 | |  With a new Federal Government in place, there is no better time for local government to revisit its roads and transport strategy and capitalise on commitments made during the federal election campaign, including those regarding regional airports and bridge renewal. ALGA President, Felicity-ann Lewis has written to Nationals' Leader, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Warren Truss to reiterate ALGA's invitation for him to address the Congress. Councils greatly value local roads and community infrastructure and this event will be the first opportunity to hear how the Federal Government will be working with local government to build the infrastructure of the 21st century across Australia. The Coalition's election platform included the significant commitment of a $300 million bridge renewal program to assist in improving the country's 30,000 local bridges. The Congress is an opportunity for councils and local government representatives to hear directly from Mr Truss and Opposition Spokesperson, Anthony Albanese, who has also been invited to address the Congress. The Congress also offers delegates the opportunity to participate in discussions designed to help shape the ALGA Board's policy platform that it will pursue with the new Government. There is an overwhelming need to continue our strong advocacy program with particular emphasis on local roads and essential transport infrastructure, including funding for regional and rural airports. Capturing the views of councils on what matters in their local communities is a key component of this years' Congress. The Government, the Opposition and the ALGA Board need this local experience, knowledge and participation. Representation from communities across rural, regional and urban areas also sends a clear message to the new Government about how seriously local government takes roads and transport infrastructure. The Congress will also see the launch of ALGA's State of the Local Road Assets Report 2013. This Report has been several years in the making, but it will give local government, for the first time, the data it needs to highlight gaps and best direct future activity. This will provide a clearer and more accurate national picture of the state of our local road assets. Local government knows the pressures many councils are currently facing to ensure expected standards for community infrastructure are met. This report will be an invaluable advocacy tool in ALGA's fight for better funding for local roads. ALGA is playing a key role in contributing to a range of major government transport reform initiatives where there is likely to be an impact on local government. We have secured speakers to provide information and updates on the National Freight Strategy, the Heavy Vehicle Charging and Investment Reform and the ARRB research group. Full details and the registration brochure are available on the ALGA website at www.alga.asn.au. | | | | |  The ALGA Board met in Canberra last week to discuss a number of significant issues for local government, including reimbursement by the Commonwealth of costs for a national campaign on constitutional recognition of local government and the status of funding commitments made by the previous federal government for community infrastructure through the Regional Development Australia Fund. ALGA is awaiting a response to letters sent by ALGA President, Mayor Felicity-ann Lewis to Prime Minister, Tony Abbott and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Warren Truss to request meetings to discuss a range of issues of priority for local government. ALGA understands that the new Government is being briefed by the relevant Commonwealth departments on matters significant to each portfolio. Local government was given $10 million in Commonwealth funds to execute a national campaign to promote the 'yes' case for constitutional recognition of local government and the sector spent around $3.4 million in developing a grassroots public relations campaign for rollout under the expectation that the referendum would be held on 14 September. The decision to drop the referendum was made without consultation with local government and great progress had been made by the local government sector on the development and implementation of the 'yes' campaign when former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced in August that the referendum would not go ahead. ALGA believes it would be inequitable if councils had to bear the costs of the associated campaign and Mayor Lewis has sought support from all political parties for ALGA to use a portion of the funds received by the Commonwealth to fully reimburse local government for the costs of the referendum campaign. ALGA has also called on the new Government to honour funding commitments for community infrastructure made under the previous federal government. Prior to the September federal election, funding allocations of at least $150 million for community projects had been identified under the Regional Development Australia Fund (RDAF). But the decision to bring forward the election to 7 September meant that there was no time for the Commonwealth to finalise the funding agreements for hundreds of projects, which are now at risk. These critical issues need urgent attention and ALGA will continue to seek the Government's response. | | | | |  In a submission to the Productivity Commission on the Draft Report - Major Project Development Assessment Processes, ALGA has said that it agrees in principle with the Commission's interim finding that Australia's regulatory system for development assessment and approvals can be substantially improved. However, ALGA has stressed that it does not believe that the current planning systems need to be substantially reformed or that governments should reduce the resources assigned to assessing and enforcing approval conditions. The Draft Report was released in early August and describes the current legislative systems that operate in Australia and the process involved in assessing developments. It also includes international comparisons through benchmarking. The Report makes numerous recommendations and includes findings which essentially argue that existing development assessment systems are sound. While the findings have identified room for improvement, international comparisons conclude that none of the countries benchmarked have performed significantly better than Australia. ALGA supports the Commission's view that various improvements can be made in clarifying regulatory objectives, reducing regulatory overlap and duplication, improving timeframes and coordination, enhancing regulatory certainty, transparency and accountability, improving compliance and enforcement efforts and adopting stronger strategic approaches to deal with major development proposals. Although councils have a relatively small role to play in assessing and approving major developments, their role is extremely important, as they represent the broader interests of their communities and have an interest in how developments are regulated. Major development assessments could include activities related to mining, transport and utility infrastructure. To access ALGA's submission, please click here. | | |
| |  On 9 October, I will be attending the 69th Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Murray Darling Association, in Goolwa, South Australia, where I will be discussing local government's involvement in planning for the future of the Murray Darling Basin and water reform in general. At a national level, ALGA has been involved in negotiations concerning the National Water Initiative and the Murray Darling Basin Strategy through its negotiations with the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). At the grassroots level, there are more than 100 local government authorities within the Murray Darling Basin catchment area, which know only too well the struggles of drought and flood. Collectively, the local government sector has a lot to contribute to the national discussion about the management of the Murray Darling Basin and it's great to see the leadership provided by the Murray Darling Association and the nearly 100 councils who are its members. During my presentation, I will be outlining three key reasons for why reforms are needed. As Mayor of Marion, I am well aware of how important the Basin is to the entire nation. The City of Marion recognises this as well, which is why it is a member of the Murray Darling Association. The Basin affects all of us and this is reinforced by some key statistics: it produces 53 per cent of Australia's cereal crops, including the entire rice crop, 95 per cent of the orange crop and 54 per cent of all apples. In addition, the Basin supports nearly a quarter of the national cattle herd, nearly half of the sheep herd and more than 60 per cent of pigs. It also covers 65 per cent of all irrigated land. Effective management of the Basin is in the interests of all Australians. Issues facing the Murray Darling are not just about water and agriculture, they are multi-faceted and touch on the same, national issues that all communities must deal with. Addressing climate change is an enormous challenge and the Basin is more vulnerable to these impacts than many parts of the country. We do need water reform and ALGA has supported reforms. But we need to make sure that it's the right sort of reform and that it has public support, or at the very least, acceptance of the need for reform and a clear understanding of what the reform means. I look forward to sharing these ideas and hearing from other local government representatives about their hopes and concerns for the Basin when I meet with them next month. Mayor Felicity-ann Lewis ALGA President | | |
| | The Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) has called for clarity regarding the dismantling of the Australian Government's Major Cities Unit. PIA Chief Executive Officer Kirsty Kelly said advice on the future development of the country's 18 biggest cities provided by the Major Cities Unit informed planning policy in the light of unprecedented growth, change and urbanisation. "The Major Cities Unit has been monitoring established and emerging trends and collaborating with stakeholders to develop a national urban policy," Ms Kelly said. "This approach to a cohesive long term planning strategy for Australia has been seen by planners as an indispensable tool in preparing cities for the future. "It's disappointing that the Major Cities Unit will be dismantled but it's crucial that the work this unit has been doing is carried on somewhere within the Federal Government." The Planning Institute of Australia believes it's mandatory that the Australian Government make a clear investment in cities to ensure they are more sustainable, liveable and productive. "PIA looks forward to hearing from the new Federal Government on how it plans to ensure the vital work of the Major Cities Unit will be carried on," Ms Kelly said. | | | | | Hobart police and Hobart City Council are looking at adopting an unconventional project which has halved crime rates in Melbourne's city centre. Police are in talks with the Hobart council, the Salvation Army and the University of Tasmania to start a project similar to the Youth Street Teams project. The Melbourne initiative involves an increased police presence, and a team of Salvation Army workers and young volunteers patrolling the CBD at night, handing out essentials like water. They also distribute lollies and thongs for members of the public who may have misplaced their shoes. The trained volunteers, known as Guardian Angels, also perform basic first aid and arrange ambulances for vulnerable revellers. Police say the strategy has resulted in a 50 per cent reduction in public place assaults, robberies and property crime in the Melbourne CBD over the past three years. Hobart's Acting Lord Mayor Ron Christie believes a similar initiative could work in Hobart. "They hand out things like Chupa Chups, lollies, and that actually reduces noise level and it's been very very succesful. It might sound quite simple, a simple solution, but it works," he said. "The Chupa Chup actually stops these alcohol-fuelled teenagers from being so rowdy." Inspector Glen Woolley says any similar initiative in Hobart would be focused on the waterfront, as Hobart has seen 34 public place assaults since the start of July, and 26 of those have occurred at the waterfront area at night. The proposed strategy would also provide extra police around the waterfront on Friday and Saturday nights, and security around taxi ranks. Police are discussing sourcing volunteers through the Salvation Army and the University of Tasmania's Health Science department. A delegation plans to head to Melbourne in November to learn more about the strategy.
| | | | | Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Finance Minister Senator Mathias Cormann this week issued an interim Statement of Expectations to NBN Co as the first step in implementing changes to Government policy. The interim Statement will guide NBN Co's construction and operational activities pending changes to the Board and while a Strategic Review and Independent Audit of the project is carried out and a new NBN Co Corporate Plan is drafted. The interim Statement instructs NBN Co to continue to roll out the network as rapidly and cost-effectively as possible throughout this process. In the short term, the interim Statement will see the NBN Co meet its contractual obligations by continuing to roll out fibre to the premises while the company conducts the strategic review of the project. The interim Statement provides NBN Co with the flexibility to use a wider range of technologies to connect businesses and homes to the network. For example, this will allow NBN Co to trial the latest VDSL technology to deliver superfast broadband to homes and businesses in multi dwelling units such as apartment blocks. A key priority will be to reduce the backlog of 66,000 premises passed by the NBN fibre network which cannot currently obtain service. This includes the majority of apartments, schools and businesses in areas where the fibre network has been rolled out. Under the interim Statement of Expectations, construction will be completed in areas containing 300,000 premises where construction contracts have been signed. | | | | | Many councils are actively involved in community-based obesity prevention initiatives in Australia and now they are being asked to participate in a national initiative to support improvements. The Collaboration of Community-based Obesity Prevention Sites (CO-OPS Collaboration) - an initiative funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing - is inviting all community-based initiatives promoting healthy eating, physical activity and healthy weight, to participate in a nation-wide survey. CO-OPS' aim is to support community-based obesity prevention initiatives around Australia by providing advice, promoting best practice, disseminating and translating knowledge and by offering networking opportunities. It creates the links between academic, policy and practice professionals to ensure best practice and ongoing cooperation in the promotion of healthy eating, regular physical activity and healthy weight as key factors to help prevent chronic disease. The purpose of the survey is to describe the nature of community-based obesity prevention practice in Australia. This will help to document the characteristics of initiatives and the key components that contribute to effectiveness. CO-OPS will use the survey to identify opportunities to support improvements. Information provided in this survey will also supplement CO-OPS’ annual needs assessments. No other survey of this nature exists in Australia, or to our knowledge, internationally. This survey has been approved by the Deakin University Health Ethics committee. The survey takes about 20-30 minutes to complete. Access the survey. If you require help or have any questions while completing the survey, please contact Dr. Tahna Pettman on (03) 9035-9591. | | | | | Queensland's Local Government Minister, David Crisafulli has announced that four Queensland communities will go to the polls on 9 November to elect new councils. The Sunshine Coast, Cairns, Tablelands and Rockhampton councils will be split from 1 January, after a referendum was held earlier this year. Mr Crisafulli says he believes he has the timing of the election right. "What it does is it gives the councils enough time to be sworn in, go to some training, familiarise themselves with each other," Mr Crisafulli said. "It also gives the transfer managers and CEOs enough time to get all the mechanics, all the nuts and bolts, in place." Mr Crisafulli says he has been happy with the transfer process so far. "I've got a lot of confidence in the role that all eight people have played - you've had four CEOs, four transfer managers - all of them have been passionate about protecting the organisation they represent, and so they should be," he said. "They've also turned up and made decisions that have been well-balanced and well-measured." | | | | | New South Wales' Tenterfield Shire Council has been selected to take part in a new state government pilot program to encourage councils to be recognised as "small business friendly". Tenterfield Shire is one of four councils in the state chosen to participate in the pilot. Mayor Peter Petty, says he's excited about the potential benefits of being part of the program. "When I first took on the Mayor's job I announced that we were open for business," he said. "But we've got to go to the next level and show the businesses, and the new businesses that are interested in coming to Tenterfield, how we're going to be supportive of them." Councillor Petty says the council is committed to improving opportunities for small business in the Shire. "We're always trying to improve our relationship with small business and be supportive of small business and we've got to go to the next level with this now and show that we are supportive." | | | | | Have you checked out the Regional Australia Institute's online index and interactive map [In]Sight yet? [In]Sight tracks the socioeconomic competitiveness of Australia's 560 LGA regions and 55 Regional Development Australia (RDA) areas. [In]Sight spans ten themes and 59 indicators specifically tailored to reflect the fundamentals of sustainable growth, mapping LGAs and RDAs current economic profiles and the drivers of future success. [In]Sight provides every community and Local Government decision-maker with tip-of-the-finger access to local data in the national context. This suite of information, presented in an easy-to-use online tool, aims to significantly support economic development managers and strategic planners at the local government level. Step through the portal at www.regionalaustralia.org.au/insight and see what [In]Sight can reveal for you! For further information and questions, contact the Regional Australia Institute on 02 6260 3733. | | | | | With rising energy prices and concerns about the future of our environment, councils are reaping big savings from the switch to energy efficient lighting.
Cr Bill McArthur, President of the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) said that committing to a sustainable future had become core business, with more than 80 per cent of councils making the transition to green lighting as a way to save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. "These pioneering energy saving projects will result in combined financial savings of up to $340 million over time - a massive windfall for councils and ratepayers. "Forty-eight Victorian councils have sourced funding through the federal Community Energy Efficiency Program to transition to energy efficient street lighting. "We understand that all Victorian councils that were successful in their funding requests have signed agreements with the Australian Government. "However, we call on the new Minister for Environment, Greg Hunt, to provide assurances to councils that these contracts will be honoured. Energy efficient street lighting provides real savings and aligns with the Government's 'Direct Action' approach. "The election of a new Australian Government brings new opportunities and different thinking to reducing carbon emissions. We look forward to working with the new Government to find effective ways to tap into the local government sector's drive and initiative in reducing energy use and carbon emissions," he said. | | | | | A project looking to better understand farmers' markets in Australia is being undertaken during September and October. The project aims to better understand the positive and negative attributes of farmers' markets for communities and other participants of farmers' markets. The project is being funded by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation and the results will be made publicly available at completion of the project. Help is being sought from community organisations and local governments to provide their perspectives and experiences related to farmers' markets. The online survey will take about 10 minutes to complete and can be found https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FarmersMarket_Community Should you have any questions or want further information please contact Project Leader - Vicki Woodburn 02 6166 0212 or vicki.woodburn@garlandoutcomes.com.au | | | | | Five new drumMUSTER inspectors will start work in the Clarence Valley in New South Wales after a round of training in Grafton and Maclean this month. Staff members at Grafton Landfill and Maclean Waste Transfer Station will inspect empty agvet chemical containers from farmers who return them. Northern NSW Regional drumMUSTER Consultant Phil Tucker said all drums need to be inspected to make sure they're clean and ready to be recycled in a safe and environmentally friendly way. "Following the training, staff are keen to provide every opportunity for local farmers to recycle their clean empty containers," he said. Maclean Site Supervisor Kim Madden said farmers looking to get rid of their empty agvet chemical containers can continue to return them throughout the week. "The site has only received several deliveries over the last three months," she said. "We're hoping more chemical users bring in their drums and help do their bit for their land." "The Maclean Waste Transfer Station is open seven days a week and so is drumMUSTER. No bookings are required." More than 12,000 drums have been collected and recycled in the region since 2001. That's more than 13 tonnes of waste avoiding landfill. Maclean Waste Transfer Station is open Monday to Friday 8am and 4pm and is located on Paperbark Drive. Grafton Landfill is open Monday to Friday 7.30am to 3pm and is located on Armidale Road. Since 1999, drumMUSTER has collected more than 22 million drums nation-wide. That represents more than 27,000 tonnes of waste avoiding landfill. For further information on the drumMUSTER program, call 1800 008 707 or log on to drummuster.com.au. | | |
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