The Australian Local Government Association, the Australian Airports Association and the Royal Flying Doctor Service recently joined forces to advocate for the continuation of funding for regional and remote Australian aerodromes under the Regional Aviation Access Programme leading up the Budget. Prior to the budget the Commonwealth had not committed to fund this essential programme beyond 2014-15.

Announced in the budget was the continuation of funding for regional and remote aerodromes under the Regional Aviation Access Programme and the allocation of $39.6 million to upgrade airstrips and boost air services for remote communities. The additional airstrip funding from 2015-16 will provide grants to assist safety and access upgrades at remote airstrips under the Remote Airstrip Upgrade Programme. The funding will be available to repair and upgrade runway surfaces, safety equipment such as runway lighting and navigation aids, and infrastructure such as fences and gates.

For more information on the Regional Aviation Access Programme click here.

Rural communities experiencing extreme drought will be eligible for Commonwealth assistance with a new $333 million support package. In recognition of the drought's effects on farming businesses and regional communities, the Government will provide:

• $35 million for shovel-ready, local infrastructure and employment projects.
• $25.8 million for programmes to manage pest animals and weeds in drought-affected areas.
• $20 million to expand existing social and community support programmes.
• $1.8 million to fund additional rural financial counsellors in drought-affected areas.
• $250 million in 2015-16 to continue access to existing drought specific concessional loans schemes.

For information on the new drought support measures click here.

Announced in the Budget was $100 million to improve Australia's ability to quickly and effectively respond to a health crisis caused by a natural disaster or terrorist attacks.

The funding included $34 million to replenish the National Medical Stockpile and $64 million to support the Darwin-based National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre.

In a time of national emergency such as an influenza pandemic or a bio-terrorist attack the National Medical Stockpile is a key element in defending Australians.  In recent times we have seen disease threats like the bird flu pandemic and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak, while last year was one of the worst flu seasons on record.

The $64 million funding extension in the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre is aimed at improving Australia's capability to respond to natural disasters like recent cyclones in northern Australia and Vanuatu.

The Commonwealth Government will invest $100 million improving roads that are critical to the beef industry. A new $100 million Northern Australia Beef Roads Fund will make targeted upgrades to key roads necessary for transporting cattle. This will underpin the future viability of the cattle industry which has long been a pillar of the northern economy.

Moving cattle in the north, from farm gate to market, involves some of the longest land transport distances of any Australian commodity. Land transports costs in the northern beef industry comprise up to 35 per cent of the market price of livestock.

The Fund will rely on the CSIRO's state-of-the-art logistics modelling, which for the first time looks at the whole cattle supply chain--every farm, road, stopover, port and processing facility in the country. The modelling allows analysts to test different scenarios, such as how sealing a road will influence transport times and costs. Using this approach, targeted upgrades that improve one road 'link' can strengthen the entire supply chain.

Australia's first street sweeping recycling plant has been unveiled. The plant has the capacity to recycle 12,000 tonnes of street sweeping material per year equivalent of 240,000 green waste bins.

Located in central Melbourne and managed by Citywide, the facility will divert up to 80 per cent of collected material away from landfill for reuse and recycling. The plant sets the benchmark for environmentally sustainable street sweeping recycling. Diverting waste from landfill reduces greenhouse gas emissions and Citywide's street sweeping recycling plant takes this one step further by processing collected waste to create valuable by-products.

For more information click here.

National Volunteer Week 2015 was launched at the Museum of Australian Democracy on Monday 11 May.  The theme for the year is Give Happy, Live Happy - to recognise and celebrate that not only are volunteers helping make the lives of others happier, volunteers themselves are happier and healthier.

Volunteer Week celebrates the contribution of more than 6 million Australians who volunteer each year. At the launch, Volunteering Australia officially released the revised National Standards for Volunteer Involvement, which have been developed in consultation with volunteer organisations across the nation. The standards provide a framework for organisations to consider the role of volunteers within the organisation and the impact effective volunteer involvement can have on achieving the strategic goals and aims of the organisation.

For an copy of the national standards and for information on volunteering click here.

The Commonwealth Government has released the first Infrastructure Australia audit of northern Australia's infrastructure. The audit outlines the region's current infrastructure asset base and its potential long-term needs. It found that the population in northern Australia is projected to grow more quickly than Australia as a whole.

Reforms being undertaken to improve infrastructure planning, project appraisal and selection will complement the work of the audit. This work will assist in allocating funding to infrastructure projects that return the highest benefits to communities for a stronger and more prosperous northern Australia.

Women from all tiers of government are being urged to enter the 2015 Telstra Business Women's Awards which recognise brilliant business women who have pushed boundaries and achieved excellence.

In 2015 a new Award category Government and Academia will be introduced in all states and territories that is open to women in the Commonwealth, State and local governments and related organisations.

In their 21st year, the Telstra Business Women's Awards have rewarded and raised the profile of thousands of women across all areas of business, providing them with opportunities to meet, mentor and support other aspiring business women.

Nominations are now open for the Telstra Business Women's Awards, with entries open from 11 May to 29 June. For more information click here.

The Regional Australia Institute (RAI) today announced Su McCluskey will be stepping down from her role as CEO at the end of June. Ms McCluskey is the RAI's inaugural CEO and has been pivotal in establishing the Institute as the authoritative voice of regional Australia.

The RAI Board has appointed the Institute's Deputy CEO, Jack Archer, to the position of CEO, commencing on 1 July 2015.

Neighbour Day 2015 recorded the largest number of registered events with close to 70,000 people celebrating their neighbourhood on Sunday, 29 March. Event registrations were up by 63% from 2014 to 556 this year. Participation numbers increased 134%, with many more joining in with unregistered events.

Local councils were key partners in Neighbour Day activities this year with many people indicating they heard about local events via their council website, flyers or media.  Big thanks are due to all the councils that became involved in Neighbour Day 2015.

Now is a good time to note Neighbourhood Day in your calendar for next year - 27 March 2016. For more information on Neighbourhood Day click here