President's column
The much-anticipated 2018/19 Federal Budget was handed down on Tuesday and focused on the big-ticket items of infrastructure investment and lowering taxation rates.
For our sector, this was a status quo budget with no new extra funding for local government.
We're grateful that key funding streams such as Financial Assistance Grants (FAGs), Roads to Recovery (R2R), the Bridges Renewal Program, Black Spot Program and the Building Better Regions Fund went untouched and will continue at current levels.
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Budget overview for local government
The Turnbull Government's 2018/19 Federal Budget has left local government funding untouched with funding in key programs such as Financial Assistance Grants (FAGs) and Roads to Recovery (R2R) to continue at current levels.
The Federal Budget also delivered a continuation of the Bridges Renewal Program, the Black Spot Program, the Building Better Regions Fund and Safer Communities Fund.
The Government additionally committed $29.7 million to deliver up to 500 local community sporting infrastructure grants of up to $500,000 to improve community sporting facilities.
5 minutes with...Warwick Powell, Founder and Director, Sister City Partners
Warwick Powell is the founder and director of Sister City Partners (SCP), an organisation that works with communities to rebuild regional economies via a not-for-profit regional investment banking model.
Passionate about the challenges and opportunities of Australia's regions, Warwick is also a director of a number of companies in Australia and Hong Kong involved in investment banking, big data analytics, renewable energy and agribusiness services.
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Happy Mother's Day to the 6 million mums across Australia
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Rise in road fatalities
The latest road safety benchmarking report from Australia's peak motoring group shows there was a 2.9 per cent increase in road fatalities in the 12 months to March 2018
New online course for interpreters
The Australian Government has launched a new online training course to improve access to qualified interpreters in regional, rural and remote communities.
$73.1 million package of measures for PFAS management
The PFAS Taskforce has announced that the Australian Government is continuing to support local communities affected by PFAS contamination with a new $73.1 million package of measures.
Support for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people with disability
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are 1.8 times more likely to have a disability but proportionately do not use disability support services as much as other Australians with disability
Be Connected digital literacy grants
Be Connected is a Federal Government-funded program that aims to help older Australians (50+) thrive in a digital world through a digital literacy program
Happy Mother's Day to the 6 million mums across Australia
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is commemorating Mother's Day this year by pulling some interesting numbers about mums in Australia.
Councils taking action on climate change
Local councils and communities are taking action on climate change in Australia according to a nationwide report released recently.
Rise in road fatalities
The latest road safety benchmarking report from Australia's peak motoring group shows there was a 2.9 per cent increase in road fatalities in the 12 months to March 2018
New online course for interpreters
The Australian Government has launched a new online training course to improve access to qualified interpreters in regional, rural and remote communities.
$73.1 million package of measures for PFAS management
The PFAS Taskforce has announced that the Australian Government is continuing to support local communities affected by PFAS contamination with a new $73.1 million package of measures.
Support for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people with disability
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are 1.8 times more likely to have a disability but proportionately do not use disability support services as much as other Australians with disability
Be Connected digital literacy grants
Be Connected is a Federal Government-funded program that aims to help older Australians (50+) thrive in a digital world through a digital literacy program
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The National Local Government Customer Service Network is the peak industry association for local government customer service professionals in Australia. This year's conference including awards dinner will be held at the Rydges South Bank, Brisbane from 17 to 19 October with the theme "Disconnect to Reconnect".
About the Conference
Key outcomes for members to take back to their Councils include:
- Learning through the case studies presented
- Understanding your social / engagement style
- Equipping your team and yourself to disconnect and think outside-of-the-box resulting in reconnection, renewed energy and innovation
Special Guests include:
- Olympian Steven Bradbury
- Local Government CEOs and GMs - Forum
Enter the Prestigious 2018 National Local Government Customer Service Awards
Categories include:
- National Customer Service Excellence
- Customer Service Team, Team Leader and Individual of the Year
- Innovation in Customer Service Delivery
- Customer Service Strategy
- Customer Experience Excellence
Submissions close on 3 August 2018.
Find out more > http://lgcustomerserviceawards.com.au
Optimising Building Performance in Local Government
National Conference | 31st July & 1st August 2018 | Sydney
Modernise your building assets through new technologies & maintenance practices.
The management and maintenance of buildings is an escalating challenge for councils due to limited budget, the increasing technical challenges of maintenance work and the development of new technologies that aid facility management.
The Optimising Building Performance in Local Government conference is designed to highlight best practice from across Australia and bring attendees examples of quantitative savings on maintenances practices and new technologies that they can embed in across the built council assets.
This conference will focus on
- How to extend the life of your assets through innovative facility & asset management practices
- How to implement new technologies to improve building performance
- How to renovate building to meet building compliance
Who will attend?
Senior stakeholders from Local Government with responsibility for:
- Building maintenance
- Facility management
- Building services
- Environmental corporate sustainability
- Built assets
ALGA members save $100, quote CC*ALGA when registering.
Download the conference program and see who is speaking
Local Government Regulation & Compliance Conference
24 - 25 July 2018, Sydney
The national conference will examine strategic approaches to regulatory compliance. Strategies will be evaluated and successes measured. The forum will provide a platform to discuss how the sector as a whole can strive for consistency. High-level strategic themes will be tackled so that lessons can be applied across all compliance divisions within local government.
Key learnings:
- Deliver regulatory strategy whilst meeting community expectations
- Overcome the challenges of regulating growing & diverse communities
- Evaluate strategic approaches & define measures of success
- Strive for standardised & consistent approaches to regulation
- Hear from international best practice examples towards local government regulation
- Implement a strategic problem-solving approach to regulatory challenges
Download the conference program and see who is speaking
ALGA members save $100, quote CC*ALGA when registering.
National General Assembly of Local Government
Australia's Future Make It Local
17-20 June 2018 Canberra
There is not much time left to book registrations to attend the largest, most influential local government conference in Australia which occurs just once a year.
The Australian Local Government Association's National General Assembly, held in Canberra, attracts representatives from all 537 councils across the states and territories.
The theme for the 2018 Conference is Australia's Future: Let's make it local. It reflects Local Government's ability - and potential - to influence the political agenda for the upcoming federal election.
Registration are still open with limited spots left for the popular networking dinners! Also, take the opportunity to register for the National Regional Forum to engage in the most up to date and contemporary issues facing Australia's regions. This forum addresses all regions, including metro.
To view the NGA Program please click here.