President's column
Younger Australians aspiring to home ownership, or to affordable housing of any kind, would have had little reason to cheer this week's Housing Australia report from the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA). Nor should Councils rejoice, because the report claims that local government is partially to blame for the steady drop in affordability.
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Relax planning laws to fix housing crisis: CEDA
A MAJOR report by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia has recommended that planning restrictions particularly those imposed by local councils be relaxed as a short to medium-term fix for Australia s current housing affordability problem. The Housing Australia report also recommends greater consistency across planning codes, and an increase in housing density.
Dispute over adequacy of NDRRA funding
A FEDERAL Government offer of an additional $38 million to help rebuild cyclone-affected communities in Queensland has been described by Queensland Premier Anastasia Palaszczuk as less than half of half [of what] we asked for [and] what's needed .
Latest News
Victorian council in administrator's hands
AN INTERIM administrator has been appointed to run the Central Goldfields Shire Council. The Victorian council was dismissed by the State Government last week after a report by the Local Government Investigations and Compliance Inspectorate identified financial mismanagement and governance failures stretching back over 10 years. Its former CEO is facing 41 charges of misconduct.
Tasmanian Government wants call-in powers
TASMANIA'S State Planning Minister will be granted call-in powers over major construction projects under proposed new planning powers announced this week. The new laws would give the Minister the power to take over major planning decisions from local councils and refer them to the Tasmanian Planning Commission (TPC).
Non-compliant building products under the microscope
THE BUILDING Ministers' Forum (BMF) has commissioned a review of building and construction safety issues in Australia, including the installation of non-compliant building products. Federal Assistant Industry Minister and BMF chairman Craig Laundy said the review would be run by former senior public servant and now academic Peter Shergold and building and construction lawyer Bronwyn Weir.
CDP a failure, Senate inquiry told
A NORTHERN Territory MLA has told the Senate Committee inquiry into the Community Development Program (CDP) in Alice Springs that people fined under the controversial program had been begging him for emergency help.
WA auditor-general gets remit over councils
THE WESTERN Australian Auditor-General has been given additional powers to audit local council finances and performance after the Local Government Auditing Bill 2017 was passed in State Parliament this week.
News in brief
THE CITY of Gosnells Council garnered the top award at the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia's 2017 International Public Works conference last week.
Victorian council in administrator's hands
AN INTERIM administrator has been appointed to run the Central Goldfields Shire Council. The Victorian council was dismissed by the State Government last week after a report by the Local Government Investigations and Compliance Inspectorate identified financial mismanagement and governance failures stretching back over 10 years. Its former CEO is facing 41 charges of misconduct.
Tasmanian Government wants call-in powers
TASMANIA'S State Planning Minister will be granted call-in powers over major construction projects under proposed new planning powers announced this week. The new laws would give the Minister the power to take over major planning decisions from local councils and refer them to the Tasmanian Planning Commission (TPC).
Non-compliant building products under the microscope
THE BUILDING Ministers' Forum (BMF) has commissioned a review of building and construction safety issues in Australia, including the installation of non-compliant building products. Federal Assistant Industry Minister and BMF chairman Craig Laundy said the review would be run by former senior public servant and now academic Peter Shergold and building and construction lawyer Bronwyn Weir.
CDP a failure, Senate inquiry told
A NORTHERN Territory MLA has told the Senate Committee inquiry into the Community Development Program (CDP) in Alice Springs that people fined under the controversial program had been begging him for emergency help.
WA auditor-general gets remit over councils
THE WESTERN Australian Auditor-General has been given additional powers to audit local council finances and performance after the Local Government Auditing Bill 2017 was passed in State Parliament this week.
News in brief
THE CITY of Gosnells Council garnered the top award at the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia's 2017 International Public Works conference last week.
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Planning, Funding & Delivering Community Infrastructure
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Business Improvement in Local Government
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