Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull this week tabled the annual Closing the Gap report, which showed that two of the seven targets to improve Indigenous outcomes in health, education and employment are on track.

The report shows that the life expectancy gap is still around 10 years but that improvements can be seen in relation to many of the important health inputs and other areas from which better health outcomes will flow - particularly in relation to smoking rates and infant mortality. The report argues that due to lead times between the design and roll out of programs, measurable improvements to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life expectancy should not be expected until at least 2018.

The full report looks at progress over the life of the Closing the Gap Strategy and new insights into health service usage by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The report also sets out priorities for the next government to reinvigorate the Closing the Gap Strategy.

Access the full 2016 Close the Gap - Progress & Priorities report at this link.

The Ministerial Forum on Vehicle Emissions, established to review Australia's regulatory framework for vehicle emissions, has issued a discussion paper which sets out the issues under examination and has called for comment.

The Government is considering potential options to reduce both noxious emissions and carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles. The paper examines options for improving standards for air pollutants and fuel efficiency (CO2) standards, ways to better educate and inform consumers, alternative fuels and electric vehicles, the use of incentives and bolstering emissions testing arrangements. The discussion paper also takes stock of action on vehicle emissions in Australia to date and discusses ways to harmonise with international standards in this area.

Minister for Major Projects Paul Fletcher, chair of the Ministerial Forum, said the discussion paper outlines the benefits of reducing emissions, including lower fuel bills, better air quality and improved health outcomes for Australians.

The Forum held an initial stakeholder consultation meeting in December 2015, and feedback from that meeting has been reflected in the discussion paper. The discussion paper can be viewed at infrastructure.gov.au/roads/environment/forum/

Local councils and other businesses can now seek support from the Australian Government for projects to keep greenhouse gas-producing organic waste out of landfill through a method now available under the Government's Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF).

The Source Separated Organic Waste method covers new projects that separate organic material from other waste types and divert it away from landfill to eligible alternative treatments such as composting.

This new method will benefit organisations that deal with food or garden waste by helping them to reduce the more than 6.6 million tonnes of organic waste which goes to landfill each year.

If you have any questions about the Source Separated Organic Waste method, please contact the Clean Energy Regulator.

More information about the Emissions Reduction Fund is available on environment.gov.au/emissions-reduction-fund.

The National Transport Commission has released an issues paper and called for submissions from the public on how to develop the best laws and regulations for emerging road and rail technology.

With automated vehicles already having a significant impact on markets, public policy and the community, it is important to clarify what is required for the different levels of automated vehicles to legally operate across Australian jurisdictions to support innovation, investment and consumer confidence.

Chief Executive of the NTC Paul Retter said: "Governments and industry need to work together to make sure Australians get the best laws for these new vehicles.

"While we have already identified a number of potential issues we are asking anyone with an interest in the future of transport to have their say. This feedback will help to make sure we address all of the issues associated with automated vehicles."

Submissions to the issues paper are due by Tuesday, 8 March 2016. These submissions will help the NTC develop a discussion paper with detailed options analysis to be published in mid-2016.

More information is available at ntc.gov.au/current-projects/preparing-for-more-automated-road-and-rail-vehicles/

Keep Australia Beautiful is releasing the 2014/15 National Litter Index (NLI) Detailed Report six months early to assist those making submissions on the NSW EPA's Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) discussion paper.

Twice a year, a team of independent, trained researchers count and categorise the litter visible in 983 sites across Australia. These sites include car parks, major roads and highways, industrial areas, parks, beaches, residential areas, retail areas and shopping centres.

The NLI report details the quantity and estimated volume of various litter items across each state and territory and each site type. The survey also identifies the most significant contributors to the litter stream, the notorious "Dirty Dozen". The most recent report includes, for the first time, extra data on graffiti and infrastructure (bins and litter signage).

Access a copy of the NLI report on the Keep Australia Beautiful website.

The UTS Centre for Local Government (UTS:CLG) has released a new report that examines the challenges newly arrived African refugees in Australia face and the perceptions that African refugees have of local government services.

Initially this study was going to focus solely on African Muslim refugees and local government programs on offer for this group, however it became apparent that there were no local government initiatives that catered specifically for this grouping so the focus was extended to cover programs for African refugees and refugees in general.

Drawing on extensive interview data, this report outlines the challenges facing African refugees, examines what services are provided by local government and NGOs for refugees, and considers the gaps.

One of the key conclusions from the report was the view that councils could help build community capacity and facilitate the creation of links between African refugees.

Access the full report at this link.

The Department of Social Services has opened registrations for events to celebrate this year's Harmony Day on 21 March.

Announcing the program, the Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells said Harmony Day was an opportunity for people to come together to celebrate and share in each other's culture and generosity of spirit by encouraging participation, inclusiveness and respect.

"For Harmony Day we want people to come together with friends and families, at schools and universities, in the workplace and within communities to celebrate cultural diversity," she said.

Harmony Day is Australia's largest national multicultural event which this year will emphasise the strength of Australia's cultural diversity and recognise the benefits diversity brings to the nation.

Register your council's Harmony Day event at www.harmony.gov.au.

Cities and towns that are on the renewable path are the innovators and entrepreneurs of their regions, and those that innovate successfully will benefit. These cities and towns will be the drawcards for creative, innovative people to live and work, and will become the desirable places. 

Is your city or town on the renewable path? Are you involved with local government as a planner, developer, or an interested businessperson? Do you want to know what other towns and cities are already doing to become renewable? 

Renewable Cities Australia is a two-day forum for local government and industry to showcase and share the plans, achievements and challenges of Australian cities and towns moving to renewable and innovative energy systems for electricity and public transport.

Renewable Cities will be co-located with the third Australian Energy Storage Conference and Exhibition, with free access to the energy storage and electric vehicle expo.

Attend the inaugural Renewable Cities Australia forum on 1 & 2 June in Sydney to find out more about Australian cities and towns that are on the path to going 100% renewable.  For more information, please visit www.renewablecities.com.au or to share your story at this forum, email Mary Hendriks on mary@renewablecities.com.au

More than ever before, councils are being called on to do more with less and find ways to engage their communities in a discussion about acceptable service levels. Many local government areas are facing (sometimes rapidly) growing populations, requiring bigger and better public infrastructure. In addition, there is an ongoing need for asset maintenance and renewal of existing assets.

The Blue Mountains City Council's (BMCC) 'Resourcing Our Future' program offers a successful model for community engagement, which resulted in almost 80% of the community supporting a rate variation above the rate cap, and a majority of these supporting the highest variation option.

BMCC Group Manager, Integrated Planning and Finance Rosemary Dillon outlined the actions the council took to effectively consult with its community in an article on the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia (IPWEA) website.

The overall outcome was majority community support for improved service levels, resulting in a successful special rate variation application to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal which will provide an additional $30.4 million over four years.

Read the full case study on the IPWEA website.

Already a staple of the entrepreneurial and start-up sectors, crowdfunding - or inviting people to donate money online to help fund an idea or project through platforms like Pozible, Kickstarter or Indiegogo.s - is garnering genuine local interest for its ability to make projects that might otherwise not happen a reality.

It's a bold new frontier for Australian councils, yet that didn't stop Sydney's Parramatta City Council from collaborating with platforms and the community through the 'Parramatch' initiative to capitalise on positive interest and community goodwill.

In Parramatta's case, the City partnered with crowdfunding platform 'StartSomeGood' and put up $30,000 to match innovative projects which broadly fitted council objectives.

It would be challenging for councils to raise enough money to fund all the worthy projects in their communities, but there are strong signs popular alternative funding mechanisms being used overseas will soon be generating cash in Australia.

Read more on this story in GovernmentNews.