 | |  Former Federal Opposition Leader Dr John Hewson will be delivering a keynote address at the National General Assembly of Local Government (NGA) on Monday 15 June 2015. As both a former Leader of the Opposition and respected commentator on economics and government policy, Dr Hewson will provide insights into the current debates about the Federation and taxation reform, and the opportunities and issues for local government. Dr Hewson will also give a broader commentary on the state of federal politics and the trajectory of the Federal Government. Preparation of the program for the NGA is now in its final stages. The program promises a dynamic and lively debate about local government's role in the community and the need for councils to be treated as a unique tier of government with clear roles and responsibilities. The NGA is your opportunity to contribute to the debates on Federation and taxation reform. Speakers will be presenting on a wide range of issues, directly and indirectly related to the crucial place that local government holds in our communities. For information on registration, the program and speakers, please click here. | | | | |  Last week, the Federal Government announced the outcome of the first reverse auction under the new Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF). The ERF is designed as the main driver of the government's policy to reduce emissions by 5% on 2000 levels by 2020, by directly purchasing abatement from emitters. The results of the auction attracts enormous interest, with more than half of the 144 projects contracted being based on the sequestration of carbon in either soil or trees. Landfill and waste projects were the second most successful group. The amount of abatement purchased under contracts ranged from 12,000 tonnes to more than 3 million. Out of the $2.55 billion budgeted for the auctions, approximately 47 million tonnes of abatement were purchased, at a cost of $660 million. This means the Government, on average, purchased abatement at a rate of $13.95 per tonne. However, it should be noted that each auction is a stand-alone process and the abatement prices and amounts will change with each auction. There will be a second auction later this year, with more methodologies online, meaning that a greater diversity of projects will be able to enter the auction process. For more information on the ERF auction results and processes, please click here. | | | | |  Airports play an important commercial and social role in modern Australia. This is particularly the case in rural, regional and remote areas where they are vital in connecting individuals, families and communities with the rest of the country. The Australian Local Government Association, the Australian Airports Association and the Royal Flying Doctor Service have recently joined forces to advocate for the continuation of funding for regional and remote Australian aerodromes under the Regional Aviation Access Programme. The Commonwealth has not yet committed to fund this essential programme beyond 2014-15. The importance of maintaining funding for remote aerodromes cannot be understated. The Regional Aviation Access Programme has helped to bolster many aerodromes in regional Australia, in turn guaranteeing regional communities access to essential air services, such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Without ongoing maintenance such as essential infrastructure upgrades many regional aerodromes would become unserviceable leaving regional communities without critical emergency services such as the Royal Flying Doctors. The value of providing aerodrome operators with funding opportunities to improve the safety and accessibility of their vital aerodrome assets in remote and isolated communities throughout Australia is clear. The programme has already provided more than $19.5 million, via two rounds of funding to aerodromes across Australia, to ensure safe aerodrome operations in these communities are maintained. 15 councils received funding over the period 2013-15 under the programme and ALGA President Mayor Troy Pickard threw his support behind the advocacy efforts. The three organisations have met with the Government in the past month to strongly recommend that the Commonwealth continues to fund this important programme in the 2015/2016 Federal Budget. | | |
| |  The Federal Budget is now less than two weeks away and it will be delivered by a Government promising tight fiscal management and facing strong pressure to act to ensure the economy stays buoyant. With slow economic growth and unemployment across many areas in Australia, ALGA has called for a strong investment in community infrastructure in its submission to the federal budget and will continue this call if required up to and throughout the 2016 federal election campaign. Specifically ALGA is calling for a regional and community infrastructure fund of $300 million per annum for the next four years to address our infrastructure backlog and to stimulate growth over the longer term and build community resilience. As part of the stimulus response to the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, the Federal Government heeded ALGA's calls for significant spending in community infrastructure and established the Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program. Under this program $1 billion was invested in council community infrastructure projects from 2008-09 with over 3,000 projects across Australia funded. The program aimed to renew local community infrastructure with projects ranging from visitor information centres to playgrounds, bikeways, swimming pools, laneways and footbridges. The program demonstrated that local infrastructure is an important area of national investment and that the councils are both pragmatic and quick to move in delivering these renewal projects for their communities. The 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers Report into local government financial sustainability highlighted that many councils, particularly in regional, rural and remote areas, do not have the resources to fund critical local infrastructure improvements without assistance from the Federal Government. The PwC report estimated that there was an infrastructure backlog totalling $14.5 billion in local government, and that an extra $2.2 billion per annum in infrastructure spending was required to bridge the gap and maintain local infrastructure. To update these figures and underpin the call for a community infrastructure funding program, ALGA has commissioned Jeff Roorda and Associates to prepare the National State of the Assets (NSoA) Community Infrastructure Report. Councils have been asked to contribute to this process by providing data on their community infrastructure and I ask all councils to respond to this call so that we can strengthen the case for further Commonwealth investment in this vital area. Regards Mayor Troy Pickard
ALGA President | | |
| | The MAV has won a prestigious international award for its Prevention of Violence Against Women - Leading Change in the Victorian Local Government Sector booklet. The booklet was selected from nearly 400 submissions by 146 organisations in 42 countries in the Avon Global Communications Awards. The $5000 award grant will fund the creation of a prevention of violence against women infographic for local government, which will be developed in partnership with Our Watch. The booklet, funded by VicHealth in 2013, will help inform the infographic. It will include information on how gender equity and violence prevention practices can be implemented to all areas of council services. It will also encourage male leaders and staff to actively support campaigns to end men's violence against women. More information on the MAV's booklet can be found here. | | | | | Local Governments' efforts to improve community safety received a welcome boost this week with the announcement of $4 million in WA Government grants for Council CCTV programs. WALGA President Mayor Troy Pickard said the $4 million, announced as part of an overall package of $7 million over two years from the State Government, highlighted the significant role local governments play in deploying CCTV. "The Association has long advocated for a more coordinated and integrated CCTV strategy that includes all relevant stakeholders in the State," Mayor Pickard said. "The Association is pleased to have played a key role in initiating and developing the State CCTV Strategy and will continue to pursue improved safety outcomes on behalf of all Local Governments and the community," Mayor Pickard said. WALGA has been working with the Western Australia Police, Department of Transport, Main Roads and other State Government Agencies and community organisations to develop the State CCTV Strategy since May 2014. | | | | | The Australian Government this week announced that additional disaster assistance will be provided to eligible residents affected by the New South Wales storms and flooding. People eligible for the Disaster Recovery Payment - those who have lost a family member, had major damage to their homes or suffered injury as a result of the disaster - can access a one-off payment of $1000 per adult and $400 for each child. Additionally, under the Disaster Recovery Allowance, people who have lost income as a result of the disaster may be able to access income assistance for up to 13 weeks, equivalent to the maximum rate of the Newstart Allowance or Youth Allowance. This assistance is designed to help employees, primary producers and sole traders impacted by this disaster to get back on their feet. Further information on Australian Government assistance is available here. | | | | | Research by Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) has found that the construction process of building contemporary dwellings in Australia is a substantiative factor in contributing to the delays of housing completion. The research, based on extensive literature review, house production modelling and interviews, found over the period 1993-2010 there was a marginal decline in quarterly completion of houses from approximately 27,000 to 25,000 dwellings. During the same period, the average completion time increased from approximately six to ten months. Whilst part of this may be attributed to the fact that Australian houses are getting larger in size, other factors were thought to be at play. The research uncovered something clearly evident to any one that has been through a major renovation or new house construction experience. The housing production sector in Australia is highly specialised. In recent years there has been greater scope for customisation leading in turn to greater degrees of product options. This has led to an increase in the number of sub-contracts per dwelling, which in turn has contributed to increasing the overall complexity of the process and potential for delay. This, together with the requirements for quality control, has seen a blow out of construction times. Solutions proposed to address the construction issues focussed on new training and quality management systems, and reviewing how housing programs can incentivise new product, process and organisational innovation leading to real reductions in completion times. Further information on this research can be found here. | | | | | The Premises Standards came into effect on 1 May 2011. The administrative arrangements require the Federal Minister for Industry and Science, in consultation with the Attorney-General, to review the effectiveness of the Standards every five years. The review must start before 1 May 2015 and be completed by 1 May 2016. The review of the Disability (Access to Premises - Buildings) Standards 2010 will examine the effectiveness of the Premises Standards in achieving their objectives, identify whether there are any amendments which need to be made to the Standards, identify inconsistencies in the interpretation and application of the Standards and document progress on implementing the Australian Government's response to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs' 2009 report entitled "Access All Areas". A discussion paper has been released which outlines key issues for consideration. A series of public information sessions will be held in each state and territory from 27 April to 19 May. The review terms of reference and discussion paper, details on how to make a submission, and information on the public information session are available here. | | | | | The NSW Government Minister for Local Government this week announced that the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) will undertake the role of the Expert Panel in assessing councils' Fit for the Future proposals. The appointment of the Expert Panel marks the next step in the Fit for the Future process. The NSW Premier has appointed an additional tribunal member, Mr John Comrie, to support IPART in its deliberations. Mr Comrie has extensive knowledge of the local government sector and has previously provided advice to the Independent Local Government Review Panel and Local Government NSW on council sustainability issues. IPART will conduct four regional workshops during May as part of the consultation process. More information can be found here. | | | | | Aged care providers will be supported with training and resources to assist them to deliver culturally appropriate care for older Australians, with the Commonwealth extending the Partners in Culturally Appropriate Care (PICAC) Programme for a further two years. Australia is home to more than 600,000 people over the age of 65 years who were born overseas. The programme aims to ensure that aged care is delivered in a way that is responsive to the culture, language and beliefs of different communities, in addition to the individualised aged care needed by all Australians as we grow older. Organisations funded under the PICAC Programme conduct a range of activities to improve service delivery including identifying barriers to accessing services, providing training to providers of residential and community based care, and developing and distributing resources promoting best practice. | | | | | This week saw World Day for Safety and Health provided a reminder of the need to take action to prevent future work-related deaths, injuries and illnesses. The Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2012-2022 sees governments, unions, industry and business leaders striving to improve work health and safety. Business leaders routinely manage a range of risks and can prevent injury and illness by actively managing safety risks. By using good design principles exposure to risk can be reduced. There has been great progress in reducing the numbers injured or killed at work but there is more that can be done. In 2014, 185 Australians lost their lives through injury at work. For more information visit the Safe Work Australia website here. | | | | | The resettlement of more than 160 Karen refugees from Myanmar into the small Victorian town of Nhill has been singled out as a blueprint for job creation and regional development. Assistant Minister for Employment Luke Hartsuyker this week officially launched the Small Towns Big Returns report compiled by AMES and Deloitte Access Economics. The study examined the economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in North West Victoria over the past five years. The report found that the resettlement and employment of the Karen people in Nhill had boosted Gross Regional Product in the Hindmarsh Shire by more than $41 million. The study demonstrates a regional development and migrant resettlement success story. The report can be downloaded here. | | |
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