 | |  Next Tuesday will mark the start of ALGA's 2012 National Local Roads and Transport Congress in Hobart, where hundreds of local government representatives from across the country will gather to discuss key issues affecting roads, transport and infrastructure provision in Australian communities. The Congress is an opportunity to hear from speakers from the Federal Government, Local Government, the Opposition and the Greens, as well as eminent speakers on topics of importance to local government ranging from road safety, heavy vehicle usage of the road network, rural and regional transport needs. Among the speakers are international experts in managing local road assets, Matthew Lugg, Director of Environment and Transport for Leicestershire County Council in the United Kingdom and David Adamson, Chief Executive of the Southland District Council in New Zealand. Mr Lugg recently led a review by the English Government into the severe damage to local road networks caused by three successive extreme winters. Mr Lugg's experience is relevant to Australian councils, currently developing asset management policies consistent with the Australian Government's National Framework on Asset Planning and Management, to which ALGA has contributed. The Congress will also hear from Catherine King, Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport, who will speak on behalf of the Australian Government , which is responsible for regulating safety standards of new vehicles, and for allocating infrastructure resources, including for safety, across the national highway and local road networks. Opposition Spokesman for Infrastructure and Transport, Warren Truss is expected to address the Congress about the Coalition's commitment to the Roads to Recovery program, the Black Spot program and the strategic regional roads program. Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon is expected to address the Congress about aspects concerning urban transport and climate friendly initiatives. It's not too late to register! Simply click here and register online now. To access the program, click here. Note: Due to the National Roads Congress, there will not be an edition of ALGA News next week but a comprehensive issue dedicated to the event will be distributed the following week. | | | | |  ALGA will launch a new national report at next week's National Local Roads and Transport Congress to measure the standard of community roads and infrastructure. The National State of the Assets Report 2012 is the first of its kind, undertaken to assess how local infrastructure is faring, whether community needs are being met and if current levels of expenditure are adequate. The National Assets Report builds on research commissioned by ALGA in 2010 which indicated that current levels of federal expenditure would need to increase by an average of $1.2 billion per year to avoid deterioration of the local road network. In 2006, the results of a study undertaken by PricewaterhouseCoopers found that the potential aggregate backlog for all 560 Australian local councils was approximately $14.6 billion, with an annual sustainable funding gap of $1.1 billion. In the latest study to inform the National Assets Report, 55 councils contributed data about the quality, functionality and capacity of roads and bridges infrastructure. ALGA President Felicity-ann Lewis said the report will "provide a national snapshot of the state of council infrastructure assets, including community roads, bridges and investment needs". "The Report will reveal how local infrastructure is faring, whether community needs are being met and if current levels of expenditure are adequate. This will assist ALGA and participating councils to identify priority issues for local government which can be pursued in the forthcoming federal election," Mayor Lewis said. | | | | |  ALGA President Felicity-ann Lewis is attending this week's meeting of the Standing Council on Transport and Infrastructure (SCOTI) to discuss a range of infrastructure planning and investment issues ahead of next week's National Local Roads and Transport Congress. SCOTI was established in September 2011 and brings together Commonwealth, State, Territory and New Zealand Ministers with responsibility for transport and infrastructure assets, as well as local government. ALGA plays a key role in a range of government initiatives related to roads and transport infrastructure where there is likely to be an impact on local government. Such initiatives include a new National Heavy Vehicle Regulator regime that is expected to take effect from 1 January 2013 and the work associated with the Heavy Vehicle Charging Investment project that is progressing under the auspices of the COAG road reform agenda. Heavy Vehicle Charging reform is one of the issues to be discussed by councils at next week's Roads Congress. Heavy vehicles are attracting increasing attention in local communities and causing mixed reactions. While trucks are recognised as an essential element of Australia's economic system, they can cause problems related to safety, noise and pollution. The total freight task is estimated to almost double by 2020. About 75 per cent of all freight is carried by road - with over 90 per cent in urban areas. The National Transport Commission (NTC) is the agency responsible for Australia-wide road and rail regulatory reform and ALGA liaises closely with NTC on heavy vehicle issues affecting local government at a national level. | | |
| |  On the day leading up to next week's National Roads and Transport Congress in Hobart, ALGA will be holding its Annual General Meeting, during which time the Board will vote on the ALGA presidency. As you would be aware, I was appointed by the Board to fill the role of ALGA President in September this year, following the retirement of long-serving Mayor of North Sydney and former ALGA President, Genia McCaffery. While I am standing for election for the position of ALGA President, the former President of the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ), Paul Bell has also nominated for the position. Depending on the outcome of the election, this may be my last column for ALGA News , and as such I would like to reflect on the developments that have taken place in the two months that I have been ALGA President. When I was appointed in September, I announced that I would be working with all sides of politics to progress our proposal for constitutional recognition of local government. Our proposal to take forward the case for constitutional change of local government was presented to Government in August and included the establishment of a parliamentary committee; funding of a public education and awareness campaign; and suggestions for the specific wording of the amendment to the Constitution. I was therefore delighted when Local Government Minister Simon Crean moved a motion in Parliament last week to establish a Joint Select Committee on constitutional recognition of local government, which was then carried by both houses. ALGA is urging councils across the country to make submissions to the parliamentary committee and will continue to argue that the only way to protect federal funding for community services and infrastructure is to have local government recognised in the Australian Constitution. During my time as ALGA President, I wrote to every member of parliament and held face to face meetings in Canberra with more than a dozen to champion the case for constitutional change. I have also met with MPs to outline the importance of the recently announced Commonwealth review of Financial Assistance Grants for local government. The review is important because the whole question of adequate and certain federal funding for local services is of great concern to councils and communities alike. I feel privileged to be serving and representing councils as ALGA President, and I hope that I will have the opportunity to continue to do so. My sincere thanks for your support and encouragement. Mayor Felicity-ann Lewis
ALGA President | | |
| | The Cultural Development Network (CDN) this week announced the establishment of the National Local Government Cultural Forum in partnership with ALGA, Global Cities Research Institute (RMIT University) and the Australia Council for the Arts. This National Local Government Cultural Forum will provide a clearing house for the arts activities that are shaping communities, their cultures and creativity. It will generate ideas and learn from the experiences that over 500 councils in Australia can demonstrate. Representatives from the eight Australian capital cities and the seven state and territory local government associations will meet twice-yearly with CDN, ALGA, Australia Council for the Arts and Global Cities Research Institute to set medium to long-term objectives for local government cultural planning and the arts. The Cultural Forum will: - Increase understanding of the community arts and cultural development sector;
- Grow community arts and cultural development practice with councils:
- Provide support for the community arts and cultural development sector.
Local government provides insight into how the arts and other policies impact on the culture of communities. The best of these ideas would be shared through the Cultural Forum and contribute to informed advice for State and Commonwealth governments on the cultural impact of arts policies. The creation of a National Local Government Cultural Forum is not an end in itself but a catalyst for strengthening arts across the community through local governance and local artists. | | | | | Nearly $30 million of ratepayers' money lost by 13 councils in what turned out to be risky investments will be recouped after a landmark legal ruling. The councils, mostly in rural NSW, were lured into investing their reserves into complex investment products in 2006 and 2007 with promises they were safe. In fact, the investments were high risk. The councils were assured that the investments were iron clad because the products were given a AAA credit rating, the strongest stamp of approval handed out by credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's. The distributor of the derivatives, Local Government Financial Services, renamed the risky derivatives as "community income notes" and signed the councils up during a tour of country towns, assuring them their products were "tailored" especially for them. But when the global financial crisis hit just months later the councils' investments, which were meant to build parks and pools, were wiped out. Federal Court Justice Jayne Jagot ruled yesterday that the investment bank that created the derivatives, ABN Amro, Standard & Poor's and LGFS were negligent. They were found to have misled the councils to invest in the "grotesquely complicated" derivatives, with only some of the risks hidden in fine print - a blow to their financial reputations. The councils out of pocket include Parkes ($3 million), Moree ($2 million), Narrandera Shire ($2 million), Cooma-Monaro ($2 million), Orange ($1.5 million), Bathurst, Ryde, Corowa, Murray Shire, Oberon (all $1 million), Deniliquin ($500,000), Eurobodalla ($500,000) and Narromine ($500,000). | | | | | Round 2 of the Community Energy Efficiency Program (CEEP) opened for applications on Tuesday, 30 October 2012. There were a few surprises, including a strong focus on assisting low socio-economic and disadvantaged councils and projects and providing up to two-thirds of project costs for some councils. Indeed, there is a new merit criteria, “targeting low socio-economic and other disadvantaged communities” which is worth 20%. Applications must be completed by 7 February 2013, which means this will likely be the last round of CEEP before the next election, and there is still $160m left in the CEEP bag. Ironbark will be holding a webinar on Tuesday 13th November (10:30am AEDT) to explain How to Develop a Killer CEEP Application. Ironbark will draw on the 25 councils it worked with for CEEP round 1 and tackle the following questions: - How do we satisfy the low socio-economic or disadvantaged community criteria?
- How do we develop a project that is “ready to roll” within 2-3 months of signing off yet won’t go ahead without CEEP funding?!
- Should we group projects together or not?
- How much should we apply for?
- How should we brand the project?
There will also be lots of time for questions. Click here to register to attend. Even if you received information from the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency (DCCEE) for Round 1, you have to contact the Department again to express your interest for Round 2 and receive the information pack and guidelines. Email ceep2(at)climatechange.gov.au asap to get on the list. | | | | | A range of social and economic data to assist local government planning across Australia is now available on the myregion.gov.au website. The data provides insightful, region-specific information relating to employment, education, the local economy, population growth, income, housing and internet connectivity. The data is presented across Australia’s 55 Regional Development Australia boundaries, making it easier to access regional information in one central location. Additional data and updates to the existing information will be added over time, including data that becomes available through the census. The data will assist local government and communities across the country Australia to understand regional circumstances and to support planning and development. Check out data about your region at myregion.gov.au. | | | | | Council officers from around Australia are invited to join their peers online to share and discuss sustainability and environmental issues related to internal and external local government activities. The Sustainable Councils Network is a forum restricted to current council officers and managers. It is a great place to find out what other councils are doing and to ask for advice. One focus is the 'green team' or collaborative network activities to improve the sustainability of our council operations and local communities. You can also use the network as an online space for your internal green team to discuss ideas and activities and stay connected. The site also includes great resources for councils about how to establish (and reinvigorate) collaborative networks for sustainability. Just click on the link to join and connect: www.sustainablecouncilsnetwork.org.au | | | | | A dedicated radio channel has been set aside for emergency services to provide greater access to effective communication during disasters. Attorney-General, Nicola Roxon and the Minister for Communications, Senator Stephen Conroy announced the decision saying it followed a request to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for a dedicated emergency services spectrum. "Ensuring authorities can communicate effectively on a reliable network during a disaster is critical," Ms Roxon said. "The Commonwealth will now commence negotiations with the States and Territories to reach agreement ahead of the Standing Council on Police and Emergency Management in November." She said the long-term project would allow State and Territory emergency services to respond faster and more effectively to disasters. Senator Conroy said ACMA had identified 10MHz of spectrum in the 800 MHz band for the dedicated channel. "The Government considers the allocation of spectrum from the 800 MHz band to be the best option to meet the communication needs of our public safety agencies," Senator Conroy said. | | | | | The Queensland Government has released the Great Barrier Reef Ports Strategy for consultation. The strategy presents the vision and principles guiding the Queensland Government's approach to future port development and planning in the Great Barrier Reef coastal region to 2022. The Queensland Government's aim is to ensure that port development in the region occurs in a balanced and incremental way to support economic development while maintaining the outstanding environmental value of the Great Barrier Reef. We want to hear from you about how we can optimise Queensland's port network, provide greater certainty and deliver economic and environmental outcomes for all Queenslanders. Results of consultation will inform a Queensland Ports Strategy and the strategic assessment of the Great Barrier Reef Coastal Zone. The closing date for submissions is 14 December 2012. Submissions can be made by: | | | | | Once thought to be a problem restricted to Australia's farms, weeds resistant to the popular chemical herbicide glyphosate have now been found on public lands across Australia, along roads, railways and around buildings. Research led by Associate Professor Christopher Preston at the University of Adelaide, as part of the Australian Government’s National Weeds and Productivity Research Program, has identified that herbicide resistance is far wider spread than first thought. The research found that weed management practices on public lands were routinely adding to the risk of herbicide resistance developing, due largely to ignorance of the problem and alternative herbicides. Dr Preston, who is also chair of the Australian Glyphosate Sustainability Working Group, said alternative practices need to be used to manage the risk of glyphosate resistant weeds on public lands. "A worrying result was the lack of formal record keeping on herbicide efficacy. There were very few examples of formal monitoring programs in place to determine the success or failure of the spray application, which could potentially delay the detection of resistance following weed control activities," he said. "Nearly 60 per cent of interviewees were in the poor to moderate categories regarding their level of understanding of herbicide resistance and its development, but a 92 per cent positive response was recorded from survey respondents acknowledging that additional staff from their respective organisations would benefit from herbicide resistance training on weeds. "Management risks were particularly high for water authorities, railways, aviation areas and local government. Conversely, private contractors and consultants and transport authorities (for example, Main Roads) nominated the lowest risk strategies on average." Dr Preston said further work was required to monitor the glyphosate resistance and to develop information packages for managers of non-agricultural land, specific to their region and the types of weeds they were treating. A fact sheet with general tips for managers of roadsides and railway lines is available at www.glyphosateresistance.org.au | | | | | The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) this week released its initial proposals for the 2016 Census of Population and Housing, and is now inviting Australians to have their say. The publication 2016 Census of Population and Housing: Consultation on content and procedures - cat. no. 2007.0 outlines the ABS's proposals around content and procedures for the 17th national Census to be held in 2016. Its release also marks the beginning of a public consultation phase allowing interested parties to submit their proposals for improving the 2016 Census. The Census takes a snapshot of our nation every five years. The ABS is undertaking this review to ensure its largest statistical collection remains relevant in our constantly changing society, and produces the highest quality data possible. The ABS has identified a number of current topics that it will review for inclusion in the 2016 Census and topics that it is considering adding and excluding from the next Census. The ABS will review topics such as Australian citizenship, ancestry, need for assistance and Internet access to assess their ongoing relevance while looking for ways of improving the data that is produced. | | | | | AEMI regularly runs both nationally recognised training courses and a professional development program. Upcoming courses include: - Facilitate emergency risk management - 12-16 November 2012
- Community in emergency management - 20-23 November 2012
- Manage recovery functions and services - 27-29 November 2012
- Risk-based land use planning - 4-7 December 2012
- Facilitate emergency planning process - 11-13 December 2012
Further information about these courses is available on the AEMI website. To enrol in any of these courses, please contact Alita Menchavez at aemi@ag.gov.au. | | | | | The following information has been supplied by the Australian Tax Office to advise that communities may be affected by one or more of the following rate changes: - an increase in the rate for liquid fuels (for example, petrol or diesel) used in some off-road business activities where the fuel is combusted
- a decrease in some rates due to the introduction of a carbon charge
- a decrease in the rate for fuel used in heavy vehicles for travelling on public roads
- changes in the rates for gaseous fuels and some blended liquid fuels.
Increase in rates for off-road activities The rates have increased from 19.0715 cents per litre for liquid fuels used in certain off-road activities, for example – graders, street sweepers undertaking road maintenance. After deducting the carbon charge, the rate for diesel is 31.933 cents per litre and for petrol it is 32.623 cents per litre. Heavy vehicles travelling on public road For heavy vehicles (for example, garbage trucks) using fuel such as petrol and diesel for travelling on public roads, fuel tax credits are reduced by the road user charge. The road user charge changed on 1 July 2012. For current rates see Fuel tax credit rates and eligible fuels. For more information on what is considered “travelling” refer to the fact sheet listed below. Use the rate when fuel was acquired You now need to use the fuel tax credit rate that applied when you acquired the fuel. This may not necessarily be the rate in effect when you use the fuel or claim your fuel tax credits. For heavy vehicles travelling on a public road, the rate used is the one in effect at the beginning of the tax period covered by your BAS. For information on: - examples relevant to local government, view the fact sheet
More information about changes to fuel rates is available at www.ato.gov.au/fuelschemes | | |
| | |  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. |
| | | | | |  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 |
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