 | |  ALGA has made a submission to the National Commission of Audit, which was established last month to examine the scope, efficiency and functions of the Commonwealth Government and the current separation of roles between all levels of government to identify areas of duplication and to consider how to improve the effectiveness of the delivery of government policy advice and services. In its submission, ALGA has focused on the changing role of local government and the effective and productive partnership that exists between the Commonwealth and local government in meeting community needs and delivering on national objectives, including opportunities to expand that partnership. ALGA has also highlighted the problem of cost shifting from other levels of government onto local government and the need for effective mechanisms to curb the issue. ALGA has reinforced that the level of cost shifting to local government from other spheres of government is in the order of $500 million to $1 billion. One specific example of cost shifting from the Commonwealth onto local government is the transfer of ownership of regional airports from the Commonwealth to local government in the 1990s without sufficient funding. The increasing cost of these airports, especially in the area of security after 2001, is a major burden on many regional councils. Another example of cost shifting onto local government is child care. Having identified the strategic importance of child care at the national level, the Commonwealth provided grants to encourage local governments to facilitate the provision of child care services. Councils responded to community demand and the policy imperative identified by the Commonwealth, however the expansion of these services increased financial pressure on council budgets. In an effort to address cost shifting, all three spheres of government have signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) which seeks to ensure that when a responsibility is devolved to local government, the financial and other impacts on local government are taken into account. While ALGA is committed to the IGA, it has stressed that the Agreement needs to be strengthened. ALGA has also used the submission to underscore concerns regarding untied funding from the Australian Government through Financial Assistance Grants (FAGs). ALGA has argued that current indexation arrangements are inadequate. As a proportion of federal taxation revenue, FAGs declined from 1.2 per cent in 1996-97 to around 0.7 per cent in 2011-12 and ALGA is advocating that the base level of FAGs be increased to a level equal to one per cent of federal tax revenue and that the escalation methodology be revised to more closely reflect local government cost movements. To access ALGA's submission, click here. | | | | |  Following ALGA's recent attendance at an Indigenous Jobs Roundtable in Sydney, chaired by Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest, ALGA President Felicity-ann Lewis has written to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to outline local government initiatives in the employment of indigenous people. Mr Forrest has been appointed by the Commonwealth Government to lead a wide-ranging review of federal indigenous training and employment programs and last week he hosted roundtable discussions about ensuring jobs for the indigenous. In her letter, Mayor Lewis reinforced that a lot of effort had been invested in identifying ways to increase indigenous employment across all councils and noted that the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government had published a guide on the issue in November 2012 entitled Closing the Gap Through Place-Based Employment and that a roundtable on indigenous employment in local government was being held in Cairns between 1 and 4 December. Mayor Lewis noted that across the country, about 4.6 per cent of the local government workforce (which totals more than 190,000) is indigenous, with more than 50 per cent of the local government workforce in the Northern Territory and around 10 per cent of the workforce in Queensland being Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. A fifth of those employed are supported by payments under the Community Development Employment Projects Program (CDEP) and there are some changes to this program underway aimed at transitioning those workers supported by the program into other long term employment. Mayor Lewis stressed the importance of the CDEP in ensuring full time employment for indigenous workers. She said that "long term commitment and investment in employment with the local government shires and aboriginal organisations can support a sustainable employment base and allow skills development and the development of a capable workforce". Mayor Lewis also outlined potential activities that could maximise indigenous employment and said that current procurement policies could be strengthened to increase indigenous employment levels by requiring successful contractors to implement indigenous training, employment and supplier strategies, with infrastructure being a particular focus. She suggested that resources could be committed to supporting the work being done by Austroads Ltd, in conjunction with several different state jurisdictions, to reduce red tape and simplify complex drivers licensing processes, which currently disadvantage those in remote communities. | | | | |  All councils will soon receive copies of the 2013 National State of the Assets Report and the Bridges to a Stronger Future brochure, which were both launched at ALGA's recent National Local Roads and Transport Congress. The State of the Assets Report builds on research commissioned in 2010 which indicated that the level of expenditure on local roads would need to increase by an average of $1.2 billion a 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 funding gap of $1.1 billion. The Report represents the findings from analysis of data provided by 344 councils, which manage almost $100 billion worth of transport assets, including sealed local roads, unsealed local roads, concrete bridges and timber bridges. Results reinforce that more than 10 per cent of sealed roads are in poor condition and a large proportion of timber bridges are substandard. Key findings suggest that $8.3 billion in sealed roads are in poor or very poor condition, together with a further $1.9 billion in unsealed roads and $1.4 billion in concrete and timber bridges. ALGA President, Dr Felicity-ann Lewis says that while councils appreciate assistance provided through the Federal Government's Roads to Recovery program, more needs to be done to address the estimated funding shortfall for local roads of $1.2 billion annually. "Local government manages more than 80 per cent of our national road network and we need to ensure that we can afford to maintain local roads to a sufficient standard, otherwise local and national productivity will suffer." The Bridges to a Stronger Future brochure has been produced to illustrate some of the best and worst bridges in communities across the country and features significant bridge upgrades in towns and cities. The Federal Government has committed to a Bridge Renewal program, allocating $300 million to replacing old and unsafe bridges. Through matched funding from councils and state governments, this investment will deliver at least $600 million to much-needed infrastructure. Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Warren Truss has said that the program will be implemented in 2014 and more detail, including information about the application process, will be made available to local government in the new year. | | |
| |  As outlined in our lead story in ALGA News this week, ALGA has made a submission to the National Commission of Audit, which has been created to review the functions and roles of each level of government and to identify opportunities for productivity improvements across all areas of Commonwealth expenditure. The Commission will report to the Prime Minister, Treasurer, and the Minister for Finance with the first phase of the review due by the end of January 2014, and the second phase by the end of March 2014. We will take the findings of the Commission of Audit and the Government's response into account when undertaking a review of our strategic plan, which will be considered at ALGA's next Strategic Board Meeting to be held in February 2014, when the Board will focus on important areas of the local government sector and set strategic priorities for the year ahead. Key priorities for discussion will include the status of Financial Assistance Grants (FAGs) from the Federal Government and local government finances more broadly. ALGA has long-argued that the current FAGs arrangements should be changed to lift the base level of FAGs to at least one per cent of Commonwealth taxation revenue and an indexation methodology should be adopted that better reflects local government costs. ALGA believes that the FAGs pool should be increased, in line with the growth in the economy and demand for local services and rising costs. This would appropriately reflect the increasing demands on local government and restore the relative level of funding to the position in the mid-1990s. In 1995-96, FAGs constituted one per cent of Commonwealth taxation revenue. By 2012-13, this figure had dropped to less than 0.7 per cent. Another issue that will be discussed is the need for legal certainty for direct federal funding for local government. While the new Federal Government has indicated that it has no plans to revisit a referendum on constitutional recognition of local government, local government requires certainty that direct funding through programs such as Roads to Recovery are not vulnerable to challenge in the High Court. Other matters to be considered include community infrastructure needs and local government's role in emergency management and natural disasters. Once the Commission of Audit releases the first phase of results in January, ALGA will be in a position to consider any potential implications for local government in the design of its strategic framework for work for the coming year. On another matter, and as many of you would be aware, White Ribbon Day was held this week on 25 November as part of a national campaign to stop violence against women. I would like to acknowledge the important role of all our White Ribbon Ambassadors, several of whom sit on our Board. I would encourage more male leaders in our community to consider becoming an Ambassador for the Campaign and use their influence to affect change within their social and professional circles.
Mayor, Dr Felicity-ann Lewis
ALGA President | | |
| | New Chairs of the Black Spot Programme Consultative Panels in each state and territory have now been appointed. The Chairs of each Consultative Panel will play a crucial role in determining which dangerous roads are the highest priorities for federal funding. With Panels established in each state and territory, nominated sites are considered and prioritised to ensure that communities get the projects they need and want. The Black Spot Programme commenced in 1996 to assist in reducing the risk and associated trauma of road accidents across Australia and has delivered improvements at over 6,500 sites around Australia through some $980 million in funding. Further, the Australian Government has committed another $60 million a year to this vital initiative. Under the Black Spot Programme, sites with a history of at least three casualty crashes over a five-year period are addressed. Sites which do not meet the crash history criterion may still receive funding if they are identified as potentially dangerous through road safety audits. Local knowledge is critical in identifying the most pressing roads for safety improvements and these appointees are best placed to facilitate the program's outcomes. The newly appointed chairs are: - New South Wales-The Hon John Cobb MP
- Queensland-Mr Ewen Jones MP
- Victoria-Mr Dan Tehan MP
- Western Australia-Senator Dean Smith
- South Australia-Mr Rowan Ramsey MP
- Tasmania-Senator David Bushby
- Australian Capital Territory-Senator Zed Seselja
- Northern Territory-Mrs Natasha Griggs MP
Importantly, anyone can nominate a black spot in their area for funding where there is a known crash history. | | | | | Councils across Australia marked White Ribbon Day, on 25 November, by participating in initiatives such as Walks Against Violence in their local communities. On this day, the Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to the implementation the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children 2010-2022 (the National Plan) and to ensure that its programmes are properly resourced and effective. The National Plan brings together the efforts of governments and the community to achieve a sustained reduction and prevent violence against women and girls White Ribbon Day marks the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. In 2013 it is also the tenth year of the White Ribbon campaign in Australia. The Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women, Senator Michaelia Cash said: "the Coalition Government is firmly committed to a zero tolerance position on violence against women and their children." The Prime Minister Tony Abbott, a White Ribbon Ambassador, has said: "We cannot rest until we entirely eliminate violence against women. In any form - physical, sexual or psychological, violence is never, ever acceptable." $1 million over four years to 30 June 2017 will be provided to White Ribbon Australia to expand the White Ribbon campaign to increase engagement from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, including new and emerging communities. To become a White Ribbon Ambassador, or find out more, visit the White Ribbon website at www.whiteribbon.org.au | | | | | A report by the Productivity Commission - An Ageing Australia: Preparing for the Future - has found that Australia is facing a major slowdown in its growth in national income per capita and productivity outlook at the same time ageing will start to make major demands on the budgets of all Australian governments. The Commission projects that unless "luck or appropriate policies intervene", net national income per capita, the best single measure of national prosperity, may grow by only 1.1 per cent per annum over the next five decades. In the last 20 "boom" years, the yearly growth rate was 2.7 per cent. Simultaneously, the Commission estimates that population ageing will place pressures on government budgets of 6 per cent of GDP by 2060, and reduce labour supply per capita. It projects that labour force participation rates will fall from 65 to 60 per cent. The population aged 75 or more years is projected to rise by 4 million from 2012 to 2060. In 2012, there were roughly, one centenarian for every 100 babies. By 2060, it is estimated that there will be 25 such centenarians. Meanwhile, Australia's population will continue to grow strongly, and is expected to lie between 34 and 42 million people by 2060, with the most likely outcome around 38 million. Sydney and Melbourne are projected to each have a population over 7 million. Chairman of the Commission, Peter Harris said: "The best time to develop policies that address the inescapable implications of demographic change is while the transition is in its infancy. It is a good time to start a debate and to float creative policy options." To access the report, click here. | | | | | It's been 35 years since Norm, the beer-swilling couch potato, climbed off his couch and declared 'Life. Be In It' but the majority of adult Australians still do not meet the recommended levels of physical activity, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). National activity guidelines recommend adult Australians undertake at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week over five or more separate sessions. The 2011-12 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey found that only 43 per cent of adult Australians met these guidelines. A higher proportion of males (45 per cent) met the guidelines compared with females (41 per cent). The Australian Capital Territory had the highest proportion of its population (almost 50 per cent) meeting the national guidelines. The Northern Territory recorded the lowest proportion (37 per cent). ABS Director Andrew Middleton said that along with poor nutrition, sedentary behaviour and lack of physical activity are key factors associated with obesity and being overweight. "One in five Australian adults exercise at very low levels, or not at all". "The level of physical activity among adult Australians varied according to age, income, education level and socio-economic status. Australians living in higher income households, were more likely to meet the national guidelines (52 per cent) compared with those living in lower income households (34 per cent)", said Mr Middleton. Young Australians aged 18-24 years (53 per cent) were more likely to meet the national guidelines than any other age group compared to only one in four Australians aged 75 years and older who met the national guidelines. Further information is available in Perspectives on Sport, November 2013. (cat no 4156.0.55.001), available for free download from www.abs.gov.au. | | | | | Wyndham City Council is the first to sign up to the PILOT program - to ensure the sustainability of buildings - with a further 30-plus buildings expected to be announced within weeks. The Wyndham Civic Centre is a three-storey municipal building located on the outer western fringe of Melbourne. The large conference and expo space is used by a variety of community groups. "Wyndham City Council has shown exceptional leadership, and achieving one of the first Green Star Performance ratings will enable Council to identify and upgrade the operational performance of a valuable community asset in areas such as energy, water, waste reduction and indoor environment quality," Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) Chief Executive, Romilly Madew said. Wyndham Mayor, Cr Bob Fairclough said Wyndham City jumped at the opportunity to sign up to the pilot program. "Wyndham City has implemented a range of sustainability measures across its existing buildings in recent years including energy and water efficiency upgrades and community e-waste recycling hubs," Cr Fairclough said. "As part of the Wyndham Environment and Sustainability Strategy, Wyndham City is aiming for a 40 per cent reduction in corporate greenhouse gas emissions by 2015 and a $2.47 million federal government grant will allow us to convert the City's 12,088 street lights to compact energy efficient fluorescent tubes." "These measures highlight our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint and, through our involvement with Green Star - Performance, we’ll be able to measure the environmental performance of the Civic Centre, identify pathways to improve the building over time and reduce its operational costs," Cr Fairclough says. "Measurement is the first step towards better management of our buildings. Wyndham City Council understands this, and a Green Star Performance rating will help Council to demonstrate its commitment to environmental, social and economic sustainability," Ms Madew said. | | | | | The release of two draft reports for public comment is a significant step for the Federal Government in establishing a "one-stop-shop" environmental approval process for offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage activities. Minister for Environment, Greg Hunt said the reports were a requirement of the strategic assessment process under national environmental law. Mr Hunt said public comments on the reports would help him decide whether to approve the proposed new arrangements. "We will not allow environmental objectives to be compromised, and this process will ensure that environmental assessment of petroleum activities is carried out at the highest possible standard, but will cut duplication and facilitate swift decisions," he said. Minister for Industry, Ian Macfarlane said the environmental impacts of offshore petroleum activities were currently regulated under both the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act) and the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006. Mr Macfarlane said the current system often resulted in unnecessary duplication and was a burden on business. "These changes will simplify the regulatory process by removing the need for petroleum exploration, production and greenhouse gas storage activities to be assessed under two acts, which ultimately have the same objective of environmental protection," he said. "Removing duplication in the environmental assessment process will deliver faster approvals and mean less red tape for business, boosting Australian industry." Mr Macfarlane said information sessions with key stakeholders would take place in Perth, Melbourne and Canberra early in the consultation period. He said an exposure draft of amendments to the Environment Regulations would also be made available for public comment in early December 2013. The key documents are available at www.industry.gov.au | | | | | The Resilient Australia Awards National Ceremony 2013 will be held in Canberra on 5 December, 2013. The national ceremony is the culmination of the year's awards program which is sponsored by the Attorney-General's Department in conjunction with the states and territories. The Awards recognise innovative practices and achievements across the nation that are making our communities safer, stronger, more resilient and better prepared to manage any emergency situation. The Resilient Australia Awards were previously called the Australian Safer Communities Awards. The Awards cover all aspects of community safety and resilience with an emergency management focus including: - prevention
- preparedness
- response and recovery
- risk assessment
- research
- education and training
- information and knowledge management.
ALGA President, Dr Felicity-ann Lewis will be attending this year's ceremony as a member of the national judging panel. | | | | | Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) is inviting abstracts for papers to be presented at its Sustainability in Public Works conference to be held in Tweed Heads/Coolangatta from 27 to 29 July 2014. Submissions close 16 December 2013. Tell the world about your sustainability solution by presenting a paper to the conference. This is the ideal opportunity to showcase your project, approach, tool or other innovation that enhances sustainability in public works, also including but not limited to climate change resilience. Your paper can address topics from any of the conference's three sub-themes: - sustainable infrastructure
- sustainable communities
- responding to climate change.
Also consider submitting an entry in the 2014 IPWEA Sustainable Solutions in Public Works Awards, which are being held in conjunction with the conference. The purpose of these awards is to encourage solutions and improvements in the sustainability of public works and services by showcasing and celebrating the latest innovations and success stories. The conference will bring together practitioners, researchers, elected members, service and product providers to focus on what we should be doing today to safeguard the future of our infrastructure and services to our communities. Over the two full days of presentations, and an optional half-day field tour, panel discussions and networking, the conference will help practitioners make sense of current sustainability and climate change developments, and generate ideas, useable knowledge and practical measures that can be applied to make a real difference. The conference Call for Abstracts is now open. Details can be accessed at www.ipwea.org/Sustain2014, along with abstract and award guidelines, and submission details. Contact Dr Stephen Lees of IPWEA at stephen.lees@ipwea.org.au or on 0412 264 187 if you have any queries. Abstract submissions close on 16 December 2013. | | | | | The University of New England is offering a Local Government Law unit, which is available as a stand-alone unit and will be taught in Trimester One, 2014. This unit introduces students to the Local Government Act 1993 (NSW) and the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW). The unit covers all the important topics in local government law, using the NSW Act as a scaffold. The unit also introduces students to the foundation principles of environmental law as it affects local government through the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW). For more information, please visit http://my.une.edu.au/courses/2014/units/LS336 | | | | | The Australian Emergency Management Institute (AEMI) regularly runs nationally recognised training courses and a professional development program. Upcoming courses include: - Risk Based Land Use Planning 2-5 Dec
- Develop and Use Political Nous 3-5 Dec
- Volunteer Leadership Program 5-9 Dec
Further information about these courses is available on the AEMI website (click here). To enrol in any of these courses, please contact Alita Menchavez at aemi@ag.gov.au. | | |
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