 | |  Mayor Doug Chipman of the City of Clarence has been announced as the new President of the Local Government Association of Tasmania (LGAT). As one of four people contesting the position, Mayor Chipman praised those who had nominated for the role, highlighting the regard in which the position is held and the importance the sector places upon it. He said he was honoured and excited to receive the vote of support from his local government peers. Mayor Chipman paid tribute to Acting President, Mayor Daryl Quilliam who has capably led the organisation since the sudden death of former President, Barry Jarvis. Mayor Quilliam will continue in the role of Vice President. Mayor Chipman said: "This is a time of significant proposed reform to the sector and I intend to ensure the voice of local government is heard clearly by those in power. I would like to see LGAT on the front foot in regard to issues such as planning reform, amalgamations, shared services and financial reform." Mayor Chipman was elected as Alderman to Clarence City Council in 2000, as Deputy Mayor in 2007 and as Mayor in 2011. | | | | |  The 2015 National Local Roads and Transport Congress, which is just over two months away, will touch on a number of issues of importance to local government across the nation. In particular, the key message from the Congress will be the importance of building strong relationships and how those connections help drive Australia's productivity and international competitiveness. The Congress will feature concurrent sessions that address not only the fundamental debate about funding options and challenges, but also how urban and peri-urban roads deal with the first- and last- mile issue. Delegates will also have the opportunity to contribute their knowledge and experience to the development of national transport and infrastructure policy, contribute to panel sessions, as well as hear from political leaders and subject matter experts. For more information on the Roads Congress, registration, program and speakers, please visit our website. Standard registrations close on 9 October. | | | | |  The Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Communications has over the past week held public hearings for its inquiry into the role of Smart ICT in the design and planning of infrastructure. The hearings have so far uncovered a range of innovative technologies that have the potential to make the design, planning and procurement of infrastructure more efficient and long-term management more effective. An example includes the Building Information Modelling (BIM) tool, which allows for the creation of intelligent, three-dimensional models that can be shared in the design, construction and management phases of infrastructure development. Committee Chairman, Jane Prentice MP, said: "The new tools becoming available to government and industry have the power to transform the economic productivity of infrastructure development, making existing infrastructure more productive and new infrastructure more cost-effective. "Australia is potentially on the cusp of a major transformation in infrastructure design and development, but it is up to government and industry to ensure this opportunity is not lost." The Inquiry is still accepting submissions and has a flexible closing date. If your council is considering providing a submission, please email ic.reps@aph.gov.au for further information. More information about the Inquiry's Terms of Reference, public hearings and submissions already received are available on the Committee website. | | |
| |  ALGA's campaign to reinstate Financial Assistance Grants (FAGs) indexation as soon as possible was a priority for me this week as I met with State and Territory Local Government Association Presidents to review the campaign and how it could be progressed against the backdrop of our broader election asks in an anticipated 2016 Federal election. Our campaign has had considerable success in several areas including: making the Government aware of councils' concerns about the indexation freeze and its impact, building knowledge of and support for FAGs among Federal Parliamentarians and making councils themselves more aware of the importance of acknowledging FAGs as a vital source of Commonwealth support. The impact of the indexation freeze was also a factor mentioned when agreement was reached to allocate more than $1 billion in revenue from the reinstatement of fuel indexation to the Roads to Recovery program. But we still face an uphill battle in our undertaking to restore FAGs indexation. The decision to freeze the indexation of FAGs was driven by its contribution to the restoration of the Federal Budget position. That job is only partly done and the Government has signalled that it will still need to find further expenditure cuts. We cannot afford to take anything for granted and we must maintain our momentum, particularly as we approach the next election. That is why I recently seized the opportunity to discuss our FAGs campaign at meetings with various Federal ministers and backbenchers at Parliament House in Canberra. During these meetings I reiterated the importance of FAGs as a vital part of the revenue base of all councils and our strong concern that the current level of FAGs funding has not kept pace with demand for services and infrastructure in local communities. While the Government certainly deserves our congratulations for the decision to provide more than $1 billion in extra funding for the Roads to Recovery program, that money is tied funding that must be spent on road projects. FAGs are untied funding and are critical to enabling each council to address its different pressures and commitments and fund the projects that are most needed by its community. We must continue to engage our Federal MPs at the local level to seek their support for FAGs. Fifty per cent of councils have now passed a resolution acknowledging the importance of FAGs funding to their community. I urge those councils that are yet to do so to pass that resolution and to engage with their local Federal politicians where there is an opportunity to show the local benefits of FAGs. Mayor Troy Pickard
ALGA President | | |
| | The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is calling on everyone involved in aviation to help it develop a new program of regulatory change. The new regulations are coming in areas such as flight rules, air transport operations, sports aviation and limited category aircraft operations. To start the process of gathering input on regulatory change, CASA is holding a series of seven consultation meetings in September and October. These are being held at Launceston, Hobart, Moorabbin, Darwin, Albury, Bankstown and Brighton Le Sands in Sydney. More meetings will follow in coming months. CASA's Director of Aviation Safety, Mark Skidmore, said: "I am determined to do my best to avoid regulatory implementation mistakes in the future and so I want to hear ideas on the timing of the introduction of new regulations, possible alternative ways to introduce and transition to new rules, what assistance is needed from CASA and the capacity for the aviation community to manage regulatory change." The details of the consultation meetings are available on the CASA website. | | | | | People in the Gascoyne-Pilbara region who experienced a loss of income as a result of Tropical Cyclone Olwyn in March 2015 have just under a week left to claim Disaster Recovery Allowance (DRA). Anyone, including employees, primary producers and sole traders who can demonstrate that the March cyclone was directly responsible for lost income have until Thursday 17 September to lodge a claim for DRA. Department of Human Services General Manager, Hank Jongen, said: "People whose income was affected by Tropical Cyclone Olwyn may be eligible for fortnightly taxable payments for a maximum of 13 weeks under the DRA scheme. To date the Department has approved 103 DRA claims to assist individuals whose income suffered as a result of the cyclone." For more information, contact the Australian Government Emergency Information line on 180 22 66 or visit humanservices.gov.au/disaster. | | | | | The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has opened its $100 million competitive funding round, seeking bids from major solar photovoltaic panels project proponents for grants of up to $30 million. The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) has also announced a complementary $250 million large-scale solar financing programme. It is expected that at least four and as many as 10 large-scale solar farms will be built across Australia with the help of the $350 million in new funding initiatives. ARENA’s CEO, Ivor Frischknecht, said: "The competitive funding round aims to support a spread of projects, with the objective of bringing down the cost of large-scale solar developments in Australia, and achieving cost parity with wind energy." Additional information is available at arena.gov.au/large-scale-solar-pv/. | | | | | Festivals Australia and Visions of Australia regional programs are now open for applications. Festivals Australia and Visions of Australia, administered by the Ministry for the Arts, enable artists and organisations to shape Australia’s cultural landscape, increase cultural diversity and inspire, educate and entertain audiences across Australia. Funding is available for projects and tours that increase access to and participation in the arts and cultural heritage for Australians living in regional and remote communities. Two funding rounds will take place each year. Applications to Festivals Australia and Visions of Australia close on 30 September 2015. For more information about submitting an application, contact 1800 590 577 or email either festivals@arts.gov.au or visions@arts.gov.au. | | | | | The South Australian State Government this week presented its Planning Development and Infrastructure Bill before the South Australian Parliament as part of the State's planning reforms. The reforms are designed to remove red tape, streamline decision making, simplify regulations and foster greater certainty in the planning process. Under the proposed legislation, developers and land holders will contribute to the infrastructure needed as part of any new build. An infrastructure scheme will also be introduced to provide flexibility in the way necessary infrastructure associated with development can be provided. The Local Government Association of South Australia (LGASA) welcomed the presentation of the Bill and said it was a significant step on the path to improving the prosperity of South Australian communities. LGASA President, Mayor Dave Burgess, said: "Local government recognises that a good planning system will facilitate badly-needed jobs and economic growth in South Australia. For reform to be successful it must be inclusive of local communities as well as Government and the private sector." However, the LGASA will be seeking clarification on some areas in the Bill such as the resourcing of the e-planning system, the structure of development assessment panels and the design code. Read LGASA's media release. Further information about the planning reform in South Australia is available on South Australian Government website. | | | | | The Victorian State Government has begun the consultation process for its Local Government Act review, and Victorian councils have been encouraged to have their say. The State has released a discussion paper and launched a consultation website. The Victorian Government has stated that the review will be far-reaching and comprehensive, examining issues from the role and functions of councillors and CEOs, to donation regulation and how complaints should be handled. Following the consultation period, a Directions Paper will be developed in 2016 and will be open for public submissions. Submissions to the Local Government Act review close on 18 December 2015. For further information, or to have your say on the new Local Government Act Review website, please visit the consultation website. | | | | | Councils have been encouraged to promote an app aimed at supporting women who are experiencing the impacts of sexual assault, domestic and family violence. Daisy, the app, can link women experiencing domestic violence with a service phone number, can be used to search the internet for more information and let women know what to expect when contacting a service. Family members and friends can also use Daisy to gather information and support a loved one’s decision making. The updated app was recently launched by the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, and Australian of the Year, Rosie Batty, with new features including translated information across 28 language groups, text-to-voice functionality and an SMS function for women living in rural or remote areas. The app – developed with input from all state and territory governments and funded by the Australian Government - has been downloaded approximately 100 times each week since its launch in March. In total, there have been more than 2000 downloads nationally. More information is available on the Daisy website. Daisy can be downloaded from Google Play or the App Store. | | | | | Finding information about exotic pest and disease incursions across Australia and what is being done to eradicate them has just become easier with the launch of the Australian Government's new-look Outbreak website. The online resource plays an important role in keeping people informed about outbreaks that could have major impacts on agricultural production as well as domestic and international markets. It also has information on how governments and industries respond to exotic pest incursions or disease outbreaks. Chief Scientist and Australian Chief Plant Protection Officer, Dr Kim Ritman, said: "We are seeing the growing importance of the website for communicating plant emergency response activities. We all have a role in biosecurity to protect our agricultural industries, environment and economy and stop the spread of pests and diseases within Australia." The website is searchable by state or territory or by a particular pest or disease, and can link through to local information. It also features interactive maps and its new design means it can be easily used on mobile phones and tablets. | | | | | The Spirit of Anzac Centenary Experience travelling exhibition was officially opened this week by the Prime Minister, the Hon. Tony Abbott, in Albury-Wodonga. The interactive travelling exhibition includes more than 200 artefacts normally housed at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The Spirit of Anzac Centenary Experience includes a community zone which enables communities in the regions visited to uncover the contribution made by local men and women - both those who served and the families and loved ones who remained at home. "The Spirit of Anzac Centenary Experience offers Australians living in cities and regional areas an excellent opportunity to see first-hand an extensive collection of military artefacts and interpretive materials from the Australian War Memorial," the Prime Minister said. The exhibition will be brought to 23 locations around Australia over the next 20 months. More information, including the tour itinerary, is available at spiritofanzac.gov.au. | | | | | The recent food recall of all batches of the Coco Joy Pure Coconut Milk Banana, Chocolate and Coffee flavours has been extended to all independent retailers across Australia following the previous recall that was only in South Australia and Western Australia. The products have been recalled due to the presence of an undeclared allergen (dairy). Food Standards Australia and New Zealand said: "Consumers who have a dairy allergy or intolerance should not consume this product and should return the products to the place of purchase for a full refund." Click here for further information about the recall. | | |
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| | | | | |  Akolade is delighted to bring you 2015's engaging and interactive 2nd Annual Holistic Community Safety Summit: A professional development and networking opportunity addressing alcohol fuelled violence, drug safety, domestic violence as well as different passive and tech-savvy methods to drive safety within communities. For more information visit our website: www.akolade.com.au. Register by emailing: marketing@akolade.com.au or call us on 02 9247 6000. *ALGA members receive an exclusive 10% off the current price. |
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