 | |  As Roads to Recovery funding flows to councils for investment in local road networks, the issue of permanent R2R funding remains on the agenda of local government. This issue, and broader policy issues around transport challenges, getting products from "paddock to plate" and improving transport access, be it aviation, road or rail will be the subject of discussion at the 2014 National Local Roads and Transport Congress in Tamworth from 12 to 14 November. Under the theme of Corridors and Collaboration delegates will help shape transport policy issues for local government. It is important local government presents a united front on road and transport issues and to ensure your council's voice is heard, register for the 2014 Congress today. | | | | |  One area of collaboration to be explored at the 2014 National Local Roads and Transport Congress in Tamworth will be that of regional road groups. What is a regional road group, how do regional roads groups work and what role could they play in the strategic development of road networks and in contributing to investment decisions and transport planning? One of the recommendations included in the Productivity Commission's Inquiry into Public Infrastructure final report was that state government, and local government associations should actively encourage and support, local government to form road funds for networks of local roads. The 2014 Congress will provide an opportunity for councils to discuss this emerging policy area and to determine what benefits may flow to local communities from their establishment. | | | | |  A forum featuring three councils, including host council Tamworth is included on the agenda for day one of the 2014 Congress. What challenges do councils face and how do they respond? The panel will feature councils facing very different transport challenges, and very different transport networks. Information and registration details for the 2014 National Local Roads and Transport Congress are available on the AGLA website. The special registration rate ends on 7 October. | | |
| |  Last Thursday marked the closing of applications for round one of the new Federally funded Bridges Renewal Program (BRP) and round four of Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program (HVSPP). Local government applauded the funding when it was announced, welcoming the government's $300 million investment in bridges and $200 million in heavy vehicle and safety programs over the next five years, as an injection of much needed funded to help address infrastructure issues in our communities. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss announced on Wednesday that proposals for the funding rounds had "flooded in". More than 270 bridges and 150 heavy vehicle projects were received from state, territory and local governments by the time applications closed. The response to the call for application is recognition of the importance of the funding allocation to address priority projects for not only local government but also the states. ALGA's 2013 State of the Assets Report prepared by Jeff Roorda and Associates (JRA), in its review of data from 344 councils found that $1.4 billion in concrete and timber bridges are in poor or very poor condition. This is just part of the infrastructure backlog being faced by councils, and no doubt some of these bridges are among the 270 that have been identified in applications as part of the BRP. The current round of the HVSPP is aimed at projects that upgrade existing road infrastructure, upgraded and new de-coupling areas, technology enhancements, developing new and upgrading existing rest areas and demonstration projects, with state, territory and local governments all eligible to apply. Again, the volume of applications highlights the need for further investment in our road network to improve productivity and safety outcomes for heavy vehicles. All the projects will now be assessed against the program criteria by the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. The Minister said the focus will be on projects that are well developed, with planning and approvals advanced so construction can start this financial year. We look forward to seeing a range of projects submitted by local councils included in the list of approved projects when they are announced. Mayor Felicity-ann Lewis President | | |
| | President of the Australian Local Government Association Mayor Felicity-ann Lewis has been appointed as a public member of the 23-member board of the Australian Press Council. Mayor Lewis has been appointed for a three year term which commenced on 28 August, 2014, and is one of nine public members on the board. Public members have no affiliation with media organisations. The Australian Press Council is responsible for promoting good standards of media practice, community access to information of public interest, and freedom of expression through the media. The Council is the principal body with responsibility for responding to complaints about Australian newspapers, magazines and associated digital outlets. | | | | | Appointments by the Australian Government to the new Infrastructure Australia Board were announced on Monday 1 September, as the expert advisory body transitions to a new independent statutory authority. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss said the change in the Infrastructure Australia governance structure would help create a stronger, more independent organisation to better serve the nation’s needs. "I am pleased to announce that Mr Mark Birrell will be the Chair of the new board, bringing his extensive experience, strategic infrastructure planning expertise and strong leadership to his new role," Mr Truss said. Mr Birrell has been a part of Infrastructure Australia since 2008. Members appointed to the board are: - Mr Mark Birrell (Chair)
- Ms Julieanne Alroe
- Mr Gerard Blood
- Mr Michael Carapiet
- Mr Peter Corish
- Dr Colin Duffield
- Ms Nicole Lockwood
- Dr Daniel Norton
- Dr Kerry Schott, and
- Mr Peter Watson
| | | | | The Assistant Minister for Childcare, Sussan Ley MP, and Director ACELG, Assoc. Prof. Roberta Ryan, have jointly launched Guidelines for the Planning and Development of Childcare Facilities. The guidelines only relate to long day care. ACELG commenced the project in mid-2013, and State associations and ALGA were interviewed and consulted during the development of the guidelines, with the final guidelines release on 26 August. Assistant Minister for Education Sussan Ley said the release of the Guidelines was timely with the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Childcare and Early Learning also considering the role local government plays in providing more childcare places. Ms Ley said it was "about helping easing the burden on local governments themselves - particularly smaller councils in regional areas." "There are already a number of local governments doing great things in this space across the country, so it's not always about reinventing the wheel, but rather gathering the best of what's currently on offer and sharing it for everyone's benefit", Ms Ley said. Professor Ryan the guidelines provide a good starting point for local governments, particularly those who do not necessarily have the staff expertise of financial resources to start from scratch. More information is available on the ACELG website. | | | | | On Monday 1 September Commonwealth Minister for Justice Michael Keenan and New South Wales Minister forPolice and Emergency Services Stuart Ayres announced $27 million in funding over two years to assist communities across New South Wales build resilience to natural disaster. Mr Keenan said while the nature and size of the country's landscape meant that natural hazards were a fact of life in Australia, communities were stepping up efforts to manage natural disaster risks. “These projects led by state agencies, local councils, non-government organisations, volunteer organisations and researchers are all designed to help communities better prepare and respond to natural disasters,” Mr Keenan said. Funding will go to a mix of small brigades and units in the State Emergency Services, NSW Rural Fire Service, Marine Rescue NSW, government agencies, and not-for-profit organisations including the Australian Red Cross and the Salvation Army. It will support a broad range of projects, particularly locally-based community engagement projects that will build partnerships between local emergency management agencies, community groups, and the not-for profit and private sectors to improve preparedness for all natural disasters. Projects will be announced locally over the coming months. | | | | | The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has launched a national strategy aimed at improving the procurement of security services by local government. This strategy is aimed at not only security contractors, but also local government officials and organisations that contract out rates that are too low for award wages to be paid. These individuals and their organisations may be subject to financial penalties if they select providers who tender at unreasonably low rates.
This webinar is part of an education campaign aimed at providing information and resources to the security industry and to local government on procurement and tendering practices. This is particularly aimed at security providers involved in tendering to local government and local government procurement or security managers.
The free webinar will be held at 3pm (Eastern time) on Wednesday 17 September. To register, click here. The webinar is hosted by Australian Security Industry Association and presented by the Fair Work Ombudsman. More about ASIAL http://www.asial.com.au/About-us More about the FWO campaign click here. | | | | | Wyong Shire Council's playground at Canton Beach on NSW's Central Coast has been named as one of the best in Australia at the Parks and Leisure Australia National Awards last week. Canton Beach All Access Playground won the Australian Play Space of the Year in the category: 'Play Space Award between $250,000 to $1,000,000'. Earlier this year, the playground also won the regional award along with Council's Bamayi Reserve at Blue Haven. Mayor Doug Eaton said the aim was to build a state-of-the-art all access playground with the community, for the community. "Canton Beach playground is an inclusive play space that has particular design consideration for children of all abilities. "In fact 80% of the play equipment is suitable for wheelchair users and the space incorporates sensory elements like sound, scent, orientation, tactile experiences, balance, education and interpretation," Cr Eaton said. The project was completed at a cost of $650,000 and Council received funding from the federal government through a Community Infrastructure Grant of $520,000. | | | | | Population ageing presents great opportunities and local government is examining how they can plan and design environments to create age-friendly environments and accessible public places. Local councils stand ready to play a leadership role to creating age-friendly parks, libraries, shopping centres, services and facilities, and to make their communities more socially inclusive. An Age Friendly Communities and Local Government National Conference, to be held in Melbourne on October 29-30, 2014 will look at how planning and design of the urban environment can create a more inclusive and responsive environment for older people, and how councils can create an "all of council" response to creating an age-friendly direction. This conference is targeted at councillors, strategic planners, urban designers, health planners, transport planners, asset managers, community services managers, and aged and disability services managers. Further information is available from the Municipal Association of Victoria website or by contacting Jan Bruce on (03) 9667 5546 or JBruce@mav.asn.au. | | | | | Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of Australia's biggest reuse and community event. Join more than 130 councils taking part in the 2014 Garage Sale Trail, a not-for-profit mission to promote reuse, waste minimisation, sustainable living and awareness around illegal dumping. Saturday 25 October 2014 will be the biggest day of action so far with Garage Sale Trail bringing together and connecting more than 130 Local Government Areas across Australia. “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, over 230,000 new neighbourly connections and $2.3million funds raised in communities across the nation. Now in its fourth year, Garage Sale Trail will be held on Saturday 25 October and will be the biggest event of its kind Australia has ever seen! Any councils interested in joining the 2014 campaign should contact contactus@garagesaletrail.com.au by 10 September Follow Garage Sale Trail on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @garagesaletrail #garagesaletrail | | | | | The Consulate-General of the Netherlands in Australia and the Cycling Promotion Fund (CPF) have launched an 'influentials' study tour for key transport decision makers that will travel to Holland to learn what makes a World-leading safe transport environment. The delegation is invited under the 'Influentials' Programme of the Royal Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The study tour will take place over six days from Sunday 7 September and delegates from across Australia form a select, high level group representing senior transport department executives, major city councillors, planning officials and peak motor vehicle consumer organisation executives. The CPF's General Manager Peter Bourke has been impressed by the interest shown from all levels of Government and industry. "The chance to meet with Dutch cycling experts, politicians and city planners, and see how this translates to an extremely safe and active transport culture has proven enormously attractive for the delegates," A report on the key outcomes from the delegation will be presented as part of the Sydney Festival of Cycling in October. | | | | | Work for the Dole Coordinators in 18 selected areas across Australia have been announced following a tender process. The Coordinators will be the first point of contact for organisations wishing to be involved in Work for the Dole and offer places to eligible job seekers. Work for the Dole commenced in 18 selected areas across Australia from 1 July 2014. The programme will be phased in moving to a full national scheme from 1 July 2015. A full list of the new Work for the Dole Coordinators and more information about the programme is available here. | | |
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