 | |  On 4 July 2015, the Prime Minister, the Hon Tony Abbott MP, and the Minister for Agriculture, the Hon Barnaby Joyce MP, released the agriculture White Paper on the future of Australian agriculture. The Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper: Stronger Farmers, Stronger Economy outlines the government's commitments around five key policy priorities, with $4 billion in funding allocated to them: - support for farm businesses
- investing in rural and regional infrastructure
- responding to drought and managing future environmental risks
- utilising advanced technologies and agricultural practices
- improving access for Australian agricultural goods to emerging markets.
One of the key initiatives identified in the White Paper was a request to the Productivity Commission from Government to inquire into regulation in the agriculture sector, with the aim to reduce bureaucratic rules that limit growth in Australian agriculture and aquaculture industries. The White Paper also proposed to enable financial institutions to offer Farm Management Deposits accounts as an offset to farm business loans, improving the net cash position of farmers and helping them to reduce the interest they pay on business debt. This measure is expected to save farmers an estimated $150 million in interest. The Commonwealth will also establish a $500 million National Water Infrastructure Fund, of which $450 million will be used to construct new water infrastructure in conjunction with the private sector and state and territory governments. The remaining $50 million will be used for detailed planning activities relating to future water infrastructure requirements and challenges. ALGA welcomes the release of the white paper and its focus on the importance of agriculture and related service industries to many regional communities around Australia. Local government will continue to play its role in working with the other levels of government and industry to strengthen this sector of the national economy, especially now that the mining boom is passing. Read the paper at this link. | | | | |  The Australian Government this week concurrently released the State of Australian Cities 2014-15 and Progress in Australian Regions: State of Regional Australia 2015 reports to provide a nationwide view of Australia's progress. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss said the release of both reports provides a holistic picture of the population, employment, economic and transport trends that are occurring across Australia. Minister Truss said the release of the publications recognised the interrelated nature of cities and their surrounding regions. The State of Australian Cities 2014-15 report provides a national tool for all levels of government in understanding how Australian cities are performing and the vital role that Australian cities play in the growth of our economy. The report examines population growth, economic growth and the increased traffic flows through Australian ports and airports and on roads and rail lines but, unlike previous reports, there is no discussion on the challenges of urban governance or the importance of national leadership in meeting the needs of our cities into the future. The Progress in Australian Regions: State of Regional Australia 2015 report illustrates the trends and patterns of economic and social progress in regional Australia and the different ways that regions change. It takes into account aspects like population growth, economic wellbeing and social progress including chapters on demographics, economics, structural change, social progress and infrastructure. The report also shows that infrastructure continues to support regional Australian economies by promoting the efficient flow of people and resources while also providing regional Australians with access to essential services such as education and health. Both reports provide an understanding of our cities and regions to inform policy and investment decisions to help maximise each regions' potential and harness the opportunities associated with each region's own unique advantages. Read the State of Australian Cities 2014-15 report and the Progress in Australian Regions: State of Regional Australia 2015 report. | | | | |  ALGA has lodged a submission to the consultation draft on the proposed amendments to the Telecommunications (Low-Impact Facilities) Determination 1997 and the Telecommunications Regulations 2001, which was released for comment on 12 June 2015. Overall, ALGA supports the intention and principle of the proposed technical amendments to the Low Impact Facilities Determination (LIFD), which amends definitions and terminology to reflect the multi technology mix (MTM) approach adopted for the remaining rollout of the National Broadband Network. However, ALGA reiterates its earlier concerns about the width of overhead cabling. Under the proposed amendments to facilitate rollout of the MTM, the width of cabling can be up to 48mm, specifically in the Hybrid Fibre-Coaxial (HCF) network. Once a 48mm maximum width is specified in the legislation, there is no imperative for carriers to try and limit their cable to less, despite the consultation paper stating that "carriers are expected to use the smallest cable and cable bundle diameter feasible for above ground line links in an area." The consultation paper specifies that carriers must remove overhead lines in the event that all the non-communications cables (such as electricity) are permanently removed for the poles. ALGA suggests that the government clarify how removal of telecommunications lines would work in practice, as there would be cost and timing implications. ALGA has called for a coordinated approach to remediation in the event of non-communication overhead cables being permanently removed, so that there are specific timeframes for removal and relocation of the communications lines agreed between NBN and councils. Concern still remains regarding the operation of the LIFD in terms of adequate consultation and remediation work. Feedback from state and territory associations and councils also indicates that concern remains on the matter of remediation of works after the NBN completes its installation of facilities. Read ALGA's submission at this link. | | |
| |  Our Financial Assistance Grants (FAGs) campaign to maintain FAGs and restore indexation of the grants is gaining momentum on a few fronts, which is fantastic and welcome news. On the one hand, more and more councils are passing resolutions acknowledging the importance of the FAGs in facilitating the delivery of essential services for their communities. We promisingly now have close to 30 per cent of councils nationally that have passed this resolution. If your council hasn't yet passed this important resolution, we urge you to support the campaign by passing a resolution sooner rather than later. On the political front, the FAGs campaign is already yielding positive results, with the Opposition in June drawing a direct link between the freeze to FAGs and its Government-supported proposal to provide a $1.105 billion boost to Roads to Recovery funding over the next two years using revenue from the reintroduced fuel excise indexation during that period. This is a major achievement of the FAGs campaign showing the effective cut-through and influential quality of our messages but we can't stop there. It is important that each council acknowledges the receipt of FAGs from the Commonwealth in their council documentation. With another financial year winding up not long ago and many councils planning the preparation of annual reports, this is an excellent opportunity to ensure FAGs are acknowledged within your council's annual report to demonstrate to both government and your community the significant role of FAGs in the long-term financial sustainability of your council. By acknowledging the importance of FAGs to the delivery of your council's crucial services through your annual report and by passing a resolution, you will be helping to lay the critical groundwork for this important national campaign. Mayor Troy Pickard
ALGA President | | |
| | This week the nation came together to learn, respect and celebrate the diversity and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history for NAIDOC Week. The theme this year was We all Stand on Sacred Ground: Learn, Respect and Celebrate, highlighting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' strong spiritual and cultural connection to land and sea. The theme was chosen specifically to highlight and celebrate the anniversary of the 'Handback' of Uluru, one of the sacred sites, to its traditional owners 30 years ago. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to pay respects to country, honour those who work tirelessly on preserving land, sea and culture and to share the stories of many sites of significance or sacred places across the nation. Many activities are taking place nation-wide from creating giant sand paintings at Bondi to a photo exhibition expressing stories of home (karlup) and heart (koort) in Western Australia. Councils throughout Australia are strong supporters of NAIDOC and actively engage with local Indigenous and non Indigenous community groups to ensure NAIDOC Week celebrations are enjoyed by Australians from all walks of life at the local level. With NAIDOC Week ending this Sunday, you still have time to participate in events taking place in your area; visit the NAIDOC website for more information. | | | | | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss made a mid-week announcement opening Round Three of the Remote Airstrip Upgrade Program to improve air access to remote communities across Australia. The funding is available under the Government’s Regional Aviation Access Program (RAAP) - Remote Airstrip Upgrade (RAU) funding component. Eligible organisations may apply for projects to undertake safety and access works at remote aerodromes. Eligible projects can include: - upgrading runway surfaces
- upgrading stormwater drainage
- installing or upgrading runway lighting and navigation aids
- installing or upgrading animal proof runway fencing.
However, the program does not cover landside works including terminals, hangars, buildings or commercial developments. Round Three of the Remote Airstrip Upgrade Program will remain open for six weeks, closing on 31 August 2015. More information can be found on the Department's website. | | | | | The Department of Social Services will be conducting a series of consultations around Australia during July 2015 on the proposed changes to Australia's child care system. The consultation sessions will provide information on the Government's new Child Care Assistance Package and will give participants an opportunity to provide feedback on its implementation. A Regulation Impact Statement for the Childcare Assistance Package has been developed to help assess how the proposed changes will impact individuals, business and community organisations. The Regulation Impact Statement outlines the options considered in the development of the Childcare Assistance Package and also describes implementation options and identifies questions for consultation for key components of the package. Stakeholders are invited to attend a consultation forum or provide online feedback on the implementation options and questions. This feedback will be considered by the Government in making decisions about implementing the Child Care Assistance Package. To participate in one of the consultations, or to provide feedback online, please click here. | | | | | Minister for Social Services, the Hon. Scott Morrison announced this week that all Coalition state/territory governments will sign up to the 2015-17 National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (NPAH) and called for Labor governments to follow their lead. The Government announced on 23 March 2015 that it would provide $230 million to extend the NPAH for two years to 30 June 2017, with funding priority given to frontline services focusing on women and children experiencing domestic and family violence, and homeless youth aged under 18. This commitment is conditional on state and territory governments matching the Commonwealth's commitment to homelessness funding under the NPAH. Longer-term funding arrangements and the respective roles of the Commonwealth and state and territory governments in housing and homelessness will be considered in the context of the Government's White Paper on Reform of the Federation. | | | | | Austroads has launched two important publications that aim to promote safe road environments and improve the scheduling of maintenance and replacement works for bridges. The first report, Safe System in the Planning Process, aims to promote consideration of Safe System principles in planning decisions with the guiding principle that everyone, including planners, share responsibility for creating a safe road system. It includes a checklist resource that may be adapted and incorporated into the planning process to prompt planners to consider road safety issues. The second report, Improved Bridge Deterioration Models, Predictive Tools and Costs, considers the challenges involved with developing bridge deterioration modelling and prediction tools, which have the potential to improve the scheduling of maintenance and replacement works for bridges. The report reviews state-of-the-art deterioration modelling techniques highlighting the advantages and limitations of each approach. The findings indicate that currently deterioration modelling is potentially difficult to implement in the Australian and New Zealand context, given the lack of integration of the data sets with existing bridge asset management tools. Access the reports at these links: Safe System in the Planning Process and Improved Bridge Deterioration Models, Predictive Tools and Costs. | | | | | The Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation met in Hobart last Friday, discussing a range of food regulation matters such as the Health Star Rating system, vitamin D in breakfast cereal and the Country of Origin Labelling framework. A communique outlining the outcomes of this discussion was published on the Department of Health website. The Forum comprises all Australian and New Zealand Ministers responsible for food regulation, and is chaired by the Australian Government Assistant Minister for Health, Senator Fiona Nash. The next meeting of the Forum will be held in November 2015 in Canberra. | | | | | The Bureau of Meteorology has launched a Climate Resilient Water Sources web portal, an interactive site providing comprehensive mapping and information on desalinated and recycled water sources for more than 350 sites across Australia, both publicly and privately owned and operated. This information will inform the Australian community, government and the water industry of the contribution that these sources make to secure water supplies for current and future residential, industrial, mining, commercial and agricultural needs. Users can access the portal (www.bom.gov.au/water/crews) to search for information on capacity, production, location and use of these alternative water sources in their area. Local government and water utility owners and operators can add and update their data directly to the portal's database, which is then linked to the website. The Bureau of Meteorology, through its Improving Water Information program, is building a comprehensive and reliable picture of Australia's water resources to support policy and planning. | | | | | The Australian Academy of Science has released a report Climate change challenges to health: risks and opportunities following discussions at the 2014 Theo Murphy High Flyers Think Tank. The report summarises the discussions and recommendations of the group of early- and mid-career researchers from a broad range of relevant disciplines who came together in July 2014 to consider climate challenges in relation to health in Australia. The Think Tank said that the unequivocal changes in Australia’s climate - storms and cyclones, floods, tidal surges, more frequent and longer lasting heatwaves and extreme weather events - will cause substantial damage to housing, infrastructure, communities, health, livelihoods, and ecosystems. The report also makes it clear that those who suffer the worst effects of climate change will, in general, be the most vulnerable members of society-in particular, the sick, the elderly, the very young and the poor. Others at risk will include pregnant and breastfeeding women and those who are socially, culturally or linguistically isolated. Read this unique perspective on the challenges of climate change at this link. | | | | | The Government has committed $6.4 million over three years to a Nursing in Primary Health Care (NPHC) program that will aim to improve access to health care for rural and remote communities, older Australians and those with chronic disease. The three-year funding will enable the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association to deliver a program of activities to ensure provision of primary health care and nursing services in general practices and to boost the number of nurses working in frontline health services, particularly in rural and remote communities. The NPHC program has two main elements; chronic disease and healthy ageing initiatives and primary health care nursing recruitment and retention initiatives, with a range of projects covering each area. The Program will run until 2018. | | | | | Australians are again being asked to tell the National Australia Day Council who they think is worthy of attention as nominations open for the 2016 Australian of the Year Awards. The Australian of the Year Awards provides all Australians with the opportunity to recognise someone who makes them proud in four categories: Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year (those aged 65 years or over), Young Australian of the Year (aged 16 to 30) and Australia's Local Hero. Nominations are open until 3 August 2015. Information is available here or by telephone 1300 655 193. | | |
| | |  Providing a national overview of Asset Management Systems, to assist our members with making informed decisions. Choosing which Asset Management System (AMS) is best suited to an individual Local Government (LG) authority can be challenging due to their varied requirements. As a service to its members, ARRB identified a need for a comparative and independent technical review of AMSs commonly in use in the Australian marketplace. The aim of this review is to assist prospective LGs in assessing their AMS needs. The purpose is to ensure that ARRB's members are provided with the best advice to enable them to make well-informed choices in relation to the systems that will best suit their current and future needs. For more information please visit www.arrb.com.au/amsr. |
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