 | |  The Joint Select Committee established by parliament to investigate the likelihood of Australians voting 'yes' at a 2013 referendum to recognise local government in the Constitution will hold a second public hearing on 20 February to hear from local government bodies and Commonwealth agencies that have provided submissions to the inquiry. The second hearing follows the deadline for submissions to the inquiry of 15 February. The first hearing was held on 16 January and, despite the February deadline for submissions, the Committee released a preliminary report on 24 January, which recommended that a financial recognition referendum be held at the same time as the 2013 federal election, slated for 14 September. The report states that recent cases in the High Court have created "considerable uncertainty about the Commonwealth's power to provide funding directly to local government" and that "a successful referendum would return Australia to the widely understood status quo that existed before those recent High Court cases, and ensure the needs of communities are met through the continuation of important programs like Roads to Recovery". ALGA has strongly supported the need for constitutional change as soon as possible to secure the continuation of direct funding to local government, which can only be achieved through a successful referendum. ALGA's concern is that delays in obtaining strong commitment from across the political spectrum at both the state and federal level, to a change to Section 96, have hampered efforts to finalise the requirements necessary for a successful referendum. Local Government Minister Simon Crean issued a media release last week acknowledging that more work needs to be done with the states to secure the necessary support for a successful referendum and stating that the Federal Government would await the release of the final report due in March before responding further. This week, Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce told media that a "half-baked" attempt at going to a referendum would "fail miserably". "There is hope, but it's like everything you would literally have to start tomorrow," Senator Joyce said. "Referendums are so hard to get up that if people are not absolutely and utterly and thoroughly focused on it, it just won't work... The Australian people are inherently sceptical, when in doubt they knock out every time."
"The Coalition policy has remained in support of financial recognition of local government to deal with the issues pertaining to the concerns brought up by the Pape case and the Williams case, we have got to try and resolve that," Senator Joyce said. | | | | |  ALGA has presented a submission to the 2013-14 Federal Budget, outlining the need for reform in Commonwealth-local government financial relations to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of councils. ALGA believes that such reforms must focus on continued progress on constitutional reform through a successful referendum on the financial recognition of local government; a full review of the Financial Assistance Grants program; permanent funding through the Roads to Recovery program; and the prevention of cost and responsibility shifting onto local government by other levels of government, particularly the states and territories. It should be noted that at an aggregate level, local government undertakes its work while being 90 per cent self-funded. However, many rural and regional councils do not have the means to collect the same revenues as their urban and larger regional counterparts and are much more reliant on external funding sources. ALGA's Budget Submission asserts that "higher grant levels are absolutely critical to these authorities being able to function in the best interests of their constituents and to equalise services and infrastructure availability across the community". "Considerable local government funds are spent on vital additional work that relates to broad national issues. Local and regional communities require support to respond and adapt to factors they cannot control, such as climate change, drought, natural disasters and economic upheavals." ALGA has also reiterated the need for greater disaster mitigation funding, an issue ALGA has pursued consistently in recent years. To assist councils confronting natural disasters, ALGA argues that the 2013-14 Budget should include: - $50 million over five years for a dedicated program for local government disaster mitigation;
- $20 million over four years to develop the data initiative, and boost local government's capacity.
Local government has been a strong supporter of the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) under which the costs of restoring government infrastructure are shared across the levels of government with the Commonwealth committing to meet up to 75 per cent of those costs, subject to adequate insurance arrangements being in place at the jurisdictional level. However, given the scale and continued impacts of recent natural disasters, particularly the floods in Queensland, it is likely that even under the NDRRA arrangements, a number of councils will not be in a position to adequately fund the restoration of local infrastructure. Local government therefore endorses initiatives that build capacity in local and regional communities to identify, mitigate and adapt, as well as respond to natural disasters. ALGA's Submission to the 2013-14 Federal Budget is now online and can be accessed here. We will bring you more on our Budget Submission in next week's edition of ALGA News. | | | | |  The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) is calling for motions for the 2013 National General Assembly (NGA) under this year's theme ‘Foundations for the Future - Twenty 13'. To assist councils in preparing motions, a discussion paper has been prepared and is available on the ALGA website. Motions should be submitted electronically via the online form on the website by 26 April 2013. To be eligible for inclusion in the NGA Business Papers motions from councils must follow the below principles: - Fall under the NGA theme;
- Be relevant to the work of local government nationally; and
- Complement or build on the policy objectives of state and territory associations.
The NGA will be held at the National Convention Centre in Canberra between 16 and 19 June. As the major event on the annual local government events calendar, the NGA typically attracts more than 700 mayors, councillors and senior officers from councils across Australia. The NGA is an opportunity for councils to contribute to the development of national local government policy and receive updates on the top policy issues facing local government nationally. For further information, contact ALGA on (02) 6122 9400. | | |
| |  Every year on 26 January, Australians join in celebrating the nation's achievements and the significant contributions of citizens, as deserving individuals are praised for their service to the nation and its people. As in previous years, I was heartened to learn of the many recipients recognised in the 2013 Australia Day honours list for local government service. It is with great pleasure that I extend my congratulations to the following local government leaders and recipients of Australia Day awards and thank them for their contribution to local government. Stephen John Jones from Withcott in Queensland was made a member of the Order of Australia for his significant service to local government and the community of Lockyer Valley, particularly in relation to the Queensland floods in 2010 and 2011. The Honourable Dr Jane Diane Lomax-Smith of Adelaide was also made a member of the Order of Australia for her significant service to the Parliament and the community of South Australia. Dr Lomax-Smith was the Lord Mayor of Adelaide between 1997 and 2000. The following local government champions were recipients of the Medal in the Order of Australia in the General Division: Donald Cameron, Ventnor, Victoria
For service to local government, to conservation and the environment, and to the community, particularly through Lions International. John Laurence Chadban, Boomerang Beach, NSW
For service to local government and to the community of the Great Lakes region. Councillor John Neville Davis, Orange, NSW
For service to local government and to the community of Orange. Douglas Charles Daws, Kalgoorlie, WA
For service to the mining industry, to local government and to the community of Kalgoorlie. Roy Alton Flynn, Millmerran, Qld
For service to local government and to the community. Mary Laelia Glen, deceased, Late of Condobolin, NSW
For service to local government and to the community of Condobolin. Susan Ruth Hoopman, Hunters Hill, NSW
For service to local government. Leslie Irene Huggins, deceased, Late of Apollo Bay, Vic
For service to local government and to the community of Alice Springs. David Allan Lane, Lightning Ridge, NSW
For service to local government and to the community. Charles Lowles, Blackett, NSW
For service to local government and to the community. Winston Churchill Phillips, Cooma, NSW
For service to local government and to the community of the Monaro and Snowy Mountains region. Keith Albert Pretty PSM, Drouin, Vic
For service to local government and to the community. Wulf Ernst Reichler, Brewarrina, NSW
For service to local government, to conservation and the environment, and to the community. Phillip Joseph Russo, North Parramatta, NSW
For service to local government and to the community of Parramatta. Mervyn Ray Sharman, Glen Innes, NSW
For service to local government and to the community of Glenn Innes. Robert Alister Vagg, Ivanhoe, NSW
For service to local government and to the community. Alan Bruce Ward, Cootamundra, NSW
For service to local government and to the community of Cootamundra. Allan James Watson, Kew, Vic
For service to local government and to the community. Pamela Ruth Davoren, ACT
For outstanding public service in the leadership of coordinated and integrated policy development and service delivery across the ACT Public Service. Deputy Lord Mayor, Michael Llewellyn-Smith, Adelaide, SA
For services to Adelaide and the community. The full honours list is available here. Mayor Felicity-ann Lewis
ALGA President | | |
| | The first Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payments (AGDRP) have been made available to eligible people in the severely affected local government areas of Gladstone, Gympie and Fraser Coast. Individuals who have been impacted by the severe weather and associated flooding in Queensland can claim payments of $1,000 for each eligible adult and $400 for each eligible child from the Australian Government. The recovery payments are being made available now to the communities of Gladstone, Gympie and Fraser Coast as they move into a clean-up and recovery phase. The Government will make a further announcement about support for the community of Bundaberg after the immediate emergency threat has passed and the community enters the recovery phase. Jointly funded emergency personal hardship and distress assistance payments are currently available for Bundaberg residents through the Queensland Department of Communities. The Commonwealth will consider if additional assistance is required for any other severely impacted communities after the immediate threat has passed and where the evidence demonstrates the community has met the threshold for activation of this recovery payment. People directly affected by the floods are urged to take advantage of this assistance. The easiest way to lodge a claim is by calling the Australian Government Emergency Information Line on 180 22 66 from 8am to 8pm local time, seven days a week. You can also lodge a claim online at humanservices.gov.au/disaster. This assistance is over and above the support already being provided by the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments under the jointly funded Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA). Further information on Australian Government assistance is available online on the Disaster Assist website . Further information about Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements for individuals is available from the Queensland Government website. | | | | | The Australian Greens are calling for a permanent disaster fund to care for people coping with flood, fire and other catastrophes around the country. "It is a tragedy we have lost four lives in the extreme flooding, but our emergency services must be commended for their role in keeping loss of life as low as it is. I also commend the people who have been working hard all around the country to contribute to better and better disaster preparedness, from the academics with their disaster research to the workers on the ground," Senator Christine Milne said today. "As the country of the fair go, as a community of people who look after each other, we should share the burden of this and other catastrophes rather than leave people alone to cope by themselves. "But a one-off levy makes no sense when you recognise that the extreme weather events we’re seeing this summer are not one-off events. "The Greens have long argued for a permanent, adequately resourced disaster fund, and the Senate Inquiry into extreme weather events will examine the options. "The science tells us that climate change is causing and will cause more frequent and extreme weather events. If we are to be properly prepared for this changed world we will need an adequate fund to help people deal with the costs." | | | | | The Director of National Parks has released draft management plans for five new Commonwealth Marine Reserves for public comment. The Government established the new Commonwealth marine reserves in November to protect Australia’s marine ecosystems and habitats and members of the public have been given 30 days to comment on the proposed management of the South-west, North-west, North, Coral Sea and Temperate East reserves. The management plans will then be finalised and given to the Minister for Environment, Tony Burke, for consideration. "Spokesman, Stephen Oxley, for the Director of National Parks, said the objective of the draft management plans was to ensure the protection and conservation of biodiversity and other natural and cultural values in the marine reserves. "The draft management plans set out how the marine reserves will be managed and what activities can and cannot take place in the reserves over the next 10 years," Mr Oxley said. "While the management plans for the new reserves are being developed, transitional arrangements are in place that maintain current arrangements for commercial and recreational users of the marine reserves." He said they were aiming to have the management plans for the new Commonwealth marine reserve networks finalised by the middle of the year, before they were due to come into effect in July 2014. "Until then, there will be no "on the water" changes for users in the new areas added to the Commonwealth reserve estate," Mr Oxley said. Submissions to the plan close on 14 February. The draft management plans can be accessed here. | | | | | A community forum to discuss high speed rail and rail freight will be held on 14 February 2013 in Goulburn, midway between Sydney and Canberra. Hosted by the Goulburn Mulwaree City Council, the forum will extend the discussion about high speed rail beyond issues of capital cities and airports, to possible impacts on regional centres including access to regional commuter transport and coping with a forecast increase in freight load. Presentations will be made by a variety of speakers, including the Australasian Railway Association, Canberra Airport, Central Japan Railway Company and the Goulburn Mulwaree City Council. The High Speed Rail and Rail Freight Forum will take place at the Chisholm Room, Goulburn Soldiers Club, Market Street, Goulburn. For more information contact the Goulburn Mulwaree City Council. | | | | | Entries in the National Awards for Local Government close Friday 15 February 2013. With entries closing soon, we would like to remind you that by entering a project, a number of benefits to council are possible. Previous entries have showcased innovative and cost effective solutions to a wide variety of challenges facing local councils. Winning category entries receive a number of benefits including; council recognition amongst the community, pride and motivation to staff as well as overall promotion of the project. The 2013 Awards categories are: - Asset and Financial Management
- Promoting Reconciliation
- Youth Engagement and Participation
- Regional Collaborations
- Strength in Diversity
- Women in the Community
- Excellence in Road Safety
- Excellence in Tourism
- Active Arts
- Innovative Infrastructure Development
Entries already received clearly demonstrate the creativity, best practice and hard work of council officers around Australia. For further information visit: www.regional.gov.au/local/awards | | | | | The Minister for Disability Reform, Jenny Macklin, and Member for Newcastle, Sharon Grierson, this week visited local disability service provider, ConnectAbility Australia, to discuss how the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) will deliver extra jobs and services to Newcastle. The NDIS will begin in the Hunter area from the middle of this year. Ms Macklin said preparation for an NDIS in the Hunter was well underway, with the NDIS Launch Transition Agency on the ground and recruiting staff. "The Agency will work at the local level so that people with disability, their families and carers work with staff who understand the local community supports and services. "The Agency will have a regional office in Newcastle and by the middle of the year we expect there will be around 65 people employed as staff or contractors in this regional office," Ms Macklin said. This will include: - Qualified planners who will work with people to develop their individual support statement;
- Local Area Coordinators who will help people with disability participate in their community; and access their other support needs through the NDIS;
- Financial managers, technical staff and administrators.
The Member for Newcastle, Sharon Grierson, said the NDIS represented an entirely new approach to the way disability supports are accessed for people in the Hunter area. "The NDIS will involve major changes in the way we work with people with disability, their families, carers and service providers, and we want to make sure we get this reform right, step by step, so we can build a system that is sustainable over time," Ms Grierson said. | | | | | Last year, the Commonwealth Government added a new program to its set of Low Carbon Communities programs, one specifically designed for local government. The Local Government Energy Efficiency Program (LGEEP) is designed to enable councils to apply for co-funding for energy efficiency programs, such as retro-fitting buildings or installing alternative energy sources. There are a number of conditions and requirements necessary, however, special consideration and additional funding for economically disadvantaged or remote councils is available. The program is non-competitive and offers co-funding grants in graduated levels from a minimum $10,000 for small councils up to $85,000 for economically-disadvantaged large councils. The first round of funding applications close on 29 April 2013 and full details, including guidelines and eligibility requirements, can be found here. | | | | | The Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia has welcomed the release of a joint report from Deloitte Australia and the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, highlighting the benefits of diverse workplaces in improving business performance and productivity and increasing employee satisfaction.
The report, entitled Waiter, is that inclusion in my soup? A new recipe to improving business performance, notes that employees who feel included and view their organisation as being committed to, and supportive of diversity, are 80 per cent more likely to perceive their organisation as well-performing and productive.
Commenting on the report’s findings, FECCA Chair, Mr Pino Migliorino, noted the extent to which it effectively highlights the benefits of diverse workplaces, in terms of both employee satisfaction and enhanced workplace productivity and efficiency.
"This report does well to articulate that through implementing strategies that support and advocate for diversity, then employment effectively becomes a mechanism through which to empower individuals with dignity, self-confidence and stability which, in turn, results in happier workers and a more productive workforce".
Mr Migliorino continued, “for too long, it seems that the value of diversity and inclusion as powerful factors influencing productivity has been underrated, and that these elements are, in fact, key to an employee’s job satisfaction and well-being and are inherently linked to positive business performance”.
"The report's findings provide an effective blueprint for the sort of model that all Australian workplaces need to recognise and implement-namely, one that highlights a simple correlation between fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion, and this leading to improved workforce productivity", said Mr Migliorino.
FECCA has previously advocated for recognition of culturally and linguistic diversity in Australian workplaces, and is currently undertaking a project aimed at fostering Harmony in the Workplace. | | | | | The Local Government Association of South Australia said it was time that the State Government considered increasing council rates concessions, for eligible ratepayers. LGA CEO Wendy Campana said the LGA had been petitioning the Government since 2005 to increase the rates concession for pensioners and concession card holders. She said she welcomed reports today that the Government was considering this increase, among a raft of initiatives to ease the cost of living burden on South Australians. "The rates concession subsidy was last increased in 2002 when it was set at $194 per year," Ms Campana said. "Since then, with the increased costs of living, including recent steep rises in utility costs, the LGA has argued that this subsidy is not sufficient. "Detailed studies that we have conducted have indicated that the subsidy should be at least $250 to maintain parity with CPI." Ms Campana said she would be contacting Government Ministers and senior Departmental staff to ensure that the proposed concession increases and other financial assistance measures to reduce cost of living burdens on South Australians become a reality. "In 2010 the State Government increased a range of pensioner concessions, including energy, water and sewer and emergency services bills but excluded Council rates concessions," Ms Campana said. The State Government currently allocates $33.8 million in 2011/12 to Councils to pass on rates concessions to eligible ratepayers. | | | | | The Australian Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation has published a planting guide to assist individuals, gardeners, municipalities, government land management authorities and farmers. Bee Friendly: A planting guide for European honeybees and Australian native pollinators describes planting choices from the backyard to the bush, right across the nation, and aims to assist with increasing available bee food. Partnerships and innovation in urban environments and broad-scale vegetation management will effect a positive difference. Perennial pastures for semi-arid lands, biofuel plantations, carbon farming, biodiverse planting and revisiting existing plantation development can all deliver signficant regional benefits. The guide gives ideas and choices of species to bring about improved outcomes for honeybees and the Australian pollen-and-nectar-using fauna, including mammals, insects and birds. For more information, click here. | | |
| | | Managing Legal Risks for Coastal Councils The challenge of managing legal risks on the coast will be the topic of a keynote address by leading environmental and planning lawyer Andrew Beatty at the Australian Coastal Councils Conference in South Australia next month. Andrew's presentation will address the question of what coastal councils can do to identify, manage and mitigate their legal risks in the current environment of shifting and uncertain coastal policy. "Coastal councils face real challenges relating to the actual and projected impacts of climate change," Andrew said. "These challenges are physical, financial and political." Registration is now open for the Australian Coastal Councils Conference, to be held in South Australia from 25 to 27 March 2013. Other topics include the findings of a landmark research project on the impact of tourists and other non-resident populations on coastal communities. The conference will also feature information on a new research project to develop a methodology to capture and document coastal values and character in coastal communities and plans for a collaborative advocacy campaign for the forthcoming Federal election. This is an important national event for representatives of coastal councils and other stakeholders who want to play a role in developing Australia's coastal policy agenda. Program and registration form available at - www.seachangetaskforce.org.au/Conference.html Queries: Susan Faulkner 02 9438 1608 (T) or email info@seachangetaskforce.org.au |
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