 | |  ALGA President Felicity-ann Lewis has declared that the national campaign to convince Australians to vote 'yes' to include local government in the Constitution to secure funding for local services and infrastructure will intensify now that the Federal Government has given its commitment to a September 2013 referendum. "The Government's decision to support holding a referendum at the time of the September federal election is the signal we have been waiting for to carry forward our fight to protect federal funding for councils," Mayor Lewis said. "I call on the Opposition, and all political parties, to support the referendum proposal and referendum funding legislation, when it is debated in the House of Representatives and the Senate next week. "We have recently advertised for a National Campaign Director to lead an integrated campaign involving every council across the country. "As we have argued for many years, the only way to protect direct federal funding for community services and infrastructure is to have local government recognised in the Australian Constitution. "Councils want financial certainty. They need formal recognition as legitimate recipients of direct federal funding. Without it, funding under programs such as Roads to Recovery are at risk of High Court challenge. "Recent High Court decisions in the Pape Case and Williams Case, which both considered the power of the Commonwealth to provide direct funding to entities not included in the Constitution, only strengthen our case to formalise the Commonwealth's arrangements for funding councils directly. "So much has been done to advance the case for constitutional recognition of local government and our efforts have received considerable support. We have been encouraged by final recommendations of both the Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Local Government and the Federal Parliamentary Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition of Local Government, which supported and endorsed a 2013 financial recognition referendum. "As I have said on numerous occasions, local government wants to win this referendum which is in the interests of every local community. We accept that getting a referendum passed will be a major challenge. But local governments across the country support the financial recognition option and are committed to working hard within their local communities to get a referendum on the question of financial recognition passed by the majority of voters in the majority of states. "Winning a September referendum to include local government in the Constitution is in the interests of every local community. That's why councils across the country will be working hard to convince every Australian to vote 'yes' to community services when they head to the polls in September."
For more on the campaign and the legislative process for a local government referendum, read ahead to the President's Column. | | | | |  At a recent Select Council on Housing and Homelessness meeting, Housing Ministers from all jurisdictions discussed access to home ownership for Indigenous households, including challenges faced by Indigenous households and current government assistance. Ministers agreed to work together to improve Indigenous home ownership outcomes in both established housing markets and on Indigenous land in order to progress policy outcomes under the COAG National Affordable Housing Agreement. The Commonwealth has released an Indigenous Home Ownership Paper, which will further inform discussions and present a strong evidence base for this issue for the future. This paper was prepared by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) with input from all state and territory governments and well as local government. Home ownership, however, is just part of the broader issue of Indigenous housing and infrastructure, which was a key element of the ALGA submission to the 2013-14 Federal Budget, which will be handed down on 14 May. An audit by the Western Australian Government in 2008 provided a public estimate of $540 million to address the backlog in housing maintenance in remote Indigenous communities. This estimate did not include the impact of factors like overcrowding, total supply of housing, or the cost of municipal and essential services such as roads, electricity, water, drainage, sewerage and waste removal. ALGA believes that the estimate would be significantly higher if these factors were to be taken into account, in fact analysis shows that the total cost to support, renew and maintain community infrastructure, including housing in Indigenous communities would be around $2 billion at the outset. ALGA acknowledges the difficult financial decisions that need to be made at this time. However, these are needs that exist now and need to be addressed. The work being done by the Select Council is important and Indigenous home ownership is one part of the bigger picture. But until the Government is prepared to put the resources in, the broader picture of Indigenous infrastructure and housing cannot improve. | | | | |  The Australian Government has announced plans to connect another 1.3 million homes and businesses to the NBN, bringing the total number of premises where NBN construction will commence or be complete by 30 June 2016 to more than 4.8 million. Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Stephen Conroy, released the updated NBN three-year rollout plan, which would see the broadband network rolled out to every part of Australia. "We are connecting all households to the NBN for free because we believe all Australian households deserve access to the NBN's fast, reliable and affordable broadband," Senator Conroy said. "There are already over 50,000 Australians using the NBN today, with NBN fibre construction commenced or complete for almost one million homes, businesses, schools and hospitals in over 80 communities across the country." By 30 June 2016, 4.8 million homes, business, schools and hospitals will see construction commence or be complete, including: - An additional 406,100 premises in New South Wales, bringing the total number of premises with construction commenced or complete to more than 1,416,800
- An additional 303,000 premises in Victoria, bringing the total number of premises with construction commenced or complete to more than 994,600
- An additional 255,700 premises in Queensland, bringing the total number of premises with construction commenced or complete to more than 934,300
- An additional 181,500 premises in Western Australia, bringing the total number of premises with construction commenced or complete to more than 610,700
- An additional 117,700 premises in South Australia, bringing the total number of premises with construction commenced or complete to more than 445,000
- An additional 45,000 premises in the Australian Capital Territory, bringing the total number of premises with construction commenced or complete to more than 180,300
- In the Northern Territory, the rollout of the NBN will be complete for more than 65,400 premises by the end of 2015.
- In Tasmania, the rollout of the NBN will be complete for more than 208,400 homes and businesses by the end of 2015.
- And more than 7,303 schools, 663 hospitals, 120 university campuses and 1,415 aged care facilities across the country.
"Our internet needs are growing and we simply can't rely on the ageing copper network that was designed for telephones, not high-speed broadband." "By the time today's Year 7 students finish high school, their household's internet needs will have increased six-fold - we need the NBN to meet our needs now and into the future." "The NBN will transform the delivery of services across education, health care, aged care and allow us to harness our full potential as a digital economy." For more information about the NBN rollout visit www.nbnco.com.au/rollout | | |
| |  Following this week's announcement that the Government will support a September referendum to include local government in the Constitution to secure funding for local services and infrastructure, we now turn our attention to the need for bipartisan support and legislation to be passed during the last sitting period before Australians go to the polls. Next week is a critical time in the legislative process for a local government referendum. Legislation which would allow for the public funding of a yes campaign by ALGA will be considered by the House of Representatives and the Senate. It needs to pass both houses if there is to be such funding. Moreover, it will be the first test of the strength of the bipartisan commitment to the referendum. The shared view among all commentators and experts is that without bipartisan support it is not possible for a referendum to succeed. The Government’s challenge is to deliver on its commitment to have a referendum in 2013 and by implication, to do what it can to give such a referendum the best chance of success - and that includes working with the Opposition to make sure that party politics does not get in the way of the referendum. ALGA’s challenge is to work within a rapidly decreasing timeframe to run a successful campaign which sees the referendum passed - the first such success in more than 36 years. We are currently recruiting ALGA’s Campaign Director and advancing campaign arrangements including identifying campaign agencies and the location of our campaign offices. But as I have said many times before, we don't just want to run a referendum, we want to win a referendum, and to do that we need bipartisan support for a referendum to go forward. Councils across the country have been calling for a referendum for years and local government has never been more ready. But as history has shown, bipartisan support is critical to the success of referendums, which is why I'm calling on the Opposition, and all political parties, to support legislation to deliver a 2013 referendum, when it is discussed in the House of Representatives and the Senate next week. Mayor Felicity-ann Lewis
ALGA President | | |
| | The Australian Government this week opened a new round of incentives worth $1 billion over 10 years to build 10,000 new affordable rental homes under the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS).
"We know that housing affordability is a concern for many Australians and we’re investing heavily to address that concern," Minster for Housing and Homelessness Mark Butler said.
"This new round will deliver about 10,000 new affordable rental homes across Australia by 2015-16.
"Through this NRAS round, the Government will look to preference projects that embrace universal design principles, which helps support independent living for older people and people with a disability."
NRAS offers annual financial incentives, currently valued at $9,981 per year per dwelling, for 10 years, to build and rent new homes or apartments for low to moderate income tenants, at 20 per cent below the market value rent.
“This scheme is helping Australians struggling in the rental market, saving low and middle-income tenants thousands of dollars each year,” Mr Butler said.
"We remain firmly committed to delivering 50,000 more affordable rental homes by 30 June 2016, three quarters of which has already been built or is under way."
Applications for NRAS Round 5 incentives will close on 6 August 2013, with properties to be available for rent from July 2015 to June 2016.
For more information, including application details, eligibility, preferred locations, the number of incentives available in each state and territory and helpful facts, go to: www.fahcsia.gov.au/nras | | | | | Building more homes in established areas of cities and improving urban transport could substantially boost national prosperity and economic growth, according to a new Grattan Institute report. Productive cities: opportunity in a changing economy shows that a new divide is opening in Australian cities, with growing gaps between the incomes, qualifications, house prices and access to jobs of residents in inner and outer areas. The report analyses housing, income and transport data in Australia’s four largest cities to show that while highly paid and qualified workers are living close to city centres, workers with trade skills and low skills, and people on low incomes, are living further from the centre. "If the trend continues unchecked, then many people risk being locked out of the parts of the city that offer the richest access to jobs," says Grattan Institute Cities Program Director, Jane-Frances Kelly. "Our cities have served our economy well for a long time, but there are growing signs that our housing and transport systems are not keeping pace with the needs of an ever more knowledge-intensive and skilled economy." The report recommends increasing the supply and diversity of dwellings in existing suburbs, in line with previous Grattan research showing that the greater housing choice that Australians want can be achieved if residents are engaged in decisions about their neighbourhoods and the disincentives developers face are addressed. It also recommends consideration of road-user charging to ensure that road space is preserved for the most productive uses and as a way to raise funds for public transport. The report finds that while inner city residents have rich access to a range of jobs, in large outer areas of Australia’s biggest cities, less than 10 per cent of all jobs in the city can be reached within a 45-minute drive. The Grattan report findings are similar to the conclusion identified in the ALGA commissioned National Economics State of the Regions report that examined housing affordability issues in 2011. | | | | | The Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government (ACELG) has published a new resource to assist local councils assess the progress of community wellbeing in their local government areas. The report, Community Wellbeing Indicators: Measures for Local Government, outlines key research and initiatives under the theme, and includes a 'community wellbeing indicators survey template' that can be adapted for use by local governments nationally to measure, analyse and assess the progress of community wellbeing. This project was undertaken with the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) as an ACELG Research Partnership Scheme initiative, and was written by Alan Morton and Lorell Edwards. The aim is to demonstrate that a core set of wellbeing indicators and a menu of 'fit for purpose' indicators can provide wellbeing data to local government, and is a worthwhile and valuable investment in strengthening local government capacity and accountability. The tool contained in the research report will allow councils to measure community wellbeing using a number of standard indicators, to track changes over time, benchmark performance against results from comparative surveys in councils (QLD), and identify policy measures that can improve community outcomes. While it is state-based research, it has been written with a national local government audience in mind, and both ACELG and LGAQ will promote the use of the survey tool by other jurisdictions. The research builds upon work ACELG's work in this area with Penrith City Council (NSW) Options for a Local Government Framework for Measuring Liveability that maps current research and thinking on the state of community liveability indicator development across Australia, and the LGAQ's Community wellbeing Indicators Project (and subsequent pilot survey work). Presentations on the research will be made at the ACELG Local Government Researchers Forum, 6-7 June in Adelaide (registrations now open) and to LGAQ stakeholders. | | | | | Millions of property owners in NSW face a new levy to fund fire and emergency services, after an overhaul of how land is valued to determine land tax and council rates. A parliamentary inquiry released its final report into the land valuation system, recommending changes designed to increase transparency and make it more equitable. The government is believed to be preparing to endorse the recommendations and will use the overhaul of the valuation system to introduce the emergency services levy. The charge, first signalled in last year's budget, means every property owner would face an annual charge of about $300 to fund fire and emergency services. At present, three-quarters of the annual $950 million cost of funding Fire and Rescue NSW, the Rural Fire Service and the State Emergency Service is paid for by a tax on insurance companies, passed onto customers via higher premiums for home contents insurance. The rest is funded by the state and a tax on local councils. The government wants to overhaul the system, which it argues is unfair as it allows those without insurance the benefit of fire and emergency services without having to pay for them. It also increases the price of insurance. The owners of the estimated 810,000, or 36 per cent, of NSW properties that do not have home contents insurance would be forced to share the funding load for the first time, as the system moves from an insurance- to a property-based levy. | | | | | The $24 million Local Government Energy Efficiency Program (LGEEP) is one of five programs established under the Australian Government’s Low Carbon Communities (LCC) initiative. LGEEP supports smaller-scale energy efficiency projects in local governing authority buildings and community facilities, particularly where those authorities are situated in low socio-economic or otherwise disadvantaged areas. LGEEP is a non-competitive, capped allocation grant program. The program helps local governing authorities to improve their energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and provide the best outcome for their local communities. Every local governing authority in Australia is eligible to make one application for funding to LGEEP to install solar and/or heat pump hot water systems in one or more of their buildings or community facilities. LGEEP is open for applications until 5pm (AEST) on 31 May 2013. More information about LGEEP is available on the LGEEP website: http://www.climatechange.gov.au/lgeep. | | | | | A "rock-solid" urban-growth boundary is to be erected around Melbourne. The Victorian Government has revealed the move as part of its plan to protect prime farmland being swamped by urban sprawl. This will also include a new statewide "agricultural production overlay" to protect farms from development.
Planning Minister Matthew Guy said the boundary would encourage the city to grow up, not out.
The plan has been welcomed by the Victorian Farmers Federation, which has called for more details to be released.
The Urban Development Institute of Australia also backed the move, claiming Melbourne had 25 years worth of land ready for development.
The plans are part of the Government's push to decentralise Victoria.
Speaking at last week's Regional Victoria Living Expo in Melbourne, Deputy Premier Peter Ryan said regional growth was an important focus for the Government.
"A 2012 report found that by supporting growth in the regions we can help reduce the estimated $95 billion in cumulative congestion costs associated with expanding Melbourne's outer-metropolitan areas over the next 20 years," Mr Ryan said.
"The cumulative cost of providing critical infrastructure to support an additional 50,000 persons in the regional cities is $1 billion; this compares with inefficiency costs of $3.1 billion associated with the same number of persons being accommodated in metropolitan Melbourne." | | | | | The National Local Government Drug and Alcohol Committee (NLGDAAC) has released its report, Australian Night Time Economy - A First Analysis. In 2011, the City of Sydney commissioned research into the night time economy to support its OPEN Sydney strategy and action plan 2012-2030. The NLGDAAC, recognising the value of Sydney's work, commissioned this report as a step to build upon the findings of the City of Sydney study, and cast the research at a national, state, and local government level. This research is important to our cities as they seek to improve their night time economies by creating diversity of activity such as: - Late night retail trading
- Later cultural experiences
- Increased entertainment options
- Late night dining and food services
- New uses for underutilised spaces
To support the development of a diverse night time economy in our cities, it is also essential that the environment in which it operates is sustainable, by effectively managing development and providing safe public spaces. The measurement of the night time economy provides a base from which to analyse the success that accompany these activities. This report provides a clear view of the economic contribution levels that night time services deliver, as well as a clear picture of the numbers of businesses, jobs, income and taxes across a range of activities and services which make up the diversity of our cities at night time. This report analyses the amount and types of changes in the sector’s economy 2009 - 2011. The NLGDAAC will consider further research opportunities to build on this report, and plans to discuss outcomes and future activity with Federal and State governments, as well as non- government organisations with an interest in establishing the balance needed to protect and invest in this vital sector of our economy. A copy of the NLGDAAC media release and a copy of the report can be downloaded at bit.ly/12bS1kd | | | | | The National Crime Prevention Fund (NCPF) is a $40 million component of the Australian Government’s package of measures to address gang violence and street crime in the community.
The NCPF will support initiatives in high crime areas that address societal disconnection of at-risk young people and provide diversionary and educational activities to reintegrate them into society.
The program will also support the installation of CCTV systems in established trouble spots and other security infrastructure measures to improve community safety. Grants of up to $500,000 for local government organisations to fund security related infrastructure projects are available. The application form and program guidelines are available from the Attorney-General's Department website. Applications must be lodged by 9.00pm (AEST) on Wednesday 29 May 2013. For more details see www.crimeprevention.gov.au | | | | | The Australian Human Rights Commission has urged the government to adopt the recommendations in the Joint Select Committee’s Cybersafety for Seniors: A Worthwhile Journey report. Age Discrimination Commissioner, Susan Ryan, said, "Awareness and support are crucial, so the Committee’s recommendations about publicising the Broadband for Seniors kiosks and the new cybersafety telephone hotline through traditional forms of media that are older people actually use, are particularly important." Eight of the report’s 13 recommendations draw from the Commission’s submissions and input into the Committee’s inquiry. "One of the most important recommendations we made was in relation to researching fraud victimization of older people, so I am pleased to see that the report recognises older people can be the targets of cybercriminals because they have substantial assets and may be less savvy technology users," Commissioner Ryan said. "The Committee’s recommendations about the need to teach older users how to protect themselves from cyber fraud, and to make reporting cybercrime online easier for them, are extremely important." Should the recommendations be adopted, Commissioner Ryan said she expected more over 65s would feel confident enough to gain computer skills and go online to access all the crucial information and services they need, particularly with the emphasis the report places on training and community access to training. "Feeling comfortable and safe on the internet is extremely important for older people, not only so that they can take advantage of the ease and convenience of shopping, banking and accessing other services, but so that they can use social media as well," she said. Commissioner Ryan said that providing older people with the confidence to participate in the online world would provide tremendous benefits in assisting to reduce the incidence of social isolation in these age groups. | | | | | The Heart Foundation Healthy Community Awards provide an opportunity for local government to celebrate their achievements and receive recognition for their commitment to creating healthier communities. Councils have the chance to receive a high level of recognition for their healthy community work, and receive part of the $38,000 in cash awards. More information on the Awards can be found at www.heartfoundation.org.au/lga | | |
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