On 27 August 2014, the Government released a Cost-Benefit Analysis of the NBN prepared by a panel led by Dr Michael Vertigan AC.

The Cost-Benefit Analysis confirms that there are real economic and social advantages in deploying high-speed broadband infrastructure to Australian households and businesses.

The Cost-Benefit Analysis considers the costs of different approaches to providing fast broadband in Australia. It also considers preferences and potential future demand for high-speed broadband in Australia, and estimates consumer willingness to pay for increased broadband speeds.

The report's conclusions, which have been questioned by the Opposition, found that deploying the NBN through a multi-technology mix (MTM) - which involves a combination of fibre to the premises (FTTP), fibre to the node, hybrid-fibre coaxial, fixed wireless and satellite technologies - provides net benefits of $18 billion to the community and the economy.

For more information and a copy of the report click here.

Anti-Poverty Week, to be held from 12 to 18 October,  is only six weeks away.

Councils are being urged to register their planned events on the Anti-Poverty Week website.

The main aims of Anti-Poverty Week are to:

• Strengthen public understanding of the causes and consequences of poverty and hardship around the world and in Australia; and
• Encourage research, discussion and action to address these problems, including action by individuals, communities, organisations and governments.

Everyone is encouraged to help reduce poverty and hardship by organising an activity during the Week or taking part in an activity organised by others.

The website also includes the most up to date reports available on poverty and inequality.  They are under Resources/Information and Education.  Included on this page under "Local Area Data" is a report which includes in its appendix poverty rates for each local government area in Australia.

For more information contact  apw@antipovertyweek.org.au

Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss today encouraged all Australians to fly the flag with pride on Australian National Flag Day, on 3 September 2014.

"Our National Flag Day celebrates the first time the flag was flown over the dome of the exhibition building in Melbourne in 1901, after the winners of a competition to design a national flag for Australia were announced by Australia's first Prime Minister, the Rt Hon. Sir Edmund Barton," Mr Truss said.

"National Flag Day provides us with a fitting opportunity to reflect with pride upon the many achievements of our nation since that year of Federation.

As part of celebrations for Australian National Flag Day, Mr Truss will be attending the Australian National Flag Day event, taking place at Parliament House in Canberra.

For information on flag raising protocol or to join the Commonwealth Flag Network visit www.itsanhonour.gov.au

Event registrations for International Day of People with Disability are now open.

Celebrated annually on 3 December, International Day of People with Disability plays an important role in promoting the inclusion of people with disability in all aspects of Australian life.

"I encourage communities and organisations throughout the country to organise an event that recognises the achievements and contributions of people with disability in their local area," Senator Fifield said.

In 2013, over 750 events were registered by businesses, community groups, sporting organisations and schools to support International Day of People with Disability in Australia. 

"Events can be registered on the International Day of People with Disability website from now until 3 December," Senator Fifield said.

Visit www.idpwd.com.au or call 1800 440 385 to register your event or check on events in your area. TTY users can phone 1800 555 677 and ask for 1800 440 385.

Wednesday 13 October is the International Day for Disaster Reduction which encourages every citizen and government to take part in building more disaster resilient communities and nations.

The International Day for Disaster Reduction started in 1989 with the approval by the United Nations General Assembly. The UN General Assembly sees the IDDR as a way to promote a global culture of disaster reduction, including disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness.

The theme for 2014 is Resilience for Life. The day will highlight the need for a more inclusive approach for older people in disaster risk reduction and recognize the critical role they can play in resilience-building through their experience and knowledge.  Look out for the 2014 page and start planning what you will do to get involved.

Locally, voting is now open for applications to the photograph category of the Resilient Australia Awards.  The photograph with the greatest number of votes will be published on the front cover of the Australian Journal of Emergency Management.  View the photos here, read the descriptions and get voting!  Voting closes 30 September 2014.

A new resource has been developed by the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government (ACELG) at UTS to assist rural, remote and Indigenous local governments improve their engagement with the communities they serve.

While there are numerous resources available about community engagement, this is the only toolkit specially designed for the needs and circumstances of rural, remote and Indigenous (RRI) councils.

Community engagement is essential to democratic government, yet research by ACELG found that small councils in regional and remote Australia may not have the staff and resources to undertake elaborate community engagement activities.

This toolkit aims to address these needs. It is designed as a practical guide with simple tips and advice on engaging communities and includes practical tools, methods and downloadable templates especially suited to the circumstances of RRI councils.

The tool-kit is published as an online resource: www.acelg.org.au

Interested people are invited to give feedback on a draft long-term strategy for environmental watering in the Murray-Darling Basin.

Murray-Darling Basin Authority spokeswoman Jody Swirepik said that once finalised, the strategy would help guide watering activities across the basin so the best environmental outcomes could be achieved.

Key outcomes identified in the draft strategy are improved flows and connectivity, vegetation, fish and waterbirds.

The strategy will guide environmental water holders and managers across the basin with their local planning and watering activities, and when setting their environmental watering priorities each year.

The Basin-wide Environmental Watering Strategy is a key component of work under the Basin Plan. It will be up for public comment until the end of September.

All feedback will be closely considered before the final strategy is completed and published at the end of the year. People can provide their feedback via the MDBA website at www.mdba.gov.au

A series of community meetings being held in the southern basin in early September will provide an opportunity for people wanting to hear more about environmental watering and the draft strategy.

The City of Wanneroo's Customer Relations Centre has been announced winners in a prestigious awards program.

City of Wanneroo Mayor Tracey Roberts said the City's Customer Relations Centre won Best Project at the national Government Contact Centre Excellence Awards in August.

The Customer Relations Centre has implemented a number of new systems to improve continuity, timeliness and effectiveness in the area of customer service at the City.

Since opening in 2013, the centre has been an asset to the City resolving 84 per cent of telephone enquiries the first time and significantly decreasing turnaround time for all other enquiries and administration transactions.  

The City is also a contender for another national award, Auscontact Association National Awards, and winners will be announced at the Melbourne national awards night in October.

Gosford is home to an Australian first, with this week's official launch of the Gosford 'Glow in the dark' footpath.

The footpath was designed to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists near an adjacent rail line.

The minerals used in the 'glow path' absorb ultra-violet light during the day so that a soft glow is emitted at night.

The path is designed to encourage pedestrians and cyclists to take safe routes across the nearby rail corridor and will improve connectivity to the surrounding footpath network.

Federal Member for Robertson Lucy Wicks said the footpath project was part of the $146.5 million Gosford Passing Loops Project which involved the construction of two overtaking lanes for the trains between Gosford and Narara Stations to allow faster passenger services.

"The project team also installed a 720 metre long section of footpath along Showground Road which will connect with the existing footpath network," Ms Wicks said.

Both footpath projects have been developed in consultation with Gosford City Council.

Age Discrimination Commissioner Susan Ryan has backed calls for Australia to follow Ireland's lead and establish a centre for excellence in universal design.

Ms Ryan told the inaugural Universal Design Conference in Sydney last Thursday that embedding inclusive design principles in Australia would support the implementation of both aged care reform and the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Ms Ryan said Australia's ambitious social reform agenda relied on environments that promoted independence and an older person's capacity to exercise choice. She said this involved accessible public transport and universally designed housing and neighbourhoods. "You can’t successfully age-in-place at home if the home is badly designed," she said.

For people with a disability, boosting workforce participation required access to buildings and workplaces that met the needs of everyone in the community.

Ms Ryan said that current implementation of universal design in Australia was patchy and she committed to supporting any efforts to establish a centre for excellence in Australia to harness its "transformative impact" locally.

The Dublin-based Centre for Excellence in Universal Design is a statutory body established by the Irish Government in 2007 as part of the country's National Disability Authority. It has helped embed universal design into educational curricula, developed professional design standards for industry and built community awareness of its benefits.