 | |  The 2015 National State of the Assets: Roads and Community Infrastructure Report says that there is an opportunity for local government involvement in an integrated national approach to improve Australia's international competitiveness and address social inequity to lift national productivity. The report, which summarises the condition of local roads, bridges and - for the first time this year - community infrastructure showed that an estimated $47 billion of road and community infrastructure managed by local government is in need of significant renewal. It also found that 11 per cent of sealed roads, 19 per cent of unsealed roads and 22 per cent of timber bridges are either physically unsound or in need of significant rehabilitation. It recommended targeted intergovernmental strategies addressing the state of council-managed roads and community infrastructure through renewal, upgrade and disposal to enable a competitive and fair Australia into the future. Read ALGA’s media release at this link. | | | | |  ALGA launched a community infrastructure proposal that aims to stimulate local economic opportunities and create 5,000 jobs in Australian communities at the 2015 National Local Roads and Transport Congress in Ballarat, Victoria. In the proposal, ALGA called for a Local Government Community Infrastructure Program of $300 million per annum for five years to fund the renewal and maintenance of existing community infrastructure and promote economic development opportunities where they are needed most, particularly in rural and regional communities. Mayor Troy Pickard, President of ALGA, said: "There is a clear need for additional investment by government to support councils to meet the decades-long backlog and underspend on community infrastructure. In many cases, community infrastructure projects are either already planned, or planning is well advanced, and only funding is required for the projects to commence." The Local Government Community Infrastructure Program proposal was developed following nearly 1,000 submissions of examples of declining community infrastructure to ALGA's Community Infrastructure Ideas Register from councils Australia-wide. Read ALGA’s media release at this link. | | | | |  The 2016 National Local Roads and Transport Congress will head to the Garden City, and Queensland's largest inland city, Toowoomba. ALGA President Mayor Troy Pickard announced Toowoomba as the host city for the event at the closing of the 2015 Congress in Ballarat yesterday. The 2016 Congress is currently penciled in from 9 - 11 November. Keep an eye on the ALGA website for more details as event planning gets underway. | | |
| |  Our successful 2015 National Local Roads and Transport Congress once again took place this week in historic Ballarat, Victoria, at which we had more than 250 delegates in attendance. This year's Congress was as important as the very first Congress held at Moree in 2000. This week, as we did fifteen years ago, Local Government identified the challenges and opportunities ahead in managing our local roads and the future transport challenges facing our communities and our nation. And this year, just as in 2000, it was important to once again make local roads part of the national narrative, in particular, the national productivity narrative. We made important strides towards this goal at the Congress this week and it was encouraging to hear the same sentiment echoed by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon Warren Truss MP, the Minister for Territories, Local Government and Major Projects, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, and the Shadow Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP. A common theme in all of their addresses to the delegates at the Congress was the importance of local roads in connecting Australian communities to create a strong nation and, in particular, their importance in helping to lift productivity in our communities and nationally. Our aim now is to have all political parties and crossbench members also understand that local roads are vital in achieving the productivity benefits of national road reform. Local Government has an important job to do now and not just in identifying the challenges we face, but also in the solutions we propose to meet these challenges. Local Government must be part of the solution and we have important work to do to hone our message, prioritise our needs and define the relationship we want to have with the Federal Government. Mayor Troy Pickard
ALGA President | | |
| | The Federal Government launched the Melbourne-based Australian Institute for Disaster resilience on Thursday, which provides a cutting edge approach for the delivery of emergency management education, training and professional development for a stronger emergency management sector. The Institute will deliver contemporary products and services around the country that have been developed by, and for, the emergency management sector. It will pool resources and knowledge from the Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council, the Australian Red Cross, the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre and the Attorney-General's department. Further information regarding the Institute and the products and services it will deliver will be available at www.ag.gov.au and www.afac.com.au. | | | | | The Climate Council has launched a report, The Burning Issue: Climate Change and the Australian Bushfire Threat , looking at climate change and the Australian bushfire threat. The report found that the length of the fire season increased by almost 19% globally between 1978 and 2013, and that longer fire seasons are reducing opportunities for controlled burning and intensifying pressure on firefighting resources. The Council said that Australia’s bushfire preparedness is under threat from climate change as bushfire seasons here and in the Northern Hemisphere increasingly overlap, putting new demands on critical shared firefighting aircraft. You can find out more about the report and download it at this link. | | | | | Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Barnaby Joyce, today announced a call for expressions of interest under the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund. States and territories are invited to apply for a share in $25 million of funding to undertake feasibility studies to support water infrastructure projects across the country including new dams. "The fund will support new and augmented water infrastructure, including dams, pipelines and managed aquifer recharge projects around Australia, to secure the nation's water supplies and to deliver strong economic benefits while also protecting our environment," Mr Joyce said. "Under the feasibility component of the fund, state and territory governments can apply for funding to undertake the critical early planning work including technical, environmental and economic assessments on specific water infrastructure projects. We have committed $50 million in funding for this component, with $25 million available in the current round. "I encourage other organisations to partner with their relevant state government to help plan for the nation-building projects we need to secure our water into the future." More information is available on the Department of Infrastructure and Water Resources website. | | | | | The Government has advised that it has extended the closing date for submissions into the consultation paper on free range egg labelling to 27 November 2015. On 12 June 2015, Consumer Affairs Ministers from the Commonwealth, States and Territories requested the preparation of a draft national standard on free range egg labelling. The Commonwealth is undertaking this consultation process on behalf of the government agencies responsible for consumer affairs or fair trading in the Commonwealth, States and Territories. The objective is to enhance consumer confidence and certainty regarding egg labelling, including to better ensure that consumers are not misled by egg labels. The consultation paper outlines three broad policy options that are alternate ways to provide more detailed guidance to consumers and producers on the requirements for egg labels. The three policy options include: (1) the status quo; (2) an information standard for free range eggs; and (3) an information standard for all eggs. The consultation aims to gather additional evidence on the extent of the problem and the likely impacts of the proposed policy options including likely costs and benefits to consumers, producers and other stakeholders. Submissions are invited electronically or via post. More information is available on the Treasury's website. | | | | | Life expectancy and death numbers hit historic highs in 2014, according to the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Australian males and females born today have the highest estimated life expectancy ever recorded in Australia. And the good news is both men and women can expect to celebrate their 80th birthday milestone.
"There are only six other countries worldwide where both men and women have a life expectancy over 80 years," said Beidar Cho from the ABS. "These countries are Japan, Italy, Switzerland, Iceland, Israel and Sweden."
In Australia, male life expectancy at birth rose to 80.3 years in 2014 from 80.1 in 2013 and female life expectancy also increased to 84.4 years from 84.3.
"The two territories tell contrasting stories about mortality in Australia," said Ms Cho. "In 2014, the Australian Capital Territory had the highest life expectancy for both males and females while the Northern Territory had the lowest."
The national number of registered deaths rose 4.0 per cent to 153,580 in 2014 from 147,678 in 2013 and is indicative of Australia's growing and ageing population.
Further information is available for free download from the ABS website. | | | | | A new investigation by Brookfield Energy Australia could pave the way for the new Huntlee residential development in the NSW Hunter Valley to be built off-the-grid and powered by renewable energy. The $1.1 million initial study is receiving $442,000 from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). Huntlee will be the first new town in the Hunter Valley in 50 years and will house 20,000 new residents in 7,500 homes. ARENA CEO, Ivor Frischknecht, said substantial connection costs and the falling cost of renewable energy made it a good time to explore the option of forgoing grid connection. "If this latest work shows renewables, battery storage and enabling technologies can reliably and cost effectively power new suburbs, it could set a precedent for residential developments and potentially accelerate the uptake of renewables in Australia," Mr Frischknecht said. More information is available on the ARENA website. | | | | | Northside Fine Foods Pty Ltd has recalled Ham Off the Bone in NSW due to microbial contamination (Listeria monocytogenes). Listeria may cause illness in pregnant women and their unborn babies, the elderly and people with low immune systems. The product is currently being distributed in delicatessens, fruit markets, IGAs, Foodworks and other independent grocers in Sydney. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has said that consumers should not eat this product and should return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund. Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice. More information about the recall is available on the FSANZ website. | | | | | This year’s Anti-Poverty Week did not disappoint with nearly 500 activities and major national events attracting thousands of people such as the Expresstival in the Perth CBD, the Stand Up Speak Out conference in Adelaide and the Walk Against Hunger in Darwin. Several videos, fact sheets and reports were also launched during the week including Average Matt and Average Amanda, a video from the Salvation Army Southern Territory, and Poverty in Rural Australia, a fact sheet from the National Rural Health Alliance. Anti-Poverty Week in 2016 will be held on 16 to 22 October. | | | | | The Government announced this week that it had reappointed the Hon Susan Ryan AO as the Disability Discrimination Commissioner. Ms Ryan was first appointed as acting Disability Discrimination Commissioner in July 2014, before being confirmed to the role in September 2014. The term of Ms Ryan’s reappointment aligns with the term of her appointment as Age Discrimination Commissioner, which expires on 28 July 2016. Ms Ryan continues to be a strong advocate for the rights of people with a disability. She is currently leading Willing to Work, the Commission's national inquiry into employment discrimination against older persons and persons with a disability. Consultations are currently being conducted across Australia, which will inform the Commission's recommendations when they report to Government by July 2016. | | |
| | |  Bring your community together this Australia Day with the Affirmation Across the country, there are thousands of organised events held on Australia Day, from fun runs first thing in the morning to the fireworks in the evening. And in most towns across Australia, a citizenship ceremony is held. Citizenship ceremonies are an integral part of Australia Day, with tens of thousands of people becoming Australian citizens on 26 January each year. A great way to welcome these new citizens into the community is to include an Australia Citizenship ceremony at official Australia Day events. The Australian Citizenship Affirmation can be included as part of every citizenship ceremony and gives the whole community the opportunity to affirm their loyalty to Australia and its people. It’s a wonderful way to bring the whole community together to celebrate our values on Australia Day. All the resources and information you need to include the Affirmation are sent to you free of charge, so why not bring the whole community together at your event with an Affirmation ceremony this Australia Day? For information and free resources, visit australianaffirmation.org.au |
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