The Australian Government has released exposure draft legislation for the implementation of the Emissions Reduction Fund for public comment.

The Emissions Reduction Fund is the centrepiece of the Direct Action Plan to reduce Australia's greenhouse gas emissions by five per cent below 2000 levels by 2020.

The Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Amendment Bill 2014 will extend the coverage of the Carbon Farming Initiative to enable crediting of emissions reductions across the economy.

It will also provide for the Clean Energy Regulator to conduct auctions and purchase emissions reductions.

The Fund will be administered by the Clean Energy Regulator and will commence following the repeal of the carbon tax.

The Government is calling for public submissions on the draft Emissions Reduction Fund legislation. The consultation period will be open until 23 May 2014.

Submissions should be sent to emissions-reduction-submissions@environment.gov.au.

For more information please click here or call 1800 852 974.

A draft review on the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 was released 9 May. The government is seeking public comment on the draft standards by 14 July 2014.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss said the standards, which operate under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, are an important piece of legislation for public transport operators and providers to ensure the removal of discrimination against people with disability.

The 170 page draft report makes 7 recommendations:

• That the Federal, State and Territory governments :
  • establish a national framework for reporting on compliance with the Transport Standards by 30 June 2016.
  • begin a process for updating and modernising the Transport Standards - with this work to be undertaken in close consultation with local government, industry and the disability sector. A technical committee should be established for this review, with amendments  to the Standards requiring  identification of impact on governments, providers and operators.
  • develop accessibility guidelines for a "whole-of-journey" approach to public transport planning by December 2015, to enable people to fully use public transport systems, rather than have "islands of accessibility".
• That the Federal Government, in consultation with  State and Territory governments:
  • develop and implement a national motorised mobility aids labelling scheme (begun by the Austroads Registration and Licensing Taskforce in November 2012).
  • develop consistent national compliance milestones and response times for wheelchair accessible taxis by June 2016.
• Improvement of the complaints process.
• The Department to review the Disability Access Facilitation Plan initiative by June 2015.

To access the draft report and provide feedback  visit infrastructure.gov.au/transportstandards.

The Abbott Government will not proceed with the final round of the National Rental Affordability Scheme.

Incentives already allocated through the scheme will continue to be paid for up to 10 years, as long as eligibility requirements are met and homes in the construction pipeline are built in the agreed locations according to agreed timeframes.

The scheme will be reviewed to address ongoing issues and ensure remaining incentives meet the scheme’s original aim.

In consultation with states, territories, investors, developers and the housing sector, the Government has committed to look at how the scheme can best meet its objectives, stamp out trading of incentives, target Australians most in need, and reduce red tape and ambiguity.

The Government is investing up to $115 million into the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness, to be matched by the states and territories, enabling hundreds of critical homelessness services to continue.

The Government's review of Medicare Locals, conducted by Professor John Horvath, was released on 12 May. The Review recognised the need for an localised organisation which can integrate the care of patients across the health system and work collaboratively with health professionals.  It finds "There is a genuine need for an organisation to be charged with improving patient outcomes through working collaboratively with health professionals and services to integrate and facilitate a seamless patient experience."

The report's 10 recommendations include: changing the name of Medicare Locals to Primary Care Organisations (PHOs);  reducing the number of Medicare Locals to improve efficiency and obtain economics of scale; better alignment of Medicare Locals with Local Hospital Networks;  and for the Commonwealth to cease its funding of the peak body, the Australian Medicare Local Alliance.   It is further recommended that Primary Care Organisations only provide services where there is demonstrable market failure, significant economies of scale or absence of services.

Professor Horvath also found the name Medicare Locals was inappropriate and confusing and that there was a lack of clarity about the specific functions of Medicare Locals, saying "This lack of clear purpose has perpetuated a sense of confusion and relevance with service sectors, governments and the community." The full report is available here.

A day after the Horvath report was presented, the Government announced in the 2014 Budget that it  "will move to establish Primary Health Networks (PHNs) from 1 July 2015, in line with the recommendations of the Review of Medicare Locals. There will be fewer, but larger, PHNs in the new network that will replace Medicare Locals. PHNs will be clinically-focused and responsible for improving patient outcomes in their geographical area by ensuring that services across the primary, community and specialist sectors align and work together in patients' interests."

"The Government will also explore innovative models of primary health care funding and delivery, including partnerships with private insurers, as part of its commitment to rebuild primary care."

The Coalition initially pledged to not shut any of the Medicare Local facilities.

In other Budget measures, the Coalition will introduce a Medicare co-payment of $7 for each visit to the doctor and a $5 increase in the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme co-payment. The PBS safety net will also be increased to $1597.80 from January 2015.  The savings generated from these measures will be channelled into the soon-to-be-created Medical Research Future Fund.

Next month councils around the country are encouraged to participate in Australia's peak annual activity to raise awareness about the issues affecting refugees and celebrate the positive contributions made by refugees to local communities.  Refugee Week  is always held the week which includes 20 June (World Refugee Day). This year, Refugee Week will be held from Sunday 15 June to Saturday 21 June. The theme is "Restoring Hope". Read more about the theme here.

The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) has released a Discussion Paper to inform and seek feedback from stakeholders on the resilience of new buildings to extreme weather events. The feedback will help inform the ABCB on strategic advice it provides to governments in identifying future areas to focus its activities.

New buildings are currently designed and constructed in accordance with the National Construction Code (NCC) to withstand climate related hazards such as cyclones and extreme winds, intense rain, bushfire, snow and flood, as appropriate to their location. However, over the past few years extreme weather events have resulted in devastating winds, floods and bushfires in many parts of Australia, which have led to the destruction and damage of a number of buildings. It is appropriate to take stock and seek stakeholders' views on whether new buildings are sufficiently resilient to natural disasters associated with extreme weather events.

The ABCB undertakes a constant review of the NCC, particulary after major hazard events and via research, to investigate whether adequate levels of safety and health are maintained for the community. The Discussion Paper is part of this review process.

The NCC does not, however, cover hail, storm tide, or have specific requirements relating to heat stress. It is therefore appropriate for the ABCB to seek feedback and consider whether these other hazards can be addressed in the NCC. However, any change to the Code would need to satisfy stringent impact assessment requirements and be subject to further public consideration.

The Discussion Paper can be downloaded from www.abcb.gov.au. Closing date for submissions is 1 July 2014

This week is National Volunteer Week, an event celebrating its 25th birthday.

Volunteering Australia CEO Brett Williamson said it is time to challenge the long held assumptions of what constitutes volunteering in Australia in 2014.

'It is a landmark year so we are taking landmark action. We are kicking off a national review to update our definition of volunteering.'

In 1996 Volunteering Australia identified a set of principles to describe volunteering. These principles still underpin volunteering policy for not for profits, business and government.

'25 years ago volunteers expected to commit long-term and work in traditional organisations. Now volunteering opportunities have exploded with options like corporate volunteering, micro and episodic volunteering to meet the myriad of needs and opportunities now out there'

'The 1996 definition has not really kept pace with emerging trends of how over 6.1 million Australians are volunteering their time today with over 600 000 not for profit organisations.'

'The definition of volunteering is a critical reference for the volunteering sector. It has a bearing on decision making by governments, volunteer resource centres and volunteer involving organisations. Not only does it enhance workforce planning, it underpins the integrity of volunteering and volunteers, ensuring a common understanding of what volunteering is. Much rests on it.'

'It will also influence how companies manage employee volunteering programs, how organisations manager insurance needs for volunteers, how we measure volunteering and how we implement best practice standards across the sector.'

The review is expected to completed by December 2014.

Volunteers contribute $200 billion to the Australian economy annually.

For some volunteering fast facts click here.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has issued a timely about the deadly dangers of moveable soccer goalposts as children’s soccer season kicks off around the country.

"Deaths and injuries associated with moveable soccer goals are caused by blunt force injuries and trauma to the head, neck, chest and limbs when the goalposts fall over," ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.

"If you're a parent, teacher, coach, referee or volunteer involved in kids' soccer, there are simple steps you can take to help keep kids safe around moveable soccer goalposts - before, during and after games.

"Identify the type of goalposts on the field - if they’re freestanding and not the lightweight plastic kind, you’re dealing with potentially dangerous goals that need to be anchored and checked properly before use and then stored away safely immediately afterwards.

"Incidents can happen during normal game play or from inappropriate use of goalposts outside the game so ensure that nobody swings on the goalposts or plays on them at any time," Ms Rickard said.

The ACCC, in partnership with Football Federation Australia, released the 'Anchor, Check, Respect' YouTube video in 2012. The video features Melbourne Victory player Adrian Leijer.

A step-by-step guide and the video demonstrating how to anchor, check and respect soccer goals are also available here.

The report, The Evolution of Australian Towns is an historical, economic analysis of change in Australian settlement patterns over a century. Towns have been subject to significant economic, social and technological changes since 1911. This report, prepared by the Commonwealth's Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics, examines how Australia's town settlement patterns reacted to that change and examines the underlying factors and processes involved. It examines the interacting effects of geography, history, goods and services markets, industry, amenity and investment. The analysis reveals the important roles of competition, existing infrastructure, improved technology, longer life expectancy and increased wealth.

The Report can be accessed here.

Regional Capitals (RCA) Australia has released the findings of a new report into the characteristics and  contributions of the nation's regional capitals.

The report revealed that in 2012 Australia's regional capitals jointly generated $210 billion or more than 15 per cent of national economic activity.

The report also identified that regional capitals will be home to an additional one million people in 2026, growing at a rate that is faster than the national average.

RCA Chair and City of Wagga Wagga Mayor, Cr Rod Kendall said the report was a ground breaking initiative, highlighting for the first time the significant economic impact of Australia's regional capitals.

Spread over 50 local government areas, regional  capitals provide a central point to access essential infrastructure, services, employment and education for local residents as well as those in surrounding  towns.

Regional capitals are particularly crucial to supporting regional areas through service and employment opportunities. The report shows that regional capitals have a labour force of approximately two million with this set to grow by almost 500,000 in the next 15 years. Many of these jobs are in the service sectors such as health and education.

Cr Kendall said that the regional capitals building approvals were worth $11.7 billion or 15.7% of the value of all building approvals in Australia with the majority of these being residential dwellings.

"Adding to the appeal of living in a regional capital is affordable property prices which tend to be significantly lower in our cities, up to 60% less than the national average," Cr Kendall said "Regional capitals are growing, and growing quickly,' said Cr Kendall.

"Regional Capitals clearly present a more liveable opportunity, offering more affordable land and dwellings, unique cultural and historical heritage, and lower congestion, pollution and traffic stressors,"  he said.

Despite their contribution nationally, the potential productivity of regional capitals is being affected by a number of key social and economic disadvantages. Variables such as lower incomes, education levels and unemployment are factors that constrain investment attraction.

RCA believes that with a fairer share of the nation’s resources and a more ambitious commitment to regional growth at all levels of Government, regional capitals can contribute to a more productive and prosperous Australia.

"The release of this report is a key step in promoting the role that our regional capitals are playing, and highlighting the support they need to continue to increase the productivity of our nation," Cr Kendall said.

"RCA has been actively briefing our federal representatives, including Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss and Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development The Hon. Jamie Briggs on the importance of investing in the regions," he said 

To read the full report click here