant research. The 2011-12 State of the Regions Report: Beyond the Mining Boom, which was commissioned by ALGA and prepared by National Economics was included in the top 50. The Stocktake of Regional Research project seeks to provide people involved in regional development with easier access to the latest knowledge. The project also supports researchers who want to see their work taken up and used for the benefit of regions to connect their insights to decision makers. The objective of seeking to determine the 50 most influential pieces of research was to obtain a clearer understanding of what research had, for better or worse, most influenced the thinking of researchers and policy makers in working on regional development issues in Australia. The RAI has identified in excess of 1400 research papers so far. For access to the full list and summaries, click here. | | | | | The Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Greg Combet, and Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Mark Dreyfus, today announced new funding rounds for three energy efficiency grant programs to drive smarter energy use in business, local government, households and communities. A second round of grants is now being offered in the following programs: - the Community Energy Efficiency Program (CEEP) - a $200 million program to help local government and not-for-profit community organisations undertake energy efficiency upgrades to community infrastructure such as council buildings and recreation centres;
- the Low Income Energy Efficiency Program (LIEEP) - a $100 million program to demonstrate smarter energy use and provide practical advice and assistance to low income households across Australia;
- Energy Efficiency Information Grants (EEIG) - a $40 million program to support small to medium-sized businesses and community groups, by providing tailored information and advice on saving energy and cutting costs with smarter energy choices.
"The investment in trialling and demonstrating smarter ways to use energy in Australian households, communities and businesses will create new job opportunities and strengthen local economies," Mr Combet said. "For regional communities and smaller councils, the second round of CEEP grants will make it easier to access assistance for projects that benefit low socio-economic and other disadvantaged communities, especially in regional and rural areas,” said Mr Dreyfus. "The LIEEP grants are targeted directly at households that need practical help to improve energy efficiency to cope with the rising cost of living. LIEEP supports the most vulnerable in making smart energy choices to improve living standards while reducing energy use," he said. The second round of the EEIG program will add to the $20 million already allocated to 28 projects in the manufacturing, agriculture, retail and tourism sectors. These projects provide practical information to time-poor businesses on conserving energy and saving money through to energy smart choices. "Today, I encourage all eligible applicants to apply. The government is committed to promoting better energy efficiency - it saves money, cuts pollution and improves our living standards at home and in the community. These are the benefits of moving towards a clean energy future," said Mr Dreyfus. Program opening and closing dates: Community Energy Efficiency Program - 30/10/12 - 7/02/13
Low Income Energy Efficiency Program - 30/10/12 - 13/12/12
Energy Efficiency Information Grants - 30/10/12 - 20/12/12 To find out more about the package of energy efficiency programs, visit: www.climatechange.gov.au To find out more about the Government’s plan for a clean energy future, visit: www.cleanenergyfuture.gov.au | | | | | A National Sustainability Council for Australia has been established to provide independent advice to the Government on sustainability issues and to produce public reports. Announcing the initiative, the Minister for the Environment, Tony Burke said it was clear from the Sustainable Population Strategy that better information about how Australia’s economy, environment and society interacted to inform better planning and decision-making was needed. "That's why the Government announced the Measuring Sustainability program in the 2011-12 Budget," Mr Burke said. "This program will allow for the collection of data guided by a set of sustainability indicators that will measure our progress while delivering capacity for better planning and decision-making." He said the indicators would help the Government take a longer-term view and consider how actions and decisions made in the present affected the opportunities available to future generations. "The National Sustainability Council will report against the sustainability indicators every two years, highlighting key trends and emerging issues for policy and decision-makers and communities around Australia," Mr Burke said. He said the Council would be chaired by the Chair of the Monash Sustainability Institute and ClimateWorks Australia, John Thwaites. | | | | | Point Piper in Sydney, with a median house value of $7.382 million, is Australia's most expensive suburb for home ownership, according to RP Data’s Property Rich List. RP Data research director Tim Lawless says that Point Piper also has a very high rate of home ownership. Census data shows there are 148 detached houses in the suburb and 57 percent are owned outright. Additionally, Point Piper average individual incomes are the highest in the nation, averaging more than $182,000, according to RP Data analysis of ATO statistics. Lawless says the suburbs on the rich list share a few characteristics: generally close in proximity to the CBD, water, or an area with heritage value. A list of the top 10 most expensive Australian suburbs sourced by RP Data follows: | Rank | Suburb | Median value | | 1 | Point Piper NSW | $7,381,887 | | 2 | Watsons Bay NSW | $6,476,767 | | 3 | Centennial Park NSW | $5,217,016 | | 4 | Woolwich NSW | $4,621,152 | | 5 | Peppermint Grove WA | $4,284,941 | | 6 | Darling Point NSW | $4,235,112 | | 7 | Henley NSW | $3,489,357 | | 8 | Vaucluse NSW | $3,279,795 | | 9 | Bellevue Hill NSW | $3,104,186 | | 10 | Eagle Bay WA | $2,860,776 | According to Lawless, the population living within the most expensive 25 suburbs accounts for 0.5 per cent of Australia's population. | | | | | Living in the country as you age is better for your health than living in the city, according to new research. Academics from the University of Sydney's Faculty of Health Sciences have found that aging Australian city-dwellers are more likely to suffer from non-infectious chronic diseases such as type two diabetes, arthritis, cancer and asthma than their rural counterparts. The researchers tracked seven years of longitudinal data for 1256 over-45s who had lived in the same area for at least 20 years. Every year of age increased the odds of having a long-term health condition by 5 per cent compared with the previous year, while living in the lowest socio-economic area increased the odds of having a long-term health condition by 90 per cent compared with the previous year. "In the city you're exposed to a range of environmental stressors, such as poor air quality, aircraft and road noise, high density housing, lack of adequate transport, poor urban design, a lack of green spaces and shade trees, and so on," said lead author Prof Deborah Black. Lower socio-economic status was associated with a higher prevalence of non-infectious chronic disease because cheaper housing was generally located in areas with high levels of environmental stressors, such as industrial areas, airports or busy roads. "As people get older, their bodies are less able to cope physiologically with environmental stressors, and exposure can accelerate the ageing process and trigger or exacerbate disease," Prof Black said. According to Prof Black, climate change is one of the critical issues for the health of aging Australians. "In cities, the lack of trees and green spaces create what's called the heat island effect, wherein the sun heats exposed urban surfaces such as roads, roofs, and pavements to temperatures up to 50 degrees hotter than the air temperature. "Because older people are less able to cope with high temperatures, they are more at risk of climate change-related health problems than the rest of the population. Effective thermo-regulation and hydration are particularly difficult for older people in hot weather, which can lead to problems with heart and kidney function ..." | | |
| | |  Social Media and communication delivery has been through massive changes and advancements within the Public Sector over recent years. With Government bodies experiencing cuts in their marketing budget, getting cutting edge marketing campaigns out that won’t break the bank is a must. At Tonkins Communication Delivery and Social Media in the Public Sector Conference 2012 you’ll benefit from hearing case studies and communication ideas from industry peers on how to plan, strategise and implement a fully rounded up to date marketing campaign. Social Media is so vast, and it’s expanding all the time, unless organisations implement firm social media policy they risk losing out on a market all together. Communication Delivery and Social Media in the Public Sector 27th November 2012 - 29th November 2012 at The Grace Hotel Sydney |
| | | | | |  Get involved with Australia's largest network of walking groups Is your organisation looking to set up walking groups or do you have walking groups that you would like to grow? Heart Foundation Walking is Australia's largest network of free community-based walking groups, with over 1,300 groups and 19,500 active members. Our walkers join the program to improve their fitness or health, but it's the fun, social aspects that motivate them to stay. We're always on the look out to partner with local governments, health services and workplaces to expand this community network and get more Australians active. What support do you receive from the program? - A quality, proven and sustainable framework for starting and operating walking groups in your community
- A step-by-step guide to coordinating the program
- Resources and training provided
- Public relations and media support
- Evaluation tools and a centralised database
- Regular reports about Heart Foundation Walking groups in your area
If you're interested in being part of Heart Foundation Walking or would like more information, please contact us today. Visit www.heartfoundation.org.au/walking, email walking@heartfoundation.org.au or call 1300 36 27 87. Heart Foundation Walking is funded nationally by the Medibank Community Fund and the Australian Government.
It is also funded by the QLD Government to get more Queenslanders active and the ACT Government through ACT Health. |
| | | | | |  Tonkin’s Urban Congestion Conference will come during the lively debate which looks at what can be done on an urban scale to alleviate congestion in growing cities. Urban congestion is one of the most complex challenges facing Australia’s governments, imposing costs of more than $10 billion on the national economy each year. The cost of road congestion is anticipated to rise to $20 billion by 2020 without reform, this is coupled with the fact that populations in urban cities are due to explode with Melbourne and Sydney expected to reach seven million by 2030. Why is tackling Australia’s urban transport challenge so important? Our cities are our most important assets and we must strive to do all we can in order to keep them attractive to our residents and visitors. By understanding that urban Congestion is a growing problem for Australia’s governments and recognising the importance of effective congestion management strategies we can successfully deliver long-term solutions to tackle Australia’s urban transport challenge. You can start making initial headway at Tonkin’s Urban Congestion Conference. Hear high level interactive discussions from the Department of Transport Victoria, VicRoads, Transport for New South Wales, Department of Planning Transport and Infrastructure, City of Melbourne and National Transport Commission. This event will come during the lively debate which looks at what can be done on an urban scale to alleviate congestion in growing cities. |
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