 | |  The Government has announced $293 million to fund 111 projects through Round Two of the National Stronger Regions Fund. Among the successful projects were the City of Cockburn's (WA) project to construct a multi-purpose bowling, football/soccer, beach volleyball and community recreation facility, and the Greater Hume Shire Council's (NSW) project to redevelop the Holbrook and Henty swimming pools to meet user expectations and provide safe, low maintenance facilities as well as continue to provide employment opportunities, economic stimulus and reduce consumer drift to regional centres. Round Two also had $25 million set aside for projects seeking funding of $1 million or less, so smaller projects are also well represented among the successful applicants. More information on the National Stronger Regions Fund, including a full list of successful Round Two projects and details on the application process, is available online at www.infrastructure.gov.au/nsrf. The Department is also offering feedback to all applicants. You can register your interest by emailing nsrf@infrastructure.gov.au. Round Three will open for applications on 15 January 2016 and close at 5pm of the applicant's local time on 15 March 2016. | | | | |  The Government recently released a National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy with the aim of setting the path for future climate resilience. The strategy was launched at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris and highlighted the adaptation and resilience-building activities developed by Australian businesses, communities and all levels of government. It also proposes a set of principles to guide future choices and includes some ideas for further enhancing the resilience of communities, businesses, biodiversity and landscapes. The Government has established an interagency working group to consider the cross-cutting impacts of climate change and disaster risks, and to lead future consultation with business and communities about the strategy. The National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy is available on the Department of Environment website. | | | | |  In March 2015, the Senate referred the issue of stormwater management in Australia to the Environment and Communications References Committee for inquiry and report. The report was recently tabled and the following were among the report's five recommendations: - The committee recommends that the Australian Government work with the state and territory governments to develop and implement a national policy framework for stormwater management (a National Stormwater Initiative).
- The committee recommends that the Australian Government restore funding for stormwater research. As part of the development of the National Stormwater Initiative, consideration should also be given to how the overall level of research and development can be increased by attracting co-investment from other levels of government and the private sector to support and expand research activities that receive funding from the Australian Government.
Particular consideration was given in Chapter four on the stormwater management roles performed by local governments, state governments and water utilities. Read the full report on the References Committee website. | | |
| |  The major news coming out of Federal politics this week was the Turnbull Government's announcement of a National Innovation and Science Agenda (NISA), which aims to establish Australia as a leading innovative and agile economy. The NISA acknowledges the transformative effect that technology is having on our lives - from the way we work to the way we communicate and access services - and contends that innovation will be critical for the transition into the next wave of Australia's economic prosperity. A key focus of the NISA is for government to actively lead the cultural and technological change required to ensure innovation is central to the way government operates and to use technology to deliver better quality services, and Local Government is no exception, although I believe we are already well on our way in this regard. The Local Government Association of Queensland this year released its second Digital Productivity Report, which showed local councils across Queensland playing their part in embracing innovative technology as part of their business strategies to reduce costs, improve efficiency and deliver better services to their communities. The Local Government Association of South Australia (LGASA) found an innovative solution in response to council residents' confusion around the timing of local services such as recycling and hard rubbish collection days. They developed the My Local Services app which provides local communities with access to a wealth of council information, including answers to frequently asked questions about council services, and allows residents to report local problems to their councils. These examples only scratch the surface of how local government is working towards becoming more innovative in how we deliver services but they also serve to highlight our continued commitment to connect, collaborate and provide better services to our communities in innovative ways. Mayor Troy Pickard
ALGA President | | |
| | Communications Minister Mitch Fifield today called for nominations of mobile black spot locations around Australia to be submitted by December 31st for consideration under Round 2 of the Mobile Black Spot Programme. The Government has committed $60 million to provide new or upgraded mobile coverage to black spots in regional and remote Australia under Round 2 of the Mobile Black Spot Programme, which is on top of the $100 million committed to Round 1 of the programme. Nominated mobile black spot locations will be added to a national database which will be provided to mobile operators as part of a competitive selection process set out in the Mobile Black Spot Programme Round 2 guidelines. Black spot nominations for Round 2 of the Programme close on 31 December and can be made online at www.communications.gov.au/blackspots. | | | | | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss this week announced funding of $11.6 million for upgrades to remote airstrips under the Remote Airstrip Upgrade Programme. The purpose of the funding is to improve access to basic services and essential deliveries such as food, medicine and mail, through approved airstrip upgrades projects in New South Wales, Queensland, West Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory. Projects approved under the programme include a new airfield ground lighting control panel at the Richmond aerodrome in QLD, a fencing upgrade at the Snake Bay aerodrome in NT, and a gravel re-sheet of the runway at the Lake Cargelligo aerodrome in NSW. A full list of approved projects is available at the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development website. | | | | | The Government has released the National Ice Taskforce Final Report including its response. The Taskforce undertook an extensive consultation and research process to inform its findings, travelling around Australia to listen to people share their views of and experiences with this drug and receiving more than 1,300 written submissions from organisations and members of the public. The Government's response sets out a package of almost $300 million over four years to improve treatment, after care, education, prevention, support and community engagement to tackle ice. The package includes: - $241.5 million to be invested through the 31 Primary Health Networks (PHNs), which will use their local knowledge to boost the alcohol and other drug treatment sector and reduce demand for ice.
- An additional $24.9 million to help families and communities by providing the resources, information and support they need to respond to ice.
- An additional $18.8 million to establish better research, evidence and guidelines on ice, including a new Centre for Clinical Excellence for Emerging Drugs of Concern.
The Government's full response is available at this link and the National Ice Taskforce's final report is available here. | | | | | A national key freight routes interactive online map was recently launched to help Australia's freight logistics industries to cost-effectively connect regions and cities to the world. The map is also expected to be of interest to a range of other users including all levels of government, land use planners, researchers, and property and business groups. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss said the online map details key road and rail routes used by freight operators throughout the country. "The map provides a detailed picture of the road and rail routes connecting Australia's nationally significant places for freight, including ports, airports and intermodal terminals," Mr Truss said. "The interactive map will help people develop a greater understanding of our national land freight system." The national key freight routes map can be found on the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development's website and the NationalMap website. | | | | | $95 million of the recently-announced Round two of the National Stronger Regions Fund has been allocated to tourism infrastructure across Australia. The funds will be invested in 33 regional tourism infrastructure projects around the country, helping to deliver investment-ready projects worth more than $273 million. This includes $10 million towards a new Arts and Community Precinct in Karratha (WA), $2.5 million for upgrades to Bathurst Airport (NSW), $947,000 to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands for a new retail precinct, and a $7 million investment in the Rockhampton Riverfront Redevelopment (QLD). More information on the National Stronger Regions Fund, including a full list of successful round two projects and details on the application process, is available online at this link. | | | | | The third Emissions Reduction Fund auction will be conducted by the independent Clean Energy Regulator on Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 April 2016. The Clean Energy Regulator has already held two auctions, securing 92.8 million tonnes of emissions reduction at an average price of $13.12. The average price of the first auction was $13.95 per tonne of emissions reduction. The average price of the second auction was $12.25 per tonne. Interested farmers, landowners, businesses and community groups are encouraged to register under the Emissions Reduction Fund and participate in the third auction. More information is available on the Clean Energy Regulator website. | | | | | The Government has publicly released the Productivity Commission's first performance report on the National Indigenous Reform Agreement (NIRA). The report shows that, at the national level, progress towards COAG's Closing the Gap targets has been mixed. Although good progress was made in reducing outcome gaps in child mortality, little progress was made in closing gaps for life expectancy and employment gaps have increased rather than narrowed. The report called for two main changes to the approach of the NIRA and Closing the Gap work: first, a greater emphasis on policy evaluation and second, a rationalisation of the current extensive and overlapping reporting on Indigenous outcomes and disadvantage. Access the complete report on the Productivity Commission website. | | | | | In the traumatic aftermath of a natural disaster, research has indicated that the risk of violence against women increases. As Australians prepare for the natural disaster season, women at risk of or experiencing gendered violence, and the frontline workers who support these women, are being urged to prepare. Councils have been invited to join a free webinar held by 1800RESPECT on 16 December to find out more about this important issue and how to respond. The webinar will include an insight into research conducted by Women's Health Goulburn North East and Monash University's Injury Research Institute. It will also include an overview of the new 1800RESPECT resources available to assist frontline workers to support women. More information on how to join the webinar is available at this online invitation. | | | | | The City of Greater Dandenong in Victoria has launched a new national art prize for artists with an asylum seeker or refugee background. The Home and Art competition was created to recognise artists from asylum seeker and refugee backgrounds who may have had to put their artist identity aside as they establish themselves in their new country. The competition provides an opportunity to celebrate the important contribution of asylum seekers and refugees to Australia's cultural and social fabric. Mayor of the City of Greater Dandenong, Cr Heang Tak, who migrated to Australia from Cambodia as part of a humanitarian program as a teenager, said: "The Home and Art Prize and exhibition provide a fantastic opportunity for refugees and asylum seekers from all parts of the world to express themselves at the same time it creates an opportunity for the community to understand more about the lives of these people prior to and following their arrival in Australia." The competition is open to artists that arrived as a refugee or sought asylum in Australia after 1 January 2000. More information and entry forms are available at this link. | | |
| | |  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 |
| | | | | |  Want to work at the pointy end of policy? Make your mark in the public sector with this Graduate Certificate in Policy and Governance. You don’t need a degree to apply for this flexible, online course. All you need is real world experience and a keen interest in getting the skills and confidence to become a key player in policy development. The course was designed with the Queensland Public Service Commission, which means it’s career-focused and hands on. And best of all it can be completed in just one year. So why not put yourself in a position of influence? - Learn from policy and governance experts in the real world
- Learn how to present briefing notes, reports and Cabinet submissions, as well as understand the complex structure of government and its functions
- Course delivered completely online - complete learning items within units as quickly as you like.
Apply now. |
| | | | | |  ANROWS Inaugural National Research Conference on Violence against Women and their Children Local government plays an important role in prevention of violence against women. "Statistics on the extent of domestic, family and sexual violence against women and their children are compelling and all the more confronting because these figures are increasing at the same time as Australia is making a major commitment to reverse the situation. This requires coordinated activity by governments, service providers and professionals, researchers and the community in general." Emeritus Professor Anne R Edwards, Chair, ANROWS. ANROWS - a federal, state & territory initiative under the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children 2010-2022, is holding its inaugural National Research Conference at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne from 23-25 February 2016. Policy-makers, participants from the three tiers of government, practitioners and researchers will be encouraged to share experiences, ideas and advice on how this research can drive evidence based policy development, service responses and practice. Register Now: www.anrowsconference.org.au or email caryn.morgan@anrows.org.au. More information on ANROWS? www.anrows.org.au |
| | | | | | | |
|
