 | |  ALGA has produced a 10-page booklet outlining why local government needs to be recognised in the Australian Constitution. "The Case for Change" has been distributed to all councils across the country to provide a reference for preparing submissions to the Federal Parliamentary Joint Select Committee, which is being set up by the Australian Government to consider constitutional recognition of local government and the timing of a referendum. ALGA had requested a parliamentary committee as the next step towards securing a referendum on the constitutional recognition of local government. The development follows an undertaking given by Prime Minister Julia Gillard when coming to office in 2010 to hold a referendum by the end of 2013 on the constitutional recognition of local government. ALGA is seeking an amendment of Section 96 of the Constitution to include reference to local government. ALGA maintains that this is the only way to protect direct federal funding for community services and infrastructure. 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 ALGA's case for financial recognition was a viable option. Furthermore, 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 indicated support for financial recognition of local government in the Constitution. The Joint Select Committee is expected to be established later this month and will include 12 members of various political persuasion. It is essential that every council in Australia is equipped and ready to make a submission to the Committee, outlining the compelling need for recognition in the Constitution. Councils are encouraged to use their submissions to reinforce the need for certainty of federal funding and to underscore the importance of a referendum being held at a time that maximises its chance of success. "The Case for Change" can be accessed online via the ALGA website, or by clicking here. | | | | |  A new national report launched by ALGA to measure the standard of community roads and infrastructure estimates that 12 per cent of local government transport assets are in poor or very poor condition. The National State of the Assets Report 2012, unveiled at last week's National Local Roads and Transport Congress in Hobart, is the first of its kind. It was prepared 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 was produced by Jeff Roorda and Associates and builds on research commissioned by ALGA in 2010 which indicated that current levels of 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. Key findings of the Report suggest that the current state of sealed roads presents the greatest challenge to councils, with more than $2 billion in value for just the 55 councils assessed being regarded as poor or very poor in respect to quality and capacity. The Report demonstrates the continued need for federal programs such as Roads to Recovery (R2R), which provide councils with additional funding each year to maintain local roads. After strong advocacy from local government, the Commonwealth this year announced that it would extend the program from 2014 to 2019. ALGA President Felicity-ann Lewis says while councils appreciate the assistance through R2R, more needs to be done address an estimated funding shortfall for local roads of $1.2 billion annually. "Local roads make up more than 80 per cent of the nation's road system and are maintained by councils. Without adequate support, we will struggle to maintain local roads to the standards necessary to ensure transport safety." "Improving the quality of our roads will contribute to safer roads. On average, four people are killed and 90 are seriously injured every day on Australia's roads. This equates to the loss of 1500 lives a year as a result of road crashes." ALGA will now lead a process in 2013 to involve all Australian local governments in assessing the state of the local road assets to further broaden its understanding of this critical infrastructure. | | | | |  The National Local Roads and Transport Congress held in Hobart last week culminated in a number of outcomes for local government. Hundreds of council delegates in attendance raised concerns about the growing funding gap between what councils can afford to spend on local roads and what they need to spend to maintain community standards. The Congress of delegates, who met to develop further strategies to manage council owned local infrastructure and maintain services at acceptable levels, heard that current expenditure would need to increase by an average of $1.2 billion per year to avoid deterioration of the local road network. In finalising outcomes from the Congress, delegates: - welcomed the extension of the Roads to Recovery program from 2014 to 2019;
- called on the Federal Government for increased and permanent funding under the Roads to Recovery program to close the recognised funding gap of $1.2 billion;
- welcomed the National State of the Assets Report 2012, which demonstrates how councils have improved the way they mange roads and infrastructure;
- re-affirmed their commitment to achieving best practice asset management and called on the Federal Government to continue to support councils in this work.
Councils are currently developing asset management policies consistent with the Australian Government's National Framework on Asset Planning and Management, to which ALGA has contributed. The policies are being used to underpin the management of the local road network. | | |
| |  As anticipated in previous editions of ALGA News, ALGA's presidential election was held last week, on the eve of the National Roads and Transport Congress in Hobart. While the election was a challenge, I was pleased to be confirmed as ALGA President for a further two years at the Annual General Meeting and I welcome the election of Mayor Troy Pickard and Cr Keith Rhoades as ALGA's Vice Presidents. With no time to waste since last week's re-election, I have arranged to meet with Local Government Minister Simon Crean to discuss the recently announced establishment of a parliamentary committee to consider constitutional recognition of local government. The parliamentary committee will convene later this month and will consist of 12 members of various political persuasion to advise on the timing of a referendum and the wording of a possible amendment. ALGA had requested a parliamentary committee as the next step towards a referendum following Prime Minister Julia Gillard's undertaking when coming to office in 2010 to hold a referendum by the end of 2013 on constitutional recognition of local government. I am also seeking meetings with a number of Senators and Ministers about the same issue while I am in Canberra next week. This week, we published "The Case for Change", a 10-page document which articulates why local government needs to be recognised in the Australian constitution. I am personally sending this publication to all councils across Australia with a supporting letter to assist them with making submissions to the soon-to-be-established parliamentary committee on constitutional recognition of local government. Each submission should be unequivocal in expressing the need for constitutional change and reinforcing that recognition in the Constitution is the only way to protect direct federal funding for community services and infrastructure. On another matter, I want to thank the hundreds of council delegates who attended our National Roads and Transport Congress last week! It was a resounding success and as ALGA President, I will be acting on your calls to continue to advocate for increased and permanent funding under the Commonwealth's Roads to Recovery program. Thanks again to those who encouraged and supported me in my nomination for ALGA President. I am looking forward to working with you to secure the best deal for local government. Mayor Felicity-ann Lewis
ALGA President | | |
| | The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, announced that applications for funding through the Indigenous Broadcasting Program (IBP) for 2013-14 are now open. "The IBP supports a wide range of Indigenous media organisations that provide unique and valuable services to Indigenous communities throughout Australia," Senator Conroy said. "The program currently supports the operational and technical costs of urban, regional and remote Indigenous radio stations, including for broadcasting, training and content production. "The Indigenous broadcasting and media sector helps build safe and supportive communities and plays a critical role in promoting indigenous languages, culture and wellbeing and distributing local messages effectively. "Indigenous radio services are often the only locally based services for remote communities and provide the only immediate method to convey messages in local languages during emergencies. "The Indigenous broadcasting sector also supports Indigenous economic participation through the provision of jobs and training and has been identified as critical to Closing the Gap." The Government is providing $15.8 million to the IBP in 2013-14. Applications for the 2013-14 funding round will close on 1 February 2013 and will be assessed against the published program guidelines and assessment criteria. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online. An electronic submission (eSub) is available here. For further information please contact OFTA on 1800 006 992 or www.arts.gov.au/topics/indigenous or visit DBCDE at www.dbcde.gov.au/ibp. | | | | | The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, and Senator for New South Wales, Senator Ursula Stephens, announced that Broken Hill will host one of 10 National Broadband Network satellite ground stations. The ground station will be operational in 2015 and will help deliver broadband services with speeds of up to 12 megabits per second to remote communities including Menindee, Puramoota, Yanco Glen and Kanbara. "The Broken Hill ground station will be a boost to the local economy and act as an essential satellite gateway, helping deliver fast, affordable, and reliable broadband to rural and remote communities across Australia," Senator Conroy said. "This will create local jobs, with around 20-30 workers needed to build the facility." Senator Stephens said far western NSW is already benefiting from the NBN, with more than 121 homes and businesses connected to NBN Co's interim satellite service, a service designed to offer fast and affordable broadband services to people in remote and rural areas of Australia ahead of the launch of NBN Co's long term satellite service in 2015. Customers using the NBN's Interim Satellite Service are excited by the quality of the service. The White Family told the Daily Liberal, "It is nearly equal to what family members in Sydney have. That's a great improvement in speed of service and at this stage reliability." "For too long, people living in rural and regional New South Wales have had to put up with second class telecommunications infrastructure," Senator Stephens said. The Broken Hill satellite ground station is the ninth ground station to be announced. The other locations are Bourke (NSW), Wolumla (NSW), Geeveston (Tasmania), Ceduna (SA), Geraldton (WA), Carnarvon (WA), Kalgoorlie (WA) and Roma (QLD). | | | | | The recently announced review by the Commonwealth Grants Commission into Financial Assistance Grants provides local government with an opportunity to shape the future of this important grants program. The Commonwealth has announced a two stage review, with the first stage focusing on how to make the most from the existing level of funding. On 14 November 2012, the Commission was asked to identify tangible measures for improving the impact of Financial Assistance Grants on the effectiveness and sustainability of local governments and their ability to provide an equitable level of service to their residents, within current State funding envelopes. To help those intending to make a submission it will circulate an issues paper by the end of the month which will set out what it has been asked to do and identify specific questions on which it seeks advice. The Commission seeks those submissions by the beginning of March 2013, so that it can meet with interested parties in Canberra and some regional centres in April. It plans further consultations in conjunction with the National General Assembly of local governments in Canberra in June. Its report will be provided to Government at the end of 2013. The letter of transmittal and the full terms of reference are at: http://www.cgc.gov.au/. | | | | | The National Australian Local Government Women's association (ALGWA) has appointed the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) to provide the 50:50 Vision - Councils for Gender Equity Program until June 2015. LGAQ has extensive experience with program and event management, and has proven ability to progress issues, such as gender equity, with its exceptional consultation skills and through its vast networks. The 50:50 Vision - Councils for Gender Equity Program is designed to bring about cultural and organisational change in councils, increasing the numbers of women in senior management roles; and to increase the representation of women on councils.
All councils are encouraged to participate in the Program in order to be better able to compete for talent when recruiting and encourage greater participation of women on councils. | | | | | In May 2012, the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency announced that Strata Community Australia, in partnership with the City of Melbourne, City of Sydney, Green Strata, and Owners Corporation Network was successful in receiving more than $1 million from the Energy Efficiency Information Grants (EEIG) Program to develop and deliver a national energy efficiency tool-kit and engagement program for residential owners corporations through a project called Sustainable Strata. The purpose of this project is to build capability in Australia’s residential strata sector to drive change, create engaged communities and improve energy efficiency. This will be achieved by taking the insights and solutions created through the Higher-density Residential Efficiency Solutions (Hi-RES) project and further developing, collating and delivering meaningful information and tools that support and encourage strata communities across Australia to make informed decisions about energy efficiency. These tools will be open to all communities and local governments in Australia to access and utilise. In addition to the development on a national online tool-kit, Sustainable Strata will also develop and deliver a national engagement program that will ensure the Hi-RES solutions can reach as wide an audience as possible. The engagement program will include public seminars and professional training for managers. The Sustainable Strata national engagement program is in development and will be launched in May 2013 and seeks to deliver up to 40 events in municipalities across Australian over two years. For more information on Sustainable Strata, please visit www.melbourne.vic.gov.au. | | | | | Tumut will receive an energy efficiency boost when key community bodies including Tumut Shire Council and the Rural Fire Service reap the benefits of a $1.19 million Low Carbon Australia project. The Tumut Shire Council building in Capper Street will be fitted with energy efficient lighting, an upgraded air conditioning system and photovoltaic panels that are expected to reduce the building’s grid electricity consumption by over 60 per cent. Mayor Trina Thomson said the upgrade would create dollar savings through reduced electricity bills and reduced maintenance costs associated with new equipment. "As a Council we have a commitment to keeping our costs down for ratepayers and we also have a commitment to improving our sustainability," she said. "We expect this project to save over 250,000 kWh annually in electricity and help cut annual carbon emissions by 248 tonnes. "The extra advantage of this project is that it also benefits the operations of the building’s other tenants - The Rural Fire Service, NSW Forestry and Corrective Services - who have important roles in our community." Before the project was approved, the council carried out an energy audit with the assistance of Energy Saver. Energy Saver, run by the NSW government’s Office of Environment and Heritage, offers subsidised energy audits and assistance for businesses in NSW to be more energy efficient and save money on power bills. The Council sought finance through Australian-government backed organisation Low Carbon Australia to carry out the project without having to fund the upfront costs itself. Low Carbon Australia’s CEO Meg McDonald said Low Carbon Australia was proud to be able to help local government authorities like Tumut Shire Council improve their operations by financing new energy efficient equipment. | | | | | The 2013 application round for the Rural Australia Medical Undergraduate Scholarship (RAMUS ) Scheme is now open. The RAMUS Scheme assists selected students with a rural background to study medicine at university. The Scheme is aimed at increasing the number of doctors practising in rural and remote communities across Australia. The online Application Form and the Application Guidelines, including details of the eligibility and selection criteria, can be found at http://ramus.ruralhealth.org.au/applying There is also a Frequently Asked Questions page to assist prospective applicants (http://ramus.ruralhealth.org.au/ramus-2013-application-round-frequently-asked-questions) Applications will close at 5.00pm on 14 January 2013. Eligible students in any year of their medical studies as well as those who have applied to study medicine commencing in 2013, but who are waiting for confirmation of a university place, may apply for RAMUS. In the case of RAMUS applicants who do not yet have a confirmed university place, their scholarship applications will be provisionally assessed and ranked pending confirmation of their university enrolment. | | | | | The Australian Government has introduced free calls to Centrelink’s Indigenous phone lines, reducing the cost barriers for people living in remote communities. The Minister for Human Services Senator Kim Carr said ABSTUDY students, Indigenous Australians and people on Income Management could now contact Centrelink from any landline free of charge. "The Government is committed to improving service delivery, particularly for those living in remote Indigenous communities who are further disadvantaged by distance," Senator Kim Carr said. "Last year 1.6 million Australians accessed assistance from Centrelink’s ABSTUDY, Indigenous and Income Management lines. "This measure provides a strong foundation to encourage education and participation in Indigenous communities, crucial for closing the gap. "In particular, young people in remote communities face significant barriers to continuing in education, so we have also introduced free calls for people using a Telstra mobile." ABSTUDY students, Income Management and Indigenous people can access assistance on: - ABSTUDY -1800 132 317
- Indigenous Line -1800 136 380
- Income Management Line -1800 132 594
"To assist in the transition to the new numbers, the original ‘13’ numbers will continue to remain active for the short term to advise users of the new telephone numbers," Senator Kim Carr said. | | | | | A new report launched by the Minister for Mental Health, Mark Butler, in Adelaide has found that rural and regional communities face unique challenges in preventing and recovering from suicide. Mr Butler said the report - Suicide in rural and remote areas of Australia - confirms the need to address suicide in rural and remote Australia in a way that recognises the specific experience of those communities. "Suicide is devastating for families and communities, and we know that rural, regional and remote communities face rates of suicide around 20 to 30 per cent higher than in metropolitan areas," Mr Butler said. "It's important that we have up to date and comprehensive research to help inform the policy initiatives being rolled out on the ground in these communities." "This report is a timely reminder of the ongoing and critical need for mental health reform to improve the lives of Australians experiencing and affected by mental illness." "The Gillard Government has a concrete reform plan focused on better access to services, better detection, better targeting and better coordination." The report assessed a range of data to make practical findings including that: - Higher rates of agricultural industry employment were associated with higher male suicide rates in rural areas.
- Divorce and unemployment were associated with higher male suicide rates in rural areas.
- Rural areas with higher levels of education had lower suicide rates.
- Work and financial problems strongly predicted suicide in rural areas.
- Protective factors included access to health services such as GPs, and supportive family relationships.
To access the report, click here. | | | | | A new online one-stop-shop for flood risk information will be available to assist the community, planners and insurers to access important flood information about their local area. In launching the National Flood Risk Information Portal Minister for Emergency Management Nicola Roxon said the Portal will be a critical tool in the disaster preparedness kit. The National Flood Risk Information Portal will be a valuable resource for helping communities better prepare for flood disasters,” Ms Roxon said. "Easy access to flood risk information will give communities and planners a better understanding of their exposure to floods, as well as assist insurers in developing fair and reasonable policies. "While disasters can be unpredictable, we can all be better prepared and this is just one way the Gillard Government is doing its bit to help Australian communities be disaster ready." The Project directly supports implementation of the National Strategy for Disaster Resilience, which emphasises the importance of building community resilience to reducing the impact of natural disasters. "This Portal is an important step towards building a more resilient Australia, by making us better informed about disaster risk," Ms Roxon said. To access the National Flood Risk Information Portal , click here. | | |
| | | | | | | |  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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