 | |  ALGA President Mayor Felicity-ann Lewis met with Assistant Minister for Infrastructure the Hon Jamie Briggs this week to discuss a range of issues related to infrastructure and local government funding. A key focus of the discussions was the outcomes of the Productivity Commission's Report on Public Infrastructure, released on 14 July 2014. The Government is considering its response to the report and is canvassing the report’s finding with state and territory governments and local government. While many of the report’s recommendations relate to improvements to the procurement processes for large infrastructure projects (above $50m in value), there are some specific recommendations touching on the opportunity to establish Roads Funds, including possibly funds which relate to the provision of local roads. Such funds would seek to create stronger links between the needs of road users and investment decisions. The Productivity Commission’s proposals to explore the idea build on earlier work undertaken in the area of Heavy Vehicle Charging and Investment at the request of the Council of Australian Governments. Mayor Lewis and Minister Briggs discussed existing local government regional road funding structures and options for taking the PC proposals forward. Mayor Lewis also raised current hot issues with Minister Briggs, including the need to ensure legislative certainty for the extension of the Roads to Recovery Program beyond 30 June this year (noting the current impasse in the Senate in the passage of the necessary legislation) and the major implications for councils and local communities of the Government’s decision to freeze the indexation of the local government Financial Assistance Grants for three years which will cost councils more than $925m over the next three years and lead to a permanent reduction of more than 13% in the value of the grants. ALGA is urging the Government to restore indexation and the base funding of the grants. | | | | |  ALGA is continuing to lobby the Federal Government to have the decision to freeze indexation of Financial Assistance Grants (FAGs) reversed. The decision, included in the 13 May Budget will cut $925 million from local government funding over the next three years. The first FAGs payment for 2014-15 will be made to councils next week and it will be $24 million less this quarter because of the indexation freeze. President Felicity-ann Lewis raised the issue with Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Jamie Briggs at a meeting in Adelaide this week. The impact of the decision to freeze the Grants will be felt by all councils, especially rural and regional councils which are relatively more dependent on the grants. Individual councils have continued to highlight the very real effects the loss of funding will have on the provision of services and the maintenance of infrastructure in local communities. | | | | |  Over the coming months councils across Australia will be asked to participate in the development of the 2014 National State of the Asset Report. ALGA has commissioned Jeff Roorda and Associates (JRA) to undertake the National State of the Assets (NSOA) Report for 2014. The previous 2013 NSOA Report, reported on the state of local government road assets, the degree of asset management and long term financial planning implementation across a sample of 344 councils. The 2013 Report found Councils indicated some $8.3 billion in sealed roads were 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. The aim for 2014 is to use the same methodology and build a clear case showing how investment in local government infrastructure will provide stronger communities, economies and efficient expenditure of public funds. The core objectives of the NSOA for 2014 are to: - Provide an assessment of the current stock of road assets and how they are performing in terms of condition, function and capacity, with associated confidence levels;
- Assess the current position of councils in relation to implementation of Asset Management and Long Term Financial Plans; and
- Provide additional data perspectives based on rural and urban classifications across each State and Territory.
- Analyse and compare for the first time the data elements collected in 2013.
- Improve decision support for local government.
JRA will be contacting councils about the data collection process during September with a view to finalising the report in time for the National Local Roads and Transport Congress in Tamworth during 12-14 November 2014. | | |
| |  The 13 May Federal Budget included a $925 million cut to local government funding with the decision to freeze indexation of Financial Assistance Grants (FAGs) for the next three years. Next week, the first Financial Assistance Grants for the current financial year will be distributed, and the impact of the 13 May decision will be seen first -hand by councils across the nation. Why? Because there will be $24 million less provided to local government this quarter as a result of the indexation freeze. Councils will have to, and have been, making decisions about how they will manage their budgets with less income in this quarter, and going forward. FAGs are a vital part of the revenue base of all councils. For many smaller rural and remote councils, FAGs form the majority of their revenue base, and it is these councils who will be hit hardest by the reduction in the grant funds. FAGs are essential to allow local communities to provide a reasonable level of service and infrastructure to local residents. The grants are used to maintain a range of infrastructure including local roads, bridges, parks, swimming pools, libraries and community halls as well as services to the young, the elderly and community groups of all kinds. In the media this week, a number of councils spoke about what the FAGs freeze would mean for their communities. Cootamundra Shire Council is NSW has said road maintenance and services will be scaled back. In the words of general manager Ken Trethewey "we'll do a little bit less in the parks, little bit less in the library, little bit less in the swimming pool, little bit less on the main street". While in Victoria Central Goldfields Shire Mayor Barry Rinaldi said "we're going to have to attempt to maintain our roads, maintain our childcare centres, our kindergartens, all of the other services that council provide are going to have to be done somehow in a smarter way but the end result will be that the services will have to be reduced". It's a story being played out in councils in every state and territory. Trying to maintain vital community services and infrastructure with less revenue. ALGA is continuing to highlight the impact of the decision with the Federal Government and to lobby for the decision to be reversed. We need the support of councils to continue to highlight the impact in your community and to raise the issue with your Federal local member. This decision will have an impact far beyond the three years of the indexation freeze because the level of the grants will be permanently reduced and our communities will suffer as funding for local services is scaled back. We must do what we can to have this policy reversed and the level of the grants restored. Mayor Felicity-ann Lewis President | | |
| | The Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development has released an International Road Safety Comparisons Report, providing information on road deaths and road death rates for OECD nations and Australian states and territories. The rates compare Australia's road safety performance with that of other OECD nations by accounting for the differing levels of population, motorisation and distances travelled.
In terms of annual deaths per 100,000 population in 2012 : Australia's rate of 5.72 was the 16th lowest rate out of the 33 nations with available data. The nations with the two lowest rates were Iceland 2.81 and the United Kingdom 2.83 Between 2003 and 2012, the annual population-standardised risk of a road crash fatality in Australia declined by a total of 30.5 per cent. Over the same period the OECD median rate fell by 38.9 per cent. The rates for all Australian jurisdictions decreased by between 5 per cent (Australian Capital Territory) and 45 per cent (South Australia). The full report can be accessed here.
| | | | | A new report has found more older Australians are accessing aged care services, with the greatest increase in services delivered to people in their homes and in the community. The report demonstrates that Australia’s ageing population is driving demand and growth in the aged care sector. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report, Patterns in use of aged care: 2002-03 to 2010-11, found 29 per cent of people aged 65 years and over accessed aged care services in 2010-11, up from 26 per cent in 2002-03. The greatest increase was in community care programmes, which were used by 79 per cent of all aged care clients in 2010-11, up from 76 per cent in 2002-03, with the vast majority of these people receiving Home and Community Care (HACC) services. The full report is available here. | | | | | Be part of Australia’s biggest reuse and sustainability event. Join more than 120 councils nation-wide and take part in the 2014 Garage Sale Trail, a not-for-profit mission to promote reuse, waste minimisation, sustainable living and awareness around illegal dumping on Saturday 25 October. "We are so grateful for the support of our state and local government partners, without which this program would simply not be possible," Co-Founder Darryl Nichols said. Over the past three years Garage Sale Trail has grown into an epic national event involving over 360,000 participants and 35,000 sellers. Last year's event resulted in 1.5 million items listed for reuse (that’s an average of 8 shopping trollies redistributed per sale), and over 230,000 new community connections (13 new connections per participant). Free public registrations are open at www.garagesaletrail.com.au. Any councils interested in participating should contact g'day@garagesaletrail.com.au Follow Garage Sale Trail on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @garagesaletrail #garagesaletrail | | | | | Submissions on the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Child Care and Early Childhood Learning are open until 5 September. Public consultation on the draft report is currently underway with public hearings and online submissions open. Federal Minister responsible for child care Sussan Ley said the Productivity Commission’s draft report had already generated much discussion and she encouraged Australians to make sure they were heard before consultation closed September 5. "From backyard barbeques to national headlines - everyone seems to be talking about the need for affordable, flexible and accessible child care," she said. Ms Ley said people could leave a brief comment on the Productivity Commission's website if they did not have the time to lodge a formal submission. The Productivity Commission Inquiry into Child Care and Early Childhood Learning received more than 1160 submissions during the first round of consultation informing the draft report, including more than 460 formal submissions and 700 brief online comments. Ms Ley said people could have their say, download the draft report or find dates for public hearings here. The Productivity Commission is expected to provide their final report to the Government by the end of October 2014. | | | | | The countdown is drawing to a close for the first homes and businesses living within parts of Gosford, NSW to make the switch from the existing telecommunications network to the National Broadband Network (NBN), from 5 October, 2014. NBN Co today urged the remaining affected residents and businesses in parts of Gosford who have not placed an order for services over the NBN to contact their preferred internet service provider or phone company as soon as possible. NBN Co spokesperson, Darren Rudd said the move to the NBN is not automatic and may take some planning and coordination. You can find out whether you are eligible to connect to the NBN as well as more information about the steps you need to take to make the switch by visiting nbnco.com.au/switch. | | | | | To celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the awards individuals or professional photographers have been invited to submit a photograph depicting disaster resilience in Australia. Photos can be viewed on Flickr here. Vote on Flickr or email to images@ag.gov.au by 30 September 2014. The winning photograph will be published on the front cover of the Australian Journal of Emergency Management. Vote for the photo you think depicts 'a disaster resilient Australia'best. Further information, contact National awards convenor: julien.nicolas@ag.gov.au, 03 5421 5295 | | | | | Representatives of key stakeholder groups will come together this week to discuss the outcomes of a comprehensive business review of Agstewardship and its future operation. Agstewardship Australia is a company formed in 2009 to oversees drumMUSTER® and ChemClear®. These programs are funded by a voluntary levy on the sale of agricultural chemical and are recognised as some of the most successful voluntary product stewardship programs in Australia and are also rated as world leaders in their field. Since its inception, both programs have exceeded the expectations of the industry partners who established them more than ten years ago. Since 1999 more than 20 million chemical containers have been collected and recycled and it is estimated that they have diverted more than 29000 tonnes of plastic or 290,000m3 of Council Landfill space saving communities approximately $21M. Industry partners include: the Australian Local Government Association, National Farmers Federation, Croplife Australia, Animal Medicines Australia and Veterinary Manufacturers and Distributors Association. The review addressed the financial sustainability of the company, its programs and fully explores options for going forward. The Agstewardship Australia Board will meet later this month to determine the future directions of the Company. | | | | | NSW Minister for Ageing and Disability Services, the Hon. John Ajaka MLC, launched the NSW Carers Strategy on 7 August 2014. The NSW Carers Strategy is an important document for the 857,000 carers in NSW. Carers are the family members and friends who provide ongoing care and support to people who need it because of disability, chronic illness, mental illness, dementia or frail age. The Strategy is a five year plan to improve the position of carers in NSW. It will achieve this by helping carers to participate in activities outside their caring role, including education and employment, and to have input into the development of policies that affect them. It was developed collaboratively and will be implemented collaboratively with carers, government, non-government, private and academic sectors. The NSW Carers Strategy is available at www.carers.nsw.gov.au. You can also download the consultation report and background information about developing the Strategy. For more information contact Ms Helen McFarlane, Principal Policy Officer, Carers, Ageing and Disability Inclusion on 9248 0871 or email carerstrategy@facs.nsw.gov.au. | | | | | A project to benchmark the online capabilities of local government has entered its fifth year. The LG digital maturity project has compared the online capabilities of a number of councils including the City of Greater Geelong, Brimbank City Council, City of Greater Bendigo, Launceston City Council, Moreton Bay Regional Council, Toowomba Regional Council, the City of Stirling, Mosman Municipal Council, Ballarat City Council, Adelaide Hills Council, Port Stephens Council, Bundaberg Regional Council and others. The councils were assessed against four areas: e-service (the use of e-payments and e-forms); e-connect (using online communication and engagement tools); e-inform (improving online presentation of information); and e-develop (the range of e-initiatives being undertaken by local councils). For the second year in a row Sunshine Coast Regional Council was rated the best-performing council in the e-service delivery category. The average (across the participating councils) e-services rating, however, remains low. The range of online services provided by councils continues to expand, howevercustomer uptake of the services has been slow to increase. The report also found that online communication and engagement tools are under utilised by councils, either being used on an ad-hoc basis or not being utilised by residents. | | | | | ABC Heywire and the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) have announced the recipients of seed funding for projects devised by young people across regional Australia.
Twelve country communities will share $100,000 to help bring youth ideas to life, after receiving a FRRR ABC Heywire Youth Innovation grant.
The ideas that the communities are adopting were generated at the annual Heywire Regional Youth Summit in February 2014. The subjects they address range from gender equality and positive mental health, to youth in agriculture, anti-racism and refugee challenges.
The grants, which are funded by FRRR, will enable projects to be delivered over the next 12 months. Two councils, Urana Shire and Roper Gulf Regional Council, were among the successful recipients. Other projects were funded at Shepparton, Ravenshoe, Coffs Harbour, Renmark, Toowoomba, Smithton, Gloucester, Wuddina, Carnarvon and Timboon. For more details on the projects visit the Heywire website. | | |
| | |  In about 50% of local councils AMS (Asset Management System) related projects delivered no or only minor business benefits. About 40% of councils rated vendor performance for CRM systems (Customer/ Service Request Management) as poor or fair. And registration of documents by EDRMS users (as opposite to specialized Records staff) has, in fact, declined. These are preliminary results of the 2014 ICT capability benchmarking. They also point to pressing need to improve ICT strategic planning. If a system roadmap is a tool for charting the right course for ICT investments, surely, this tool has to be regularly calibrated. But what reference data should councils use to validate projections and assumptions they make in their ICT plans? Core ICT systems capability benchmarking provides participating local councils with objective vendor independent indicators on how their key systems stack up against a) industry average and b) best-performing councils' results. Participants include: City of Greater Bendigo, City of Greater Geelong, Sunshine Coast Regional Council, Moreton Bay Regional Council, City of Joondalup, Toowoomba Regional Council, Port Stephens City Council, City of Stirling and others. To enquire about the 2014 Core ICT Systems capability benchmarking please email at service@tech-indicators.com.au |
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