On 11 February 2015 the Senate moved that the  Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee inquire into the future role and contribution of regional capitals to Australia. The Inquiry is seeking to assess the current demographic trends and the changing role of regional capitals; look at funding provided to regional capitals; analyse the benefit and mechanisms of additional funding based on population, demand for services and their strategic importance for the region, state or country as well as opportunities to grow regions and policy measures to support this.

The committee is interested in receiving submissions not just from representatives of regional capitals, but also from other towns and cities who have relevant views to express about the current and future role of regional capitals. Any person, organisation, town or city may contribute to the inquiry through making a submission by 30 April 2015. More information can be found here. 

Over 100 researchers and end user representatives participated in the first Bushfire and Natural Hazards Research Advisory Forum for 2015 in Sydney on the 8 - 9 April 2015.

This forum focused on resilience, examining a range of issues particularly relevant to local government  such as the economics of natural hazards, a system for assessing the resilience of Australian communities to natural hazards, decision support systems for assessment of policy and planning investment options for optimal natural hazard mitigation, child centred risk reduction, managing animals in disasters and enhancing resilience of critical road infrastructure.

The Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre was established in July 2013 with an investment of $47million over eight years. Local government is acknowledged as one of the key end users and interested councils are encouraged to participate in the work through partnerships or as interested stakeholders in ensuring the research outcomes will make a difference a practical and beneficial difference to the lives of Australia's diverse communities. More information can be found here.

A new online tool released by the CSIRO shows how global warming could change climate conditions in hundreds of towns across Australia. Climate Scientists at CSIRO have examined what Australia could look like by 2030, 2050, or 2090.

According to the tool, eastern Australian coastal sites could see a climate shift to those currently typical of locations hundreds of kilometres north along the coast. Sydney's climate could resemble that of Port Macquarie and towns in major inland agricultural areas could have climates typical of inland areas further north, such as Griffith's climate shifting to that of Cobar, a town around 300km north, under an "intermediate emissions" scenario.

The change in climate is much greater by 2090 and under a "high emissions" scenario. In this case Melbourne's climate could then be more like that of Dubbo, Griffith's more like that of Bourke (600 km away) and Sydney's more like Brisbane.

More information about the climate tool can be found here.

The first reverse auction of the new Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) was undertaken this week. This reverse auction is the mechanism by which the Federal Government will select those successful in receiving part of a $2.5 billion funding pool to get businesses and other organisations to reduce their emissions.   It is unclear to what extent local government will participate in this and future auctions.  

ALGA has previously outlined a number of technical issues with the design of the auction system that could limit council participation in the program. ALGA will continue to monitor the auction process and advocate for appropriate changes to the Fund if further reforms are necessary to ensure local governments are able to engage fully and play their part in reducing emissions.

More information on the ERF and the reverse-auction mechanism can be found on the Department of the Environment.s website.

A group of north Queensland mayors is demanding the Federal Government reveal its position on a proposed overhaul of disaster funding arrangements.

The Government is due to respond to a Productivity Commission report by the end of next month, which recommends the Commonwealth reduce its share of disaster recovery funding from 75 per cent to 50 per cent.

The President of the Local Government Association of Queensland, Margaret de Wit, said councils were developing their budgets now and needed certainty from the Government. If the report is adopted the measures would force councils to increase rates or leave damaged areas in ruins for months until they could afford repairs.

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) is responsible for issuing all new national road access notices and permits under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL).

The NHVR is currently working with state jurisdictions to finalise the heavy vehicle preliminary National Notice for Performance Based Standards (PBS) Level 1 and 2 Truck and Dog Trailer heavy vehicles.  Around 90 local councils have already contributed to this process by issuing pre-approvals for, or their previous gazettal of, these heavy vehicle types on their local road networks.  This approach will streamline road access arrangements for transport operators using these vehicles, as well as reduce the regulatory and administrative burden on local councils in managing their road networks.

This national notice is applicable to all PBS truck and dog trailer combinations with 3 or 4 axle rigid truck towing a 3, 4 or 5 axle dog trailer. This national notice when promulgated will cover preliminary state and territory road networks, encompassing PBS Level 1 and 2A routes currently covered under a pre-approval with any road manager, including local governments.  Future work will focus on targeting other roads that are not currently included in these preliminary networks. For more information visit the NHVR's website here.

The Commonwealth Government will end the conscientious objector exemption on children's vaccination for access to taxpayer funded Child Care Benefits, the Child Care Rebate and the Family Tax Benefit Part A end of year supplement from 1 January 2016. This means that vaccine objectors will not be able to access these government payments.

Existing exemptions on medical or religious grounds will continue, however a religious objection will only be available where the person is affiliated with a religious groups where the governing body has a formally registered objection approved by the Government.

The new policy will tighten up the rules and reinforce the importance of immunisation and protecting public health, especially for children.

For more information on child care assistance and family payments, visit www.humanservices.gov.au.

Minister for Health Sussan Ley this week launched the$55 million campaign 'An invitation that could save your life' to make sure all Australian women aged 50 to 74 were aware they qualified for a free breast screen every two years.

Ms Ley said this also marked the first time Australian women aged 70 to 74 have been specifically targeted for breast screening awareness, with an additional 220,000 breast screens expected to be delivered over four years as a direct result. Breast screening saves lives. It is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths among women in Australia, however if detected early and managed nine-out-of-10 cases can be successfully treated.

The Government's $55 million commitment will cover the cost of the promotional campaign, as well as the cost of additional invitations and free breast screenings generated as a result.

More information is available here.

Whilst advances in road design and vehicle safety have no doubt made a significant contribution to reducing road trauma, it is clear that a vital piece of the puzzle is still missing because the fatalities and injuries continue.  Community ownership of the road safety is vital if we are address this issue.  

Since its inception in 2007 the Fatality Free Friday campaign has continued to expand its operation and is now recognized as Australia's only national community based road safety program. It has successfully fostered community ownership; complex road safety issues and encourages those who can make a significant difference in reducing road trauma.

Councils are being invited to participate by joining the Fatality Free Friday Alliance. Joining the Alliance is a way to express your region's commitment to cutting deaths and injuries on Australia's roads. For a relatively small contribution to cover costs, your council can become a Fatality Free Friday Alliance Partner for 2015 and will receive a range of benefits including promotional items and corporate acknowledgement. More information is available here.

The Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) is calling for all boards to ensure that 30 per cent of their directors are female and urges S&P/ASX200 companies to meet this new target by the end of 2018.

AICD Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, John Brogden, said the new objective will help companies more quickly reach the critical mass required to produce the optimal business benefits of board diversity.

"There is an undeniable case for gender diversity on boards. It is not only the right thing to do but the smart thing to do, because it means better business performance. Numerous pieces of research demonstrate a positive link between the level of female representation on boards and improved corporate performance.

"The 30 per cent target will apply to all company structures, as the AICD has a broad membership of over 35,000 that extends well beyond the top listed companies to small ASX entities, private business and not for-profit organisations," he said.