Farmers suffering damage as a result of Cyclone Ita are being offered financial support.

Concessional loans and freight subsidies will be granted as part of category B disaster assistance, which is now available in 16 cyclone-affected shires under the National Disaster Relief and Recovery ­Arrangements.  The funding is available in Burdekin, Cairns, Cassowary Coast, Cook, Douglas, Hinchinbrook, Hope Vale, Lockhart River, Mackay, Mareeba, Palm Island, Tablelands, Townsville, Whitsunday, Wujal Wujal and Yarrabah.

Queensland Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister John McVeigh has visited some of the farms and provided details of the government support.  He said the arrangements provide freight subsidies up to $5000 and access to concessional loans  up to $250,000 at an interest rate of 1.7 per cent.  Freight subsidies are up to 50 per cent of the cost of transport of livestock, fodder or water for livestock and building or fencing equipment or machinery a direct ­result of the natural disaster. 

The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has declared a catastrophe in parts of north Queensland affected by Ita, and has established a recovery taskforce and initiated a disaster hotline to help policyholders unsure of their insurer with general inquiries about claims.   The ICA hotline is 1800 734 621.

Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ), has announced its own Local Government Funding Review, to identify new funding options and alternatives that could complement councils' current funding tools.  LGNZ has said it wants a national debate about alternatives, including suggesting council sales taxes, council payroll taxes, congestion charges, visitor charges and road tolls.

LGNZ President Lawrence said that New Zealand councils have a high reliance on property taxes, which is unusual by international standards.    Demographic changes and the need to fund big infrastructure projects without increasing property rates faster than inflation, meant the current reliance on property rates may not be sustainable, he said.  Funding tools that may be reviewed for appropriateness in a New Zealand context include local income taxes, local consumption taxes, congestion charges, visitor charges and payroll taxes, he said. LGNZ planned to establish a cross-sector working party in April.

New Zealand's Associate Local Government Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-liga indicated that the Government would  wait and see what the local government sector comes up with, but at present there were no plans to significantly change the way local government is funded.

The Queensland Government has announced a plan to tackle infrastructure charges, which it says will encourage development, while providing new funding avenues for local government - through a new "fair value schedule of charges". However, Queensland councils have expressed concern over the impact of the reforms, saying they will ensure ratepayers continue to subsidise property developers.

Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Jeff Seeney said that the goal was to ensure the right balance between encouraging development and jobs, and ensuring local governments have the funds necessary to build infrastructure such as roads and water and sewerage treatment plants.

The Queensland Government has opted not to adjust the regulated infrastructure caps that local governments can charge. Instead it will put in place funding incentives for councils which use the new "fair value schedule of charges".  This could potentially attract co-investment by the State in Priority Development Infrastructure in the council's area.

Councils,  developers or service providers will need to make applications to the state government to have key works identified as Priority Development Infrastructure that could potentially attract co-funding by the State.  Councils who refuse to use the fair value schedule will not be considered.

Local Government Association of Queensland President Margaret de Wit said that while the Government had opted not to cut the maximum infrastructure charge that councils could levy on developers, it had effectively told councils their ratepayers would have to continue to foot a large part of the bill for helping developers turn a profit.

"We welcome the Government's move to co-invest with councils to fund some of the infrastructure needed for new residential and commercial development.  However, without knowing any of the detail of what is on offer, it would appear the Government has taken one step forward in assisting a handful of councils but has asked many other councils to take two steps back."

Cr de Wit said the outcome was exactly the opposite of what the Government says it is aiming for.

Volunteer fire-fighters should be compensated when they are involved in extended bushfire efforts, according to the Local Government Association of South Australia (LGASA).

The LGASA wants a working group established to investigate how firefighters best could be compensated.  The working group would be made up of  emergency services officials and Country Fire Service (CFS) volunteers.

The Mid-Murray Council has been most vocal in the push for compensation, as many locals were involved in the long-running Eden Valley bushfires earlier this year, some volunteer fire-fighters spending weeks at the fireground, taking them away from their own employment or businesses. 

Mid-Murray Mayor Dave Burgess says it's only fair the Government considers helping volunteer fire-fighters who give up their time and money, even if it is only to get back a percentage of their normal wage.

In Western Australia, the local government sector has urged the State to increase the emergency services levy to cover an extra $50 million a year needed for bushfire mitigation under proposed reforms. The average levy per household was $220 this financial year, raising $257M and the levy would have to rise by 20 per cent to raise the additional $50M suggested by the WA Local Government Association.  Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA) President, Troy Pickard, said independent costings, prepared for WALGA, suggested it would cost $50 million a year to oversee the fuel reductions involved.

The WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services has recommended binding governments, councils and landowners to the same Statewide bushfire mitigation standards.

A South Australian state government announcement in Port Lincoln last week, will deliver $3 million a year for the state's Regional Development Australia (RDA) boards.  The $3 million annual funding for the RDA board's will comprise $1.4 million - $200,000 for each of the 7 regional boards - with a further $1.6 million in contested funding re-instated to the RDA's under the agreement. 

SA Regional Development Minister, Geoff Brock said his agreement with the Premier confirmed the State Government’s commitment to increasing support for regional communities in SA with an additional $39 million package of measures from a combination of new and existing funding.  The funding will specifically focus on projects aimed at creating jobs and economic benefit for the regions.

He added that the package includes increasing the existing Regional Development Fund to $15 million a year and further one-off funding of $10 million to support jobs creation in regional areas. The $3 million funding for the RDA’s will be additional to the $39 million package, so it’s a win-win for regional development, Mr Brock said.

"I'm passionate about the regions and equally as passionate about the role local government and the RDA's can play in achieving change in our local communities across the State."

He said roads, infrastructure and cost factors were the main issues raised by local councils and collaboration was needed to overcome some of the local issues.  All stakeholders need to work together - the federal and state governments, local government and the RDA - to resolve some of the challenges.

A $3.5 billion upgrade of local road infrastructure in Western Sydney has held its first consultation with key stakeholders in Western Sydney this week.  Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Jamie Briggs said the upgrade, which was discussed with stakeholders from the local government, business, tourism, education and health sectors, will relieve congestion on existing infrastructure and unlock the economic opportunities in the region by helping to create jobs.

The briefing session was also attended by federal members Fiona Scott MP (Lindsay), Louise Markus MP (Macquarie) and Russell Matheson MP (Macarthur), along with State Member for Campbelltown, Brian Doyle MP. The package was extremely well-received by attendees at today’s briefing according to Assistant Minister Briggs.

This $3.5 billion  Commonwealth and state investment is in addition to the development of an airport at Badgerys Creek.   It will create jobs and investment growth in the Western Sydney region, which is expected to grow from two million people to three million by 2030, the joint press release said.  The infrastructure plan signals the confidence of the state and federal governments in investing in the area, Assistant Minister Briggs said.

Governments - both federal and state - lag well behind the private sector when it comes to employing older workers, a new report reveals.  Using ABS and Census data, the National Seniors Productive Ageing Centre report - Past, present and future of mature age labour force participation in Australia - highlights variations in rates of ageing and mature age participation across the country.

An interesting finding is a marked decline in the proportion of people aged 60 and over employed by governments. For example, around 16.4% of men aged 50 to 59 work across national, state and local bureaucracies, but this falls to 12.7% for men in their 60s. Women drop from 24.2% in their 50s to 20.1%.  Conversely, private sector employment actually increases as people age.

National Seniors chief executive Michael O'Neill said the findings were surprising considering Treasurer Joe Hockey's recent emphasis on the costs of population ageing.  Mr O'Neill said it was a "bit rich" that the Government threatens to raise the pension age, but its own bureaucracies do not employ older workers.

"Unless governments lead by example and stamp out age discrimination, Australia's mature age participation rates will continue to lag behind those of other OECD countries," he said.

"The public service should represent the gold standard in hiring and retaining mature age staff. Instead, public servants aged over 60 are a rare breed across the country.  When it comes to employing senior Australians, governments, both federal and state, get a big 'F'", Mr O'Neill said.

The full report Past, present and future of mature age labour force participation in Australia: How do regions differ is available here.

Home and Community Care services supporting seniors, younger people with disability and their carers will receive a $33.9 million funding boost across Victoria.

The Federal Assistant Minister for Social Services Mitch Fifield and Victorian Minister for Ageing David Davis said the extra Home and Community Care (HACC) funding would expand services across the state.

"The Home and Community Care program provides critical basic maintenance, support and care services where most people prefer to receive them - in their own homes and communities," Senator Fifield said. "This support includes personal care, domestic assistance, meals, nursing care, social support, as well as respite services for carers - without which many people wouldn’t be able to remain living independently."

In order to properly plan for emergency events, the State Emergency Service (SES) needs to better understand the location, availability and skills of its volunteers, according to a Performance Audit by the NSW Auditor-General released last week.  The SES also needs to improve how it selects and retains the right volunteers and provide more up-to-date and focused training, the report says.

The SES has improved volunteer safety with injury claims falling by 40 per cent to 70 in the four years to 30 June 2013. The average cost of claims has fallen by 58 per cent to $3,547, which the SES attributes to better equipment and work practices.

Only one of the State's 16 emergency service regions has developed a plan on what emergency events are likely in their area, how many and what type of volunteers it needs and whether there is a shortfall.  The report said that regional capability plans need to be completed to that an overall picture of the State's SES volunteer workforce can be established.  

The report also found that turnover of SES volunteers in NSW was higher than the national average, with a 26 per cent turnover in NSW, compared with 20 per cent nationally, leading the report to conclude that more needs to be done to retain volunteers.   It suggests the SES should focus on recruiting volunteers which suit individual emergency unit's needs, improve induction and training, have clear pathways for volunteers to take on responsibility,  and also to improve consultation, communication and recognition. The full report is available here.