AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION


	Role to play in Federation White Paper ALGA's President Felicity-ann Lewis joined the Prime Minister and State and Territory leaders at the 37th Council of Australian Governments meeting in Canberra on Friday 2 May. COAG considered the draft Terms of Reference for the Commonwealth's White Paper on the Reform of the Federation and draft themes for the White Paper on Taxation Reform, both to be completed by the end of 2015. ALGA has been included as a member of the steering committee, chaired by the Commonwealth and involving all States and Territories that will be established to oversee the development of the Federation White Paper. This is an important opportunity for AGLA to be engaged in the development of the Federation White Paper, which all governments committed to working closely and collaboratively on. Also on the COAG agenda, the signing of a new agreement on asset recycling, improving outcomes for Indigenous Australians, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, the Paid Parental Leave Scheme, intercountry adoption of children and reducing red tape. The Communique issued at the conclusion of the COAG meeting can be found here.


	Local government needs to be heard With less than six weeks to go until the 2014 National General Assembly of Local Government, it is shaping up to be a must-attend event. The assembly will provide councils with an opportunity to let the Federal Government know how important the current funding arrangements between the commonwealth and local government are, and that they need to be preserved and formalised. With the handing down of the Commission of Audit report last week and its recommendations that the Commonwealth transfer to the States its funding responsibilities for local government, including the Financial Assistance Grants (FAGs) program and the Roads to Recovery (R2R) program, councils need to send a clear message to government. Councils need financial certainty from the Commonwealth to ensure they can continue to play a vital role in their local communities in the provision of facilities and services. Local government will also know the outcome of the Federal Budget next week and what its impact will be on local communities.. The stronger the presence of councils from across Australia in the room, the better the opportunity for local government to influence future policy and political outcomes. To ensure you at this important event, register now,. The regular registration rate ends at the end of May. Accommodation and social events (including the Parliament House dinner) are rapidly filling up with strong interest in this year's event. For those attending, you can look foward to a busy program, with a record number of motions received for consideration during the Assembly. Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development and Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss will speak at the NGA, and The Shadow Minister for Regional Development and Local Government, Julie Collins has also confirmed her attendance. To register online click here.


	Geographic Labour Mobility report released The Productivity Commission sent their final report to Government on 22 April 2014 and publicly released the Geographic Labour Mobility report on 6 May 2014. The principal objective of the study was to examine patterns of mobility, impediments and enablers, and their effect on the ability to meet Australia's continually changing workforce and employment needs. Among the key findings was that geographic labour mobility is helping the economy adjust to major structural change. Generally people are moving to areas with better employment and income prospects, and employers are using a range of sources to attract employees with the required skills. In addition to permanent relocation, alternate forms of mobility are offering considerable flexibility in the labour market. The increased use of fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) practices and temporary immigration have been critical to meeting peaks in labour demand in many parts of the country. The study contributes to understanding of why people move. Commissioner Alison McClelland said: "For individuals, life events and family circumstances appear to be the most important factors in decisions whether to relocate for work. Factors related to housing, employment, local infrastructure and a person's level of education also play a prominent role." From a local government perspective, many of the Commission's findings and recommendations are welcomed. In particular the acknowledgment that the quality and availability of economic and social infrastructure — such as education facilities, health services, communications services and transport - also influence where people live and work. This was one of the key arguments made by ALGA in both its submission and roundtable conversations Equally important was the finding that labour mobility can contribute to efficiency and community wellbeing, but that this does not necessarily mean that more geographic labour mobility is always desirable — there can be negative impacts. 'Very high rates of mobility can lead to costly levels of staff turnover and entail economic and social costs for individuals and their families, as well as for the broader community. This is particularly the case for those regional communities experiencing pressures of FIFO and drive-in/drive out workforces'. The recommendation supporting the need for improved access to administrative data is a logical one in trying to better understand the true impacts of geographic labour mobility in Australia.


	President's Column Getting the three levels of government in Australia working together to achieve the best outcomes for the community has always been a challenge, but recent developments have certainly highlighted some of the issues that we are all grappling with. First came the release of the Commission of Audit report on 1 May with its recommendations that the Commonwealth end its engagement with local government and trust to the good offices of the states and territories to provide sufficient resources to local councils to meet local community needs. As I remarked last week, this is a direction fraught with risk for all councils, but particularly those in regional Australia which are more dependent on Commonwealth funding. The following day the COAG meeting included a focus on big ticket infrastructure issues and White Paper exercises on the Federation and Taxation. The State and Territory governments signed a new asset recycling agreement with the Commonwealth which will provide incentive payments to governments to privatise state assets and reinvest proceeds into new infrastructure. The asset recycling agreement is an important initiative for the state, territory and commonwealth government but it is important that they remember the vital role our local roads play in our transport network, and they continue to need investment. Our local roads provide essential linkages to and from major infrastructure assets and our major logistics chains are only as strong as their weakest links – unfortunately all too often these are the local links. All three levels of government need to work together to achieve the best outcomes in infrastructure investment and Federal funding of local roads remains an essential contributor to national productivity. The need for local government to be engaged in the Federation White Paper was an issue I was happy to raise in COAG and I am pleased that the Commonwealth-State Steering Committee established to oversee the development of the Federation White Paper explicitly includes ALGA membership. Finally, the Williams Case, which revolves around the extent of the Commonwealth’s powers to engage directly in state and local issues, returned to the High Court on 6 May as hearings began on Ron Williams’ latest challenge to the constitutional validity of the Commonwealth’s school chaplaincy program - and potentially many other funding programs. The Court is not expected to release its decision on the case until the end of the year but all levels of government, ourselves included, will be watching carefully to determine the implications of the case. ALGA's view is that a partnership between all levels of Government is necessary to deliver the best outcome for local communities and we will strive to protect and enhance that partnership through all of the intergovernmental forums in which we participate. Mayor, Dr Felicity-ann Lewis ALGA President


	Childcare professional development fund guidelines released The guidelines for the Long Day Care Professional Development Program were released by 5 May by the Assistant Minister for Education, Sussan Ley. The program was first announced in December last year when the Government signalled that it intended to redirect unallocated funding from the Early Years Quality Fund to a new professional development programme. It described the LDCPDP as the single biggest investment ever in professional development for child care and early learning educators in long day care (LDC) services. The LDCPDP will fund Long Day Care services to assist their educators to meet the qualification requirements under the National Quality Framework (NQF) and to improve practice to ensure quality outcomes for children. A key focus will be quality and equity. The program is designed to have sufficient flexibility to meet educator needs, as well as targeting known workforce shortages such as early childhood teachers and long day care educators in rural and remote areas. The program will allow services to identify their specific professional development needs in order to support the NQF, adhere to the National Quality Standard and deliver the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) or approved learning framework. Services will be able to use the funding to meet their training and skills development needs and will have the flexibility to do so in-line with the circumstances of their service. Funding of approximately $200 million, over three years, will be available for the LDCPDP, allocated in the following way: a base amount per full time equivalent educator (up to $170 million) plus a loading for each early childhood teacher (up to $15 million) plus a loading for geographic isolation (up to $15 million). A Fact Sheet explaining the Programme is available here and the full funding guidelines are here. Applications will open on 19 May 2014 and close at 5pm (AEST) on 13 June 2014. The online application will be available on the MyChild website.


	Finalists announced in National Awards for Local Government It's no secret to ALGA News readers that local governments play a vital role connecting with local communities and delivering important targeted services to their regions. To recognise and reward councils from across Australia for their hard work and exceptional performance, the Australian Government is proud to present the National Awards for Local Government. Each year, Awards categories are nominated and sponsored by Australian Government departments - this means that categories are always closely aligned with latest national priorities. Awards categories in 2014 were selected to showcase projects that promote participation and active community engagement. Categories are diverse in subject. The Awards celebrate: arts; disability access and inclusion; multiculturalism; promoting Indigenous recognition; and improving productivity and regional development. In 2014, the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development received entries against six awards categories. These entries showcased a wide range of projects tailored to support diverse communities and deliver direct benefits to local regions .All entrants deserve congratulations for their achievements and strong commitment to engagement and active participation. The Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss will announce the overall winner of the 2014 National Award for Excellence in Local Government at the National General Assembly dinner in Canberra on 17 June. The 2014 category finalists are: Arts Animates-excellence in community engagement and participation Holroyd City Council, NSW - Hay Holroyd "Make a Choice" Young person's video project Clarence Valley Council, NSW - PLUNGE: Insider's guide to arts and cultural events Disability Access and Inclusion Hume City Council, VIC - School Holiday Program for Indigenous Children with a Disability Melton City Council, VIC - Disability Action Plan 2013-2017 and Launch Improve Productivity and Regional Development Townsville City Council, QLD - Townsville Planning and Development Reform Program Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes, WA - Bridgetown Public Library Infrastructure Development Project Multicultural Australia - Strength in Diversity Greater Dandenong City Council, VIC - "Racism. Get Up. Speak Out." Campaign City of Belmont, WA - New Arrivals Library Support Project Promoting Indigenous Recognition Clarence Valley Council, NSW - The Three Mobs One River Aboriginal Learning Kit City of Salisbury, SA - 'Together Woven' Kaurna Heritage Marker Youth Employment Melton City Council, VIC - Building Melton Together Employment Initiative Latrobe City Council, VIC - Steps to the Future Indigenous Employment Program


	Share your story: A safer future for children The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is investigating how institutions like schools, churches, sports clubs and government organisations have responded to allegations and instances of child sexual abuse. In its first 15 months of operation, the Royal Commission has travelled to every state and territory of Australia including many regional areas, to hear from more than 1,500 people in private sessions. The Royal Commission’s call centre has received over 11,000 phone calls from the public and held 11 public hearings. Royal Commission CEO Janette Dines said the regional visits provided an opportunity to share information about the work of the Royal Commission, and for survivors of child sexual abuse while in the care of an institution to share their story. “We are committed to giving regional and remote communities a voice in this process. It is important these stories inform the Australian community about the experiences of children who had suffered sexual abuse while in the care of an institution, as well as help us make institutions safer for children in the future, Ms Dines said If you were sexually abused as a child while in the care of an institution in Australia you can share your story with the Royal Commission. It doesn’t matter how long ago the abuse occurred, every person's story is important. The first step is to let the Royal Commission know that you are interested in sharing your story. Call: 1800 099 340 between the hours of 8am and 8pm from Monday to Friday Email: Send an email to contact@childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au Write: GPO Box 5283, Sydney, NSW 2001. Discussing child sexual abuse can be difficult. The Royal Commission can refer survivors of child sexual abuse to counsellors or special support groups. For more information about the work of the Royal Commission and support services available visit www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au or call 1800 099 340.


	Heart Foundation presents healthy design tool to the world A free online tool developed by the National Heart Foundation of Australia to help town planners build heart healthy cities was featured at the World Cardiology Congress in Melbourne on Tuesday 6 May. The unique Healthy Active by Design Guideline which builds on international best practice to help town planners at a grassroots level is part of the Heart Foundation's work to get more Australians more active. "Globally, there is strong evidence on the link between health and the places where we live," the Heart Foundation's active living spokesperson Trevor Shilton said. "With overweight and obesity on the rise, it’s essential we provide environments that prevent and reduce the effects of these and other conditions which lead to chronic diseases including heart disease, diabetes and some cancers." The Guideline represents a 21st Century approach to healthy urban design and includes practical checklists, case studies, high-quality examples of projects from around the world and links to evidence. "We have the evidence - what's needed now is to translate that evidence into tools such as Healthy Active by Design," Mr Shilton said. Research had shown: public transport users took 30% more steps than drivers1 People who lived in neighbourhoods with sidewalks were 47% more likely to meet physical activity guidelines2 Traffic calming measures reduced pedestrian injuries by 15%3 People who lived in walkable communities were two times as likely to get enough physical activity4 70.5% of cycle path users in Bogota, Colombia met physical activity guidelines5 Youths in neighbourhoods with seven recreation facilities were 26% more likely to be active five times a week than those without facilities6 People who lived near trails were 50% more likely to meet PA Guidelines7 "There are many examples from around the world, including Bangkok, New York and Bogota which show that planning for new areas or changing existing structures doesn't have to be complicated or costly, but it does make a difference to community health and happiness," Mr Shilton said. "Health experts are calling for urgent government action to ensure the built environment allows and encourages daily physical activity, thus improving health and well-being." The Guideline is available here.


	Waste management worth $10.4 billion Waste management services in Australia were a $10.4 billion industry in 2010-11, according to a new publication released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on 1 May. "The supply of waste management services was up by nearly $1 billion on the previous year, and there was also an increase in the sales of recyclable or recoverable waste." said Mark Lound from the ABS. "The value of sales of waste went from $4.6 billion in 2009-10 to $5.4 billion in 2010-11. "Household expenditure on waste management services - which is mostly municipal rates - rose slightly; households spent $1.9 billion on waste management, up by nine percent from 2009-10. "The total amount of waste generated in Australia was just over 53 million tonnes, down from 54 million tonnes in 2009-10. "The construction industry and households were the main waste creators, each producing just over 14 million tonnes. Waste produced by the construction industry decreased by 1.6 million tonnes or 10 percent from 2009-10. "In 2010-11, a total of 31 million tonnes of waste was recovered, and 22 million tonnes sent to landfill. This is a fall of 14 percent in the amount of waste going to landfill from the previous year. "Masonry remains the most recovered type of waste material, accounting for just over a third of all recovered waste," said Mr Lound. Waste Account, Australia aligns with the United Nations System of Environmental Accounts that became an international standard in 2012. Further information can be found in Waste Account, Australia (cat. no. 4602.0.55.006) available for free download from the ABS website.


	ACELG Research Forum held in Melbourne The Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government (ACELG) successfully hosted its 2014 Research Forum in Melbourne. Some 60 local government, association, consultants and researchers attended the day event to share and discuss contemporary local government related research. The Research Forum covered a wide range of policy interests, including measures of progress, productive regions, social enterprises, community cultural development, housing, investment in employee skills and practitioner led research on issues such as amalgamations and food regulation. These research forums have been held around the country on an annual basis and have been designed to : Showcase examples of current local government research which relate to pressing policy issues for Australian local government Provide opportunities for local government practitioners to present work alongside academic researchers ; and Discuss the implications of the research for policy and practice. The Forum was held in partnership with the LGMA National Congress & Business Expo. To View the program and presentation information here.


	Climate Adaption Workshop in Sydney Registrations are open for a free, interactive workshop in Sydney on Wednesday 14 May about climate risk assessment and planning in local government. Hosted by the City of Canada Bay (NSW), the workshop will draw on material from Climate Adaptation Manual for Local Government: Embedding Resilience to Climate Change, a new resource from the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government (ACELG) to be launched next week by the City of Canada Bay Mayor, Angelo Tsirekas. The session will guide participants through the Manual and enable participants to experiment in applying a number of ‘How To’ steps to their local council circumstances. Staff of the City of Canada Bay Council will outline the approach taken in enabling change and increasing climate resilience in its local government area. There is no cost to attend. Workshop attendees are also welcome to attend the launch at 11am. To register, please email andrew.dimitriadis@canadabay.nsw.gov.au or call 02 9911 6555.


	Sharing road safety tips to save lives Cutting the number of road fatalities and injury rates by sharing proven road safety tips is the aim of a new program launched on by the National Transport Commission on 5 May. CEO of the NTC Paul Retter said major employers like Coca-Cola Amatil, BHP Billiton, Telstra, Uniting Care Queensland, Hanson, Holden, Shell and Origin Energy, had already signed up to the National Road Safety Partnership Program with more major companies expected to join shortly. "There is no point keeping any road safety successes secret," Mr Retter said. "This program gives employers a library of best practice road safety programs that have been proven to work. Other organisations can simply find an idea that could work in their workplace and start implementing it. "If organisations find something that works they should actively share it around - even to their competitors. "Instead of governments bringing in more red tape to keep employees safe this program gets the same outcomes just by sharing success stories." Mr Retter said because almost half the new vehicles sold in Australia were purchased by fleets this program had the potential to cut road toll across Australia and reduce road congestion at the same time. "Following the success of seatbelts and speed cameras, road safety experts are now looking for the next big thing to reduce our road toll," Mr Retter said. "Experts predict that road crashes will kill or injure 170,000 Australians over the next five years and work-related road crashes account for almost half of all Australian workplace deaths. "If businesses share ways of keeping their employees safe on the road there is no doubt they can have a significant impact on our road toll." Steering Committee member Mark Stephens from Uniting Care Queensland said the program would help other businesses recognise that road safety initiatives more than pay their way while at the same time creating a culture of road safety through the workforce and into the community. "This program will help businesses keep their employees and fleets safe, productive and sustainable, especially by reducing the costs of injuries and compensation," Mr Stephens said. Mr Retter encouraged interested organisations to find out more about how to keep their employees safe from road crashes at www.nrspp.org.au ALGA is a founding member of the National Road Safety Partnership Program Steering Committee.


	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population may exceed 900,000 by 2026 Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is projected to increase by over a third to reach between 907,800 and 945,600 people by 2026, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). These projection figures are based on a series of assumptions which incorporate recent trends in fertility, paternity, mortality and internal migration within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. Denise Carlton, Director of Demography at the ABS said, "Our medium projection series, which is based on recently observed population trends, shows the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population growing by 2.2 per cent per year to reach around 925,000 people by 2026. "This compares with a projected annual growth rate of 1.6 per cent for the total Australian population over the same period. "Faster growth in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is the result of assumed higher than average levels of fertility, and improvements in life expectancy," Ms Carlton added. "The median age of this population is projected to increase from 22 years in 2011 to 25 years in 2026," said Ms Carlton. Like the total population, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is ageing. The proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 0–14 years is projected to decline from 36 per cent of the population in 2011 to between 31 per cent and 33 per cent in 2026, while the proportion of persons aged 65 years and over is projected to increase from 3 per cent to between 6 per cent and 7 per cent. "The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations in all states and territories are projected to continue to grow, although at varying rates," said Ms Carlton. "New South Wales is projected to continue to be the state with the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in 2026, with between 277,200 and 289,800 people. This is followed by Queensland (between 266,800 and 278,000 people) and Western Australia (between 117,400 and 121,800). "The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in remote and very remote areas combined is projected to grow relatively slowly, between 0.7 per cent and 1 per cent per year, to reach between 159,000 and 165,100 people in 2026," said Ms Carlton. Over the same period, the population is projected to grow by 2.3 per cent to 2.6 per cent per year in major cities to reach between 328,500 and 342,500 people and by 2.4 per cent to 2.7 per cent per year in inner and outer regional Areas combined to reach between 420,200 and 438,00 people. Further details are available in Estimates and Projections, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2001 to 2026 (cat. no. 3238.0).


	Around the councils.... A brief look at what's making news at councils around the nation. Tech savvy Wyong Shire Council has launched a mobile phone friendly website to help residents provide feedback to council . Wyong Council said it believes it is the first council offer an integrated service - that when you send through the request from your mobile phone it goes straight into council's system and generates an action straight away. Visit the website www.wyong.nsw.gov.au from your mobile phone. Innovation funds The Renmark Paringa Council will establish an 'innovation fund', to support events, projects and other opportunities that come up at short notice. The council will allocate $20,000 a year for the fund, over a two-year trial period. Support for suicide prevention action plan Another three south-east South Australian councils are set to give their support to a suicide prevention action plan. Mount Gambier City Council was the first to become involved late last year. Flood disaster study The Northern Grampians Shire says a university study into its flood disaster three years ago will become an important tool for emergency response and recovery in the future. A University of Ballarat study looked at the damage to residents and businesses, to provide recommendations for future emergency management. The council hopes the recommendations will also help minimise social, economic and environmental effects. Natural disaster review welcomed Wagga Wagga's Mayor has welcomed a Productivity Commission review into natural disaster funding arrangements, praising its focus on mitigation measures. The federal government is expected to call for submissions on the investigation over the coming weeks, which will examine the scope of Commonwealth and state expenditure on natural disasters. LGAQ to join Mackay in appealing Supreme Court rating decision The Mackay Regional Council, with the support of the Local Government Association of Queensland and its legal advisors, King & Company, will appeal the Supreme Court judgment that determined that the council's decision to impose differential rates on non-owner occupied residential property was invalid. LGAQ chief executive Greg Hallam said the decision not only jeopardised the differential general rating capabilities of the Mackay Regional Council, but had far reaching implications for many other Queensland councils. Outdoor dining fees reviewed Randwick City Council has undertaken a major review of their outdoor dining fees for cafés and restaurants across the city resulting in some areas being reduced by almost half in a bid to encourage footpath dining in less popular areas. At its meeting on Tuesday 29 April 2014 Council resolved to introduce a more equitable pricing structure from 1 July 2014 based on an independent valuation. Fees for footpath dining outside major town centres are now considerably cheaper. Former Dalwallinu councillor honoured for WA-record service Former Dalwallinu councillor Bill Dinnie was recognised at a celebratory dinner recently for his remarkable achievement in notching up a WA-record 48-and-a-half years as a councillor.