With a parliamentary inquiry report recommending a referendum to recognise local government in the constitution at the September election, Australian Greens local government spokesperson and committee member Senator Lee Rhiannon has called on the Australian Government to introduce required legislation soon after parliament resumes next week.

The Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition of Local Government recommended a referendum at the next election to recognise local councils in the constitution and allow the federal government to directly fund them.

"Two expert committees have now found in favour of a referendum. The Labor government must move quickly to pass legislation between March and July facilitating the referendum and allowing time to build strong community and cross party support," Senator Rhiannon said.

"If the government drags the chain it will rob the campaign of time to educate the community about the importance of constitutional reform to allow the federal government to fund local councils.

"Two High Court cases have created uncertainty around federal grants to local councils.

"This referendum should receive active support from all political parties, state governments and local councils across the nation.

"Referendums are notoriously difficult to pass, with voters approving eight out of 44 proposals to alter the constitution, so it is important campaigning gets going as soon as possible.

"Today's report reveals a big appetite from local councils for reform and strong capacity to campaign. The Gillard government must lead the way in securing this important change.

"The Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984 sets out the referendum process. This includes passing a bill setting out the proposed alteration to the Constitution, establishing 'yes' and 'no' committees of MPs to prepare a case supporting their position and the Government-General issuing writs," Senator Rhiannon said.

A national transport taskforce, of which ALGA is a member, has this week called for the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader to explore more solutions to transport problems in Western Sydney during their tour of the area.

The Moving People 2030 Taskforce is made up of representatives from eight national organisations with links to public transport, health, cycling, urban planning and local government.

Taskforce spokesperson Michael Apps, Executive Director of the Bus Industry Confederation said both leaders should look at a range of infrastructure, planning and land use options which integrate walking, cycling, public transport and roads to connect Western Sydney residents to the rest of the city.

"The Taskforce welcomes a commitment from the Australian Government to address congestion on western Sydney roads," Mr Apps said.

"We believe, investment in public transport, walking and cycling options for residents is needed if congestion in the area is to be reduced.

"The Australian Government should work with the NSW government to progress projects like the North West Rail Link, the Parramatta Light Rail proposal and to improve infrastructure for bus services to ensure commuters have choice in transport options.

"Most important of all, to free up capacity for the entire Sydney rail network, Australian Government support will be needed for a second Harbour rail crossing.

"Western Sydney is not alone in facing these transport challenges in outer metropolitan suburbs; they exist across all of our capital cities.

"Research demonstrates the residents of outer metropolitan areas like Western Sydney spend the highest percentage of their household income on transport because they have no access to alternatives such as public transport and are financially vulnerable to the increasing costs of transport."

The Taskforce will be launching a report in Canberra on March 13 next week with the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Anthony Albanese, to provide a range of recommendations within a transport plan for a productive and active Australia in the year 2030.

The Australian Human Rights Commission engaged a consultant to review the operation of the Guideline on the access to Premises Standard after its first year of operation, to identify any parts of the Guideline that could be made clearer and more useful.  The review has been completed and the Australian Human Rights Commission has released a number of revised documents in relation to Access to Premises Guidelines.

ALGA President and Disability Champion for Local Government, Felicity-ann Lewis, is encouraging all councils to consider the revised guidelines and look at their projects and programs to see whether changes can be made to increase the accessibility of those programs to people with disability. 

"Small changes to the accessibility of outdoor spaces, access to transport and premises have the potential to make a significant difference to the ability of people with disability to fully participate in the community," Mayor Lewis said.

The final update of the Guideline on the Access to Premises Standard (V2) is available on the Australian Human Rights Commission website and can be accessed in MS Word format or PDF format.  The update takes into consideration more than 180 comments received from building professionals, advocates, government agencies and associations.

The Australian Human Rights Commission has also released a new Advisory Note on streetscape,  public outdoor areas, fixtures, fittings and furniture  to provide guidance for features in the built environment not covered by the Premises Standards.  The advisory note can be accessed here.

An update of Accessible Events - A Guide for Organisers first developed in 2006, has also been completed to assist those responsible for organising events such as conferences, festivals, annual meetings, award ceremonies, fundraisers and seminars which are accessible to people with disability.

The Australian Human Rights Commission website contains further resources to assist with providing access for people with disability.  To read more, click here.

The Australian Government this week released further detail of the rules that will guide how the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) works for people with disability, their families, carers and service providers.

The rules support the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill, which is currently before the Australian Parliament.  The Bill establishes the NDIS, including eligibility criteria and what constitutes reasonable and necessary support, and the NDIS Agency to deliver the scheme.

The rules provide a further level of detail on how the NDIS will work, including how people with disability will be able to access the scheme, and how the Agency will determine what supports are reasonable to meet a person’s needs.

They also provide a guide to what kinds of supports will be funded, and what supports are best delivered by other systems of support, like the health or education systems.

The rules also set out how the NDIS Launch Transition Agency will work with people with disability, their families and carers and how service providers will register with the Agency.

The Government has provided $1 billion to launch the NDIS from 1 July this year.  About 26,000 people with significant and permanent disabilities, their families and carers, will benefit from the first stage of the NDIS.

The five launch sites are the Hunter in NSW, the Barwon area of Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania, and the ACT from July 2014.

The Government has been working closely with people with disability, their carers and the disability sector on the design of the NDIS.  People with disability, their families and carers will have further opportunity to provide feedback on the rules released this week.

These rules will also be able to be adjusted and updated as needed into the future to reflect the experience we gain through the NDIS launch.

The rules are available at www.ndis.gov.au and will be open for public comment until 23 March  2013.

You can have your say on the rules on the 'Your Say' online forum at http://yoursay.ndis.gov.au/.

Today, 8 March, marks International Women's Day: a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, International Women's Day is a national holiday.

This week, NSW Local Government Minister Don Page and the NSW Minister for Women Pru Goward praised the previously unsung heroes of local government - women working in non-traditional, male-dominated roles.

Mr Page and Ms Goward were speaking after announcing the winners of the sixth annual Ministers’ Awards for Women in Local Government as part of International Women's Day celebrations at Parliament House.

The Awards were established to recognise the outstanding contributions and achievements of women in local government in NSW.

"The Awards seek to raise the profile of women in local government," Mr Page said.

"They are about celebrating the unsung heroes of local government, who through their dedication, make a difference to the local community. It is my hope that through recognising the women of local government who make the greatest difference, we will inspire other women to work for and lead this vital sector."

"The NSW Government has focussed on getting more women involved in non-traditional trades and local government plays an integral role in ensuring this happens," Ms Goward said.

Mr Page said that for the first time in the history of the awards, they recognised women in non-traditional roles.

Women made up 35 per cent of local government candidates in the September 2012 election, which was a slight increase on the 2008 poll. In last year’s poll, women made up 27 per cent of successful candidates (no change since 2008).

The Awards were established in 2008 to recognise the achievements of women in local government and encourage more women to take on leadership roles in local government in NSW.  Further details about the Awards and winners are available on the Division of Local Government's website at www.dlg.nsw.gov.au.

Women in Australia's Planning profession celebrate International Women's Day with the message that the gender imbalance in the profession is disappearing.

The Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) currently boasts a woman Chief Executive Officer, a woman National President, 5 out of 11 Board Directors, 5 of 9 Executive positions and women Presidents in some of its State/Territory Divisions around Australia.

PIA CEO Kirsty Kelly said while PIA hasn't consciously set out to achieve gender balance, by its nature planning is focused on balance.

"Women are half of the population so it makes sense that we are equally represented in leadership roles," Ms Kelly said.

In 1978 a national survey conducted for PIA showed just 4.3% of the Institute’s membership was made up of women at a time when women made up 35.6% of the Australian workforce.

Today, due to the work of influential women in planning and equal opportunity initiatives, the planning profession in Australia is becoming increasingly balanced. In 2002 the proportion had risen to 27% and by 2011/2012 the number of women members of the Institute increased to 35%, a steady growth of 8%.

The story for women in planning is further encouraging when statistics of the younger people in the profession are unveiled.

PIA figures show that in 2002 a total of 46% of first, second and third year graduates were women. That number has jumped to just over 50% for 2012/2013.

The Australian Government has announced the appointment of Megan Mitchell as Australia's first National Children’s Commissioner.  The role of Children's Commissioner is intended as a dedicated advocate for children and young people at a national level.  The Prime Minister said, "We want every child to grow up safe, happy and well.  The new Commissioner will make sure the needs of children and young people are put front and centre."

Queensland Transport Minister Scott Emerson says the recent floods have caused more than $1 billion worth of damage to roads across the state.

Mr Emerson says roads in the North and South Burnett regions in the state's south are hardest hit and will need to be rebuilt to withstand future floods.

He says more federal funding is needed.

"What's happened from these flood events over the last couple of weeks ... our estimate is about $1.5 billion worth of work that will now need to to be done," he said.

"In terms of repairs from the floods, again we will work with the Commonwealth but we understand how important it is to get these roads fixed.

"We understand how important they are to local communities - they are lifelines not just for convenience for people but economic lifelines too."

He says money for repairs two years ago could have been spent differently.

"There was a better way of doing it," he said.

"If you keep doing the things you've done before when you have the weather events we've seen, you have the same results.

"We've said to the Commonwealth, we believe the rules need to be changed.

"We believe that if we're going to repair these roads we want to make them with greater resilience so that we don't have to come back again inevitably ... that we build them to withstand more."

Meanwhile, North Burnett Mayor Don Waugh says a federal disaster funding grant of $6.6 million is not enough to fix flood-affected infrastructure in the region.

Councillor Waugh says the money will go towards repairing the Ravens Creek Bridge, Dahtlers Bridge and Waratah Bridge, as well as Mundubbera, Monto and Eidsvold water mains.

The chairman of a parliamentary Inquiry into how land is valued in New South Wales says he is shocked at what he has described as failures in the system.

Liberal MP Matt Kean is chairing the inquiry, which held its first public sitting in Broken Hill this week.

The inquiry heard the Broken Hill City Council is being forced to repay nearly $7 million in overpaid rates after a court found the Valuer-General over-estimated the worth of mining company Perilya's Broken Hill mines by about $16 million.

Mr Kean says that is just one example of the Valuer-General's failings.

"We've seen shocking examples of the system letting people down people right across this community, whether it be small business, big business, ratepayers, the examples that we've heard about how the system has failed them have been shocking," Mr Kean said.

The Broken Hill City Council says parliament should ensure there is a contract between local councils and the state's Valuer-General.

The council's acting general manager, Kate O'Neill, says the council pays the Valuer-General nearly $50,000 a year to provide valuations - but there's no contract for that service.

She says that needs to change.

"Valuations is a professional service and you wouldn't contract any other service without an agreement in place in terms of your expected service levels, timeframe quality and your insurance quality if something does go wrong," she said.

Ms O'Neill told the inquiry the Valuer-General should work out how much land is worth annually, rather than every three years.

The Valuer-General is appealing against the Land and Environment Court's decision against it over Perilya's mine land values.

It is due to be heard in the Supreme Court in July.

The Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government (ACELG) and the Local Government Association of South Australia invites council representatives to attend the 2013 Local Government Researchers Forum from 6-7 June at the University of Adelaide.

The Local Government Researchers Forum is a biennial forum for local government researchers and practitioners to present current research in the sector and discuss the implications for policy and practice.  The format includes streamed sessions, panel discussions and a concluding debate.

Note: Abstract submission deadline has been extended to the 22nd of March.

For further information contact:

Stefanie Pillora, ACELG Program Manager Research
E: stefanie.pillora@acelg.org.au | Ph: (02) 9514 4897