ALGA lodged its submission to the Productivity Commission (PC) review of Childcare and Early Learning this week.  The review is examining and identifying future options for childcare and early learning in Australia which supports greater workforce participation for women, are more flexible, affordable and accessible.  The PC Issues Paper points out that almost all children in Australian participate in some form of childcare or early learning service before starting school, making childcare an issue which affects almost every family in Australia.

ALGA's submission says that Commonwealth and State government assistance should be carefully targeted at those parents who genuinely need financial support for childcare, and that as a principle, childcare of a nationally acceptable minimum standard should be available to all parents at a reasonable price, with a range of options available to suit parents' needs.

Although local government has no legislated role in childcare, it is involved in implementing state legislation and the extent of involvement by local government varies from state to state due to differences in state requirements and from council to council, depending on the resources and capacity of individual councils.  ALGA's submission says that it is vital for all levels of government to work together to deliver the best childcare options for each community, and that utilising local government's knowledge of the community and population projections can assist to inform a timely response to future childcare demand.

While some councils provide council-run childcare centres, the overall number of councils which provide such services has dropped in recent years and in some states councils have almost no involvement in childcare. ALGA's submission emphasised the particular challenges faced by rural and remote councils, which have well-documented problems in attracting and retaining qualified staff, and where market failure necessitates local government intervention and provision of service normally provided by the private sector or other levels of government.    In many rural council areas, the council-run childcare centre is the only centre in the area, and rural and remote councils are having great difficulty in recruiting staff with the higher qualifications required under the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education.  This raises the need for an appropriate balance between providing much needed childcare, appropriate financial assistance to such councils, and regulatory requirements.  ALGA has consistently advocated for greater assistance for rural and remote councils in terms of resources and capacity building.    Where a council is required to fill a gap to provide a service on behalf of another level of government, ALGA believes it should be adequately funded by the Commonwealth or State Government to do so.

ALGA's submission to the Productivity Commission is available here.

The Local Government Association of Tasmania (LGAT) has developed a Manifesto for the 2014 State Election.

In launching the document, LGAT President Mayor Barry Easther described it as providing a blueprint of "the matters that are of importance to Local Government in Tasmania that all political parties should commit to in the interests of Tasmanian voters and their communities."

"The Local Government sector feels strongly that an incoming State Government wishing to drive economic prosperity, must work with communities to get the State back on track. Local Government sees itself as a key partner in this," he said.

The LGAT Manifesto, Collaborating for Communities, seeks commitments from an incoming government under a range of key areas including planning, waste management, State/Local Government relations, roads, emergency management and regional development.

"Councils work hard to deliver services and infrastructure to support a better quality of life for local communities," said Mayor Easther.

"The demand for new and increased services to tackle the range of contemporary issues facing communities is felt at all levels of government."

"Tasmanian councils and the LGAT have a strong history of working collaboratively with the State Government to improve the outcomes for the communities that we both serve, and wish to continue that into the future," he said.

LGAT advocates and negotiates on behalf of the Tasmanian Local Government sector.  LGAT represents 28 of Tasmania’s 29 councils, with around 270 elected members, over 4,000 employees and half a million constituents.

The NSW Government has partnered with the Aquatic and Recreation Institute (ARI) to deliver a pilot program that will help people aged 50 and over to stay healthy and active through exercise.

The ARI Active Ageing program is designed to encourage people aged 50 and over to get healthy and active through subsidised aqua fitness and gentle exercises classes run by qualified professionals at 13 pilot sites across the State.

Minister for Ageing, John Ajaka, said the initiative will make fitness programs more accessible, affordable and appealing for people aged 50 and over.

"The classes will provide a social and welcoming atmosphere while focusing on the development of strength and balance to help prevent falls and improve participant’s cardiovascular health," Mr Ajaka said.

"The instructors will receive training ensuring they are equipped to work with older adults and within regional communities.

"The classes are tailored to people aged over 50 and aim to be enjoyable as well as improved fitness."

Minister for Healthy Lifestyles, Kevin Humphries, said investment in healthy activities now could lead to savings in health and aged care costs in the future.

"Regular exercise contributes to good physical and mental health - however too many people are not getting the physical activity they need," Mr Humphries said.

For more information on ARI Active Ageing, visit the Aquatic & Recreation Institute website. 

Federal Minister for Justice Michael Keenan, and Western Australia Minister for Emergency Services Joe Francis this week announced that disaster assistance is being made available to 10 WA communities impacted by severe flooding during the period of 16 to 24 January 2014.

Minister Keenan said the assistance was being provided under the jointly-funded Commonwealth-WA Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements to the communities in the Shires of Coolgardie, Cue, Leonora, Meekatharra, Mount Magnet, Murchison, Sandstone, Wiluna, Yalgoo and the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

"Individuals and families, farmers and small business owners in these areas that were affected by storms and widespread flooding should seek advice about what assistance is available to help with the recovery process," Mr Keenan said.

The funding will assist local communities with clean-up costs and provide for the restoration or replacement of essential public assets damaged as a result of the flooding.

Minister Francis said that some areas of the Goldfields received about four times their usual rainfall for all of January in the space of just 24 hours.

"The deluge caused widespread damage to roads and other infrastructure as well as homes and business properties, so this assistance will be welcomed by those hardest hit by the flooding," Mr Francis said.

Information about the range of assistance measures available can be found at www.dfes.wa.gov.au or on the Australian Government’s Disaster Assist website at www.disasterassist.gov.au

WA Local Government Minister Tony Simpson has launched an online Reform Toolkit, aimed at preparing both practitioners and Elected Members, with tailor-made information, stepping them through the process in the lead-up to July 2015.

The Project, managed by the WA Local Government Association, was jointly developed by three partners including the Department of Local Government and Communities, the Local Government Managers Australia (WA) and WALGA.  

Speaking at this week's launch, WALGA President Mayor Troy Pickard said the Local Government Reform Toolkit could be applied to every Local Government’s unique situation and adapted to suit their particular needs.

"We moved quickly to put in place support for Local Governments and this comprehensive resource has vast information that leads both practitioners and Elected Members through a staged transition plan," Mayor Pickard said.

"We identified the need to develop a focus on strategic direction specifically for Elected Members and it walks them through the milestones to be achieved during the four stages from review to implementation."

Offering further support, Train the Trainer Sessions would be conducted in February on how best to use the toolkit for a customised reform process plan.

"We are pleased to invite representatives from each Local Government to attend the training and then share this knowledge with their staff to ensure that they gain the most from the toolkit," he said.

Every Local Government will receive copies of the Toolkit Summary, complementary to the online website.

Additionally, copies of the Elected Member Guide will be distributed to all Elected Members.

Mayor Pickard congratulated the team for compiling such an extensive resource in a short timeframe.

"This resource will be widely used by the sector and it will make Local Government reform a more palatable experience for all involved."

To access the toolkit go to www.reformtoolkit.com.au

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Building Approvals show that the number of dwellings approved rose 1.5 per cent in December 2013, in trend terms, and has risen for 24 months.

Dwelling approvals increased in trend terms in December in Queensland (3.8 per cent), South Australia (3.5 per cent), Victoria (2.9 per cent) and Western Australia (0.1 per cent).  Dwelling approvals remained essentially unchanged in New South Wales and decreased in Northern Territory (15.8 per cent), Tasmania (3.9 per cent) and the Australian Capital Territory (2.5 per cent) in trend terms.

Approvals for private sector houses in trend terms rose 1.1 per cent in December, rising for the thirteenth consecutive month. Private sector house approvals rose in South Australia (3.3 per cent), Victoria (2.6 per cent) and New South Wales (1.5 per cent) but fell in Queensland (0.8 per cent) and Western Australia (0.2 per cent) in trend terms.

The value of total building approved rose 3.1 per cent in December, in trend terms, after rising for 23 months. The value of non-residential building rose 4.3 per cent while residential building rose 2.2 per cent in trend terms.

Further information is available in Building Approvals, Australia (cat no. 8731.0) on the ABS website.

Almost 60 per cent of assessed children's education and care services are meeting or exceeding the National Quality Standard (NQS), according to the latest National Quality Framework (NQF) report.

The NQF Snapshot Q4 2013 released this by the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) provides national analysis on children's education and care services assessed and rated against the NQS in Australia.

ACECQA Board Chair Rachel Hunter said almost a third of services had received a quality rating since assessment and rating began in most states in June 2012.

"By 31 December 2013, 4508 services had received a quality rating and nearly 60 per cent of those rated are Meeting or Exceeding National Quality Standard," Ms Hunter said.

"The figures in this Snapshot largely mirror the findings in the previous quarter, as services continue to be rated and the National Quality Standard continues to raise the bar on what quality looks like."

Other highlights from the Snapshot include:

• 32% of all children’s education and care services across Australia have now received a quality rating against the NQS
• 74 645 supervisor certificates have been issued
• an additional two services have been rated Excellent by ACECQA.

The Snapshot also includes information about the number of Excellent rated services since applications opened on 1 May 2013.

"As at 31 December 2013 an additional two services received the Excellent rating, the highest rating a service can achieve, bringing the national total to six," Ms Hunter said.

"This highlights the outstanding commitment from services across Australia on improving quality outcomes for children."

The report also provides information and analysis on the progress of assessment and rating, quality ratings of services and waivers held by services.

The NQF Snapshot Q4 2013 can be downloaded at www.acecqa.gov.au.

Nominations for the 2014 Excellence in eGovernment Awards, and the ICT Professional and ICT Young Professional of the Year Award are now open.  Details can be found on the Department of Finance website.

Nominations will be accepted for processing until Tuesday, 4 March 2014.

The Awards are a great way of recognising and acknowledging the projects, the ICT teams and individuals.  They provide another opportunity to say "Thank you – great job!" and to celebrate success.

For further information please contact the Awards Coordinator at e-governmentaward@finance.gov.au or phone 02 6215 3060.

Applications are now open for the CO‐OPS Obesity Prevention Community awards.

The awards aim to showcase health initiatives that demonstrate excellence and leadership in community‐based approaches to the prevention of obesity. The awards provide an opportunity to celebrate success and recognise best practice in obesity prevention.

There are three awards categories available.  Nominate your initiate today and receive recognition for your work.

More information at www.co-ops.net.au

Lighting Council Australia - the peak body for Australia's lighting industry-is convening a LED Seminar Series in major capital cities.

Solid state lighting is expected to affect nearly all lighting applications, with many cities in the world moving - or contemplating the move - to LED street lighting.

Seminars will be led by Professor Georges Zissis - a renowned expert on solid state lighting systems - with particular expertise in their applications for road lighting.

The seminars will be useful for lighting industry specialists, utilities, municipalities, town planners, facility managers, architects, engineers and other professionals with an interest in lighting.

Registrations close on 12 February.

To find out more, and to download the registration form, click here.