 | |  The Law Crime and Community Safety Council is meeting in Canberra today to discuss a number of law reform, law enforcement, community safety and emergency management matters. ALGA's Vice President Cr Greg Belz will take part in the discussions, focusing on natural disaster funding reforms. ALGA is an active member of the Ministerial Council and the Australian and New Zealand Emergency Management Committee, the senior officials group dealing with the ongoing implementation of the National Disaster Resilience Strategy. The Government has tabled the final report of the Productivity Commission inquiry into natural disaster funding arrangements. it recognises that many of the Commission's recommendations, such as the need to place greater emphasis on upfront assessment of damage and reducing the level of relief and recovery funding in order to boost mitigation activity, will have significant implications for states and territories and for local government. As a consequence, the Justice Minister, the Hon Michael Keenan MP, has stated that he will consult with all jurisdictions before developing the Government's response. As part of the consultation process, the Minister has written to his jurisdictional counterparts raising issues related to the proposed disaster funding reforms. ALGA is consulting with state and territory local government associations to seek their views on these matters. Local government needs to be actively involved in these discussions and whilst ALGA is supportive of greater funding being made available for mitigation and increased flexibility in using day labour, further clarification and analysis of the reform proposals is needed. The Government has indicated that it intends to arrange a number of consultation meetings in late May to early June. Whilst there is an expectation that work to develop a new national funding system will begin quickly, changes would take years to be fully implemented and there is no intention to substantively reform the arrangements ahead of the next disaster season. | | | | |  The National General Assembly of Local Government (NGA) is less than four weeks away and updated programs were released this week for both the NGA and the associated Regional Cooperation and Development Forum. The program shows the dynamic and diverse range of issues that will be addressed in Canberra from 14 to 17 June. The NGA will focus on the role of local government, not just in providing essential services to communities but in the broader national discussions underway on reform to the Federation and taxation system. There will be a strong political presence including an address by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon Warren Truss MP. Keynote speakers will be addressing issues of importance to the nation and highlighting local government’s central position in the national debate. Panel and concurrent sessions will call on local government innovators and experts in their field to present their views and ask delegates share their own experiences and knowledge. The Regional Cooperation and Development Forum on Sunday 14 June precedes the NGA and will see the release of the 2015-16 State of the Regions Report. The Forum will be driven by the practicalities that councils across regional Australia face, with a keynote address on re-framing the discussion on regional issues and tackling contemporary regional development myths. The Forum also includes a session to assist councils in developing more successful applications for Commonwealth Government grants. There is still time to register for both the NGA and the Regional Forum. Information on registration and the programs are available here. | | | | |  Road Safety is a global issue that ranks as one of the most pressing issues facing society today. 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 road safety is vital if we are to address this issue. Since its inception in 2007 the Fatality Free Friday campaign has continued to expand its operation and is Australia’s only national community based road safety program. It has successfully fostered community ownership and encourages those who can to make a significant difference in reducing road trauma. The campaign is more than just a single day, whilst the target is to have a fatality free Friday, the ultimate aim is for a longer term community change. The day is an annual event designed to focus public attention on road safety and encourage all road users to think and drive safely. The goal is to ensure that there are no road crash fatalities around Australia on the day. It is a call to action and serves as a platform for a targeted and ongoing approach to road safety. Councils are encouraged to use the campaign to further complement their own road safety activities by hosting Fatality Free Friday events in their local areas, as well as joining the Fatality Free Friday Alliance. To find out more please call 1300 723 843 or click here. | | |
| |  This week, I met with the National General Assembly Sub Committee to work through the potential motions submitted by councils for debate at the National General Assembly (NGA) next month. Submissions came from our largest cities and smallest towns, from every state and the Northern Territory. The motions coming before the NGA this year reflect the breadth of issues that councils face on a daily basis. A considerable number address issues facing councils, such as inadequate resourcing and trying to meet community demand for services. The resourcing of councils has been further impacted by the on-going freeze to the indexation of Financial Assistance Grants (FAGs), however many of these motions offer a range of creative solutions to resourcing issues that will be of interest to delegates. In addition to finances, this year’s motions demonstrate that Local Government’s concerns are truly national. Delegates at the NGA will be debating a range of issues including transport, climate change, pest management and healthcare. It will be an opportunity for councils to have their views heard and assist the ALGA Board in further developing national policies in these and other important areas. Indeed, the Board looks to the NGA motions as an indicator of emerging policy priorities for local government. The theme for this year’s NGA is 'Closest to the Community: Local Government in the Federation'. The NGA is Local Government's opportunity to engage with issues of national importance, especially those under consideration through the White Paper processes on Federation and Taxation. The Australian Government continues to consult with ALGA through Council of Australian Government processes, in particular on the development of the Green Paper for the Reform of the Federation. Throughout this process, I have been clear that I want to see Local Government strengthened as a result of any reform and we need your input to advance that objective. The NGA promises engaging and interesting debate and if you haven't yet registered for this important event, I urge you to visit the ALGA website and ensure that your council is part of the national debate, not just about the reform of the Federation and Taxation, but also issues that our communities care most about. Mayor Troy Pickard President | | |
| | Against the backdrop of severe cost cutting measures by the WA State Government, the relative impact of the State Budget on local governments validates the sector’s ongoing advocacy for a fairer deal. The WA Local Government Association believes local governments have been spared some of the more serious consequences of the State’s grim economic position. WALGA President Mayor Troy Pickard said that while the State Budget delivered some challenges to the sector, local governments would not be affected to the extent that other industries were. "Compared to last year's State Budget, Local Governments can be reassured that there will be nowhere near the harsh impacts of previous years. "The sector welcomes the acknowledgement by the State Government of the substantial financial burden of maintaining street lights, one of the biggest bills to Local Governments. The street lighting tariff increase of 7.5 per cent is far more reasonable than the 36.8 per cent foreshadowed in last year’s State Budget," Mayor Pickard said. | | | | | The NSW Government has finally tipped its hand after the Minister for Local Government told Parliament last Friday the Government would not support a motion against forced amalgamations. . Local Government NSW President Keith Rhoades said the statement was the first time the Government had revealed its true intentions for the future of local government. The admission came during last week’s debate on a motion by Independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich, that "This House opposes the amalgamation of councils that are financially sustainable and have the support of their communities". "That debate was crunch time, and Local Government Minister Paul Toole stood on the floor of the Parliament and stated unequivocally that the Government would not support a motion opposing the forced amalgamation of councils," Clr Rhoades said. | | | | | An association of metropolitan councils committed to environmentally friendly building practices has launched a free online tool to help building professionals assess the sustainability of structures at the planning permit stage. Supported by the Municipal Association of Victoria, the Council Alliance for a Sustainable Built Environment has developed the Built Environment Sustainability Scorecard (BESS). BESS was developed by councils for use by building designers, sustainability consultants and other built environment professionals. BESS covers the key elements that make up good liveability and design practice, and will help deliver positive outcomes for developers, buyers, and building users alike. | | | | | The number of households in Australia is projected to increase by 4.3 million over the next 25 years, according to projections released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). This is an increase from 8.4 million households in 2011 to up to 12.7 million in 2036. Couple only families are projected to experience the largest increase of all types of families over the next 25 years. They are projected to increase by up to 64 per cent from 2011 to reach up to 3.8 million families in 2036. This is mainly related to the ageing of the population, with baby boomers becoming 'empty nesters'. Family households are projected to remain the most common household type in Australia, making up nearly 70 per cent of households in 2036. The number of family households is projected to increase by as many as 2.8 million households, from 6.0 million in 2011 to up to 8.8 million in 2036. The Household and Family Projections document is available for download here. | | | | | 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. Event organisers extended thanks 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. | | | | | The WA Government has moved to classify graffiti as a stand-alone offense, a move welcomed by councils across the state. The Graffiti Vandalism Enforcement Act will allow Police to deal with graffiti under dedicated legislation, rather than under existing criminal and property damage laws. The proposed legislation will increase police powers, improve provision for clean-up orders and introduce greater fines and punishment for serial offenders. The WA Local Government Association (WALGA) has welcomed the crackdown on unwanted art. | | | | | In an Australian first, patients will have access to potentially life-saving clinical trials at their fingertips with the launch of an online one-stop shop today. Launched by the Minister for Health Sussan Ley and the Minister for Industry and Science Ian Macfarlane the website aims to make it easier for patients across Australia to take part in innovative medical research. It is hoped the website will help boost patient participation following data that indicated just under half of all Phase Three clinical trials conducted in Australia did not meet their patient recruitment targets. Participating in clinical trials offers patients access to new trial therapies, offering them hope at a time when other avenues may have already been exhausted. Not being able to recruit enough participants is considered one of the main reasons for a seven per cent decline in the number of trials conducted in Australia from 2012 to 2013. For more information click here. | | | | | A new Paper from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) is the first output of a project that aims to forecast future housing subsidies that will accompany projected demographic changes and the challenges these trends may pose for the fiscal sustainability of housing policy. Population ageing is a key demographic trend that features strongly in Australia’s future demographic projections and has important implications for the future of Australia’s welfare system. In particular, there are fears that the budgetary cost of housing subsidy arrangements will blow out as the Australian population ages. Wider concerns in this context including increasing numbers of home owners approaching retirement with mortgages, and a sizeable number of older mortgagors are dropping out of home ownership, particularly those affected by separation and divorce. A copy of the paper is available here | | | | | The Commonwealth and NSW Governments this week signed an agreement to begin the early rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in the Nepean Blue Mountains area of Western Sydney. This agreement will deliver the NDIS to about 2,000 children with disability and their families in Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains. The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding is the next step in bringing the NDIS to the region. Under this agreement, young people with disability in the area and their families, will be able to work with Local Area Coordinators from July 2015 to get ready for the NDIS, and will start to work with planners to create their individualised funding package from September. | | | | | The Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia (FECCA) has released its study into Australians from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds. Despite increasing numbers of older Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, research about this group has been sporadic. As a response, FECCA worked with the Australian Population and Migration Research Centre at the University of Adelaide, to review the Australian research on older people from CALD backgrounds. The report highlights that older people from CALD backgrounds are not a homogeneous group and therefore meeting their needs is highly complex. Many older people from CALD backgrounds have higher levels of disadvantage and other risk factors compared to older Anglo-Australians. To download your copy of the report, click here | | |
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