The Australian Parliament's Northern Australia Committee last week tabled its final report on the development of Northern Australia, titled Pivot North. The Committee was tasked helping to define the future of Australia's North-a region vital to the economic growth of the nation.

The report makes forty-two recommendations addressing opportunities for and impediments to the development of Northern Australia. The seven priority recommendations identified in the report are:

• The creation of a Department of Northern Australian Development based in Northern Australia.
• The identification of key roads and the commitment of funding for their upgrade as a matter of priority, subject to relative benefit assessment Projects to consider include: continued upgrade of National Highways (including the Bruce and Stuart Highways); Hann Highway; Peninsula Development Road; Tanami Road; Outback Way; and beef development roads.
• Cost benefit analysis to be conducted on a rail link between Mount Isa and Tennant Creek and the building of passing lanes on the Darwin to Alice Springs Railway.
• Funding and development of water infrastructure projects that meet scientific and economic assessments.
• Investigation of the potential and practicality of special economic zones.
• Measures to reduce insurance premiums in Northern Australia to affordable levels.
• Continued funding of the Great Artesian Basin Sustainability Initiative.

This inquiry has formed one part of a broader process aimed at promoting the development of Northern Australia. The Australian Government has made a commitment to produce within a twelve-month timeframe a White Paper outlining the Government's vision for the future of Northern Australia. The Committee's findings and recommendations will inform the White Paper process, assisting the Government to formulate its policy for the future development of Northern Australia.

To access the report click here

Planning Institute of Australia (PIA), the nation's peak planning body, is looking to present some of the country's best papers on 'Great Places' at its national conference in Melbourne next May.

PIA wants to hear from councils that know of a project or staff member that really helped make a place great, either through idea, vision, policy, design, funding or construction.

PIA National President Dyan Currie says she is looking forward to especially hearing from those who have created 'vital spaces'. "Vital spaces can be places that function well and contribute to a prosperous economy," Dyan states. "We want examples of concepts of good design and innovation in process and outcome, as well as places that support healthy and active communities."

Councils are encouraged to submit a 250-word abstract about a great place.  Selected, papers can be presented either in full (for around 20 minutes), or in a short, high-energy session  (of 5 to 7 minutes).

Planning Congress is Australia's premier annual event for professionals associated with planning and was first held in 1951, and next year will be back in Melbourne after a ten-year period at various locations around Australia.

Abstract submissions close in early November. For a list of topics and submission guidelines see http://piacongress.com.au/national-conference-content/call-for-abstracts

The Federal and Victorian Governments have taken the next step towards streamlining environmental assessments and establishing a One-Stop Shop with the release of a draft assessment bilateral agreement on 5 September.

The One-Stop Shop will create a single assessment and approval process that satisfies both state and Australian Government requirements.

This will reduce the regulatory burden on business by streamlining the environmental assessment and approvals process, while still maintaining high environmental standards.

This new agreement will replace the assessment bilateral agreement currently in place, and will significantly increase the number of projects in Victoria that will be eligible for single assessment.

The draft assessment bilateral agreement is open for public comment until 3 October 2014.

Further information is available here.

Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Jamie Briggs has called for public comment on a paper prepared by the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics, in consultation with state and territory governments, outlining a new framework for the appraisal of transport infrastructure projects.

Following consultations on the findings from the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Public Infrastructure, Transport Ministers have agreed that the project appraisal framework outlined in the paper will be the basis for a revised National Guidelines for Transport System Management in Australia.

The new framework will seek to improve how information on cost benefit analysis and wider economic modelling is disclosed to decision makers and ultimately the public.

The framework will give greater emphasis to the contribution infrastructure makes to improving productivity, in particular, estimating 'wider economic benefits', a category of project impacts that economists have identified relatively recently.

Work is underway by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on how the estimation of wider economic benefits can be improved to enable their incorporation into project appraisal where relevant.

This framework will lead to more transparent decision making with major projects selected based on a broader range of factors that better reflect community expectations and achieve value for taxpayer's money.

Submissions on the paper close on Friday 3 October 2014.

The paper and information on how to submit feedback is available online at http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure/publications/

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Commonwealth Minister for Justice Michael Keenan and NSW Minister for Police and Emergency Services Stuart Ayres announced the first round of grants from the Blue Mountains Flexible Community Grants Program to help support the community recover after the devastating bushfires in October last year.

The first round of grants will see $704,000 be awarded as part of the $1.8 million package.  "We are proud to support these innovative projects which the Blue Mountains community has proposed to address the social and economic impact of the devastating bushfires in October 2013," Mr Ayres said.

The fires destroyed more than 200 properties and significantly damaged around 100 more. Key projects include:

• $105,000 to the Blue Mountains Economic Enterprise for the Blue Mountains Bushfire Building
• Conference and Expo which will focus on best practice building design, construction and landscaping in bushfire prone areas
• $20,761 to the Elizabeth Evatt Community Legal Centre to provide a series of information seminars in the Blue Mountains, featuring guest speakers with expertise in insurance matters, council staff and residents. A core focus of these seminars will be addressing the underinsurance issues following the October 2013 bushfires
• $24,000 to the Mountains Youth Services Team for two midnight basketball bushfire recovery tournaments for vulnerable youth
• $29,200 to the Springwood Neighbourhood Centre Cooperative Ltd for Bounce Back, a series of physical activities to support mental health and resilience in recovery

Local organisations are encouraged to submit applications for the second round of grants for any project proposals before Round 2 applications close at midnight on Sunday, October 12.

A list of successful Round 1 applicants and projects is available at http://www.dpc.nsw.gov.au/bushfiregrants.

The AMA released its Position Statement on the "Easy Entry, Gracious Exit" Model for Provision of Medical Services in Small Rural and Remote Towns, which supports an innovative plan to attract and retain medical professionals in small country towns, on September 5.

AMA President, A/Prof Brian Owler, said that small country towns across Australia have for decades seen the gradual loss of important services like banks, schools, hospitals, retail stores, post offices, government agencies, and the local family GP.

"Many of these basic services are taken for granted in our cities and larger regional centres," A/Prof Owler said.

"The AMA believes it is important that rural and regional communities continue to have affordable and equitable access to quality health and medical services.

"The Easy Entry, Gracious Exit model has the potential to improve access to quality health care in small rural and remote towns that are experiencing a chronic shortage of medical professionals.

"It involves adopting a 'walk-in, walk-out' approach that enables GPs to work as clinicians without having to become small business owners and managers.

"A third party, such as a community or not-for-profit entity, would provide the general practice facilities, including infrastructure and staff, such as a practice manager and a practice nurse. The model is already in operation in some towns, and the evidence shows that it is working.

"The AMA would like to see this model more aggressively rolled out to help provide much needed medical services to small rural communities," A/Prof Owler said.

In developing this Position Statement, the AMA's Rural Medical Committee appreciated the input of the NSW Rural Doctors Network, which implements the model through its not-for-profit organisation, Rural and Remote Medical Services.

The AMA Position Statement on the "Easy Entry, Gracious Exit" Model for Provision of Medical Services in Small Rural and Remote Towns is available here.

The Productivity Commission (PC) has been hearing evidence from around Australia on its childcare inquiry.  The Commission has received 659 submissions and 982 comments since releasing its draft report on childcare in July.

The PC has also released a technical supplement to the draft inquiry report into Childcare and Early Childhood Learning which provides an interim model to gauge the potential impacts of policy scenarios proposed in the report - referred to as the Productivity Commission Microsimulation Childcare (PCMC) model.  The technical supplement was released on 28 August 2014 as well as a consultant's review on the technical supplement.

Evidence given by Victorian organisations have raised concerns about  lack of services in regional areas, as well as the fact that councils are withdrawing from providing child care services.  Councils often provide the most affordable care for low income earners.  In NSW there was evidence that fewer low income families were making use of childcare to return to work, 12 per cent less than the national average.

Advocacy Group The Parenthood found that 95% of 20,000 parents surveyed would not send their child to a centre with lower educator-to-child ratios in return for lower fees.  Family Day Care Australia has called for subsidies to be extended to home based early-childhood educators, using Family Day Care Co-ordination units to trial the concept.  Prime Minister Tony Abbott has indicated that he will consider extending rebates to carers in the family home. The Productivity Commission is due to report on 31 October.

Two new training programmes to enable young job seekers in regional communities to successfully get a job and provide employers the skilled employees they need to grow their business have been launched by the Australian Government.

The Government will invest $38 million to deliver the Training for Employment Scholarship programme to assist employers in regional areas where youth unemployment is high to provide job specific training for new employees.

Small to medium businesses who hire an unemployed person aged 18-24 will be eligible to receive funding to pay for up to 26 weeks of training.

7,500 scholarships will be provided initially to enable employers to hire new employees and provide them with the training they need for their new jobs.

The Government will also establish a new Youth Employment Pathways programme to assist young Australians in regional areas to identify and successfully start on the path to their chosen career by returning to school, starting vocational education training or moving into the workforce.

Community organisations will be able to apply for funding to deliver support services and training to young Australians aged 15-18 who are not in school.

3,000 places will be offered initially and enable community organisations to develop and provide a training plan to meet individual needs such as job search and industry specific job training.

The initial roll-out will be piloted in regional areas where school completion rates are currently low.

The Training for Employment Scholarship and Youth Employment Pathways programmes will start in March 2015.

Homes and businesses in parts of Gosford on the NSW Central Coast have around one month to switch their landline phone and internet services over to the National Broadband Network (NBN).

For the first time on the Central Coast, services over the NBN are scheduled to progressively replace most existing landline phone and internet services in parts of Gosford from 5 October 2014.

NBN Co have urged the remaining residents and businesses in parts of Gosford who have not placed an order to contact their preferred internet service provider or phone company as soon as possible.

NBN Co is currently undertaking a comprehensive communication campaign with residents in areas of Gosford set to make the switch to the NBN. This includes local advertising, community information sessions, direct mail and door-to-door service calls to those within the area.

Homes and businesses can find out whether they are eligible to connect to the NBN as well as more information about the steps needed to take to make the switch by visiting here.

The shift from residential aged care to aged care that is provided in the community is continuing, according to new information released on 9 September by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

The information, available at http://www.aihw.gov.au/agedcare, shows that 25% of government subsidised aged care places in June 2013 were for community-based care, up from 20% five years ago.

'This is consistent with our understanding that most older Australians prefer to remain in the community as long as possible,' said AIHW spokesperson Mark Cooper-Stanbury.

And the shift is expected to continue, with long-term aged care planning set to see one in three aged care places allocated to community care by 2025.

At 30 June 2013, nearly 57,000 people were receiving care packages to help them stay living in the community, including more than 14,000 people receiving high-level care. Two in three recipients of community care were women, and two in five were aged 85 years or older.

The residential aged care sector is also growing, but at a slower rate than community-based care - in 2013 there were more than 186,000 places available for residential care, compared with nearly 176,000 five years earlier.

'And there is a shift to fewer, larger residential facilities-in the 10 years to June 2013, the proportion of residential facilities that had 60 or more places rose from 28% to 48%,' Mr Cooper-Stanbury said.

The AIHW is a major national agency set up by the Australian Government to provide reliable, regular and relevant information and statistics on Australia's health and welfare.