Friday March 17, 2006 » Australian Local Government Association » Subscribe  » Archive of past issues

ALGA appoints Beresford-Wylie as new Chief Executive

Man reading newspaper

A senior Commonwealth public servant with an exceptional knowledge of federal-local government relations - Mr Adrian Beresford-Wylie - has been appointed as the Chief Executive of the Australian Local Government Association. He takes up the post with Australia's peak local government organisation on May 1. Announcing the appointment today, ALGA President, Cr Paul Bell, said that Mr Beresford-Wylie would bring with him a wealth of experience, combining policy, administrative and economic skills. "We look forward to working with Adrian to build our existing partnerships with the Australian Government and to develop and progress our case for reform of federal-local government financial relations," Cr Bell said. Mr Beresford-Wylie is currently the General Manager of the Local Government and Natural Disaster Relief Branch in the Federal Department of Transport and Regional Services, a position he has held since September 2002. He will leave this position following the meeting of the Local Government and Planning Ministers Council on April 12. In 1998-99 Mr Beresford-Wylie was an adviser on maritime and land transport issues to the Hon John Anderson MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Regional Services. Prior to joining Mr Anderson's Office, Mr Beresford-Wylie was a senior officer with the Maritime Transport Division of the Department of Transport and Regional Services. Mr Beresford-Wylie has tertiary qualifications in law and economics from the Australian National University and the College of Law in Sydney. He began his public service career in 1984 as a Foreign Affairs Officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Facing up to the freight challenge

Two lorries head to head

The National Transport Commission has released a new report - Twice the Task - detailing proposed responses to projections that Australia's freight transport task is set to double between 2000 and 2020. The Commission says freight growth will impact on urban areas in particular, with one in four vehicles on city roads carrying freight. It also says that despite improved rail performance, road freight will continue to dominate. Bluntly, it suggests that there will either be more trucks on the road, or there will be fewer, but more productive trucks. ALGA President, Cr Paul Bell, said this week that while increased efficiency in freight transport provides national benefits, the community's concerns about local impacts of heavy freight must also be addressed. "Social and environmental costs must also be taken into account when measuring efficiency," he said. ALGA argues that, if freight vehicles are to be bigger and heavier, they need to be safer, quieter and produce less pollution. "The local road network must be protected and local government adequately resourced from user charges to cater for the increased freight traffic." ALGA is pressing its case with the Commission on these issues.

Dallying developers cause DA delays

Building plans

Despite complaints about council delays in approving development applications, many delays are caused by developers themselves, a Queensland survey has found. The survey was released this week by the Local Government Association of Queensland. All councils across the state were asked to provide details of development assessment applications received in March last year. Councils required further information for 20% of development applications. On average, developers took seven weeks to respond to calls for further information. In a number of instances, developers had taken as long as 10 months to provide the requested information. When the delay in receiving all requested information from developers was taken into account, the adjusted average time for determining all applications was just 5.2 weeks. Only a tiny fraction of applications - just 1.5% - had their council planning officer recommendation overturned by the council itself. LGAQ President Cr Paul Bell said the survey "knocks on the head" some of the myths about planning delays. "While councils are striving to improve their performance through, for example, the development of online application systems, much of the delay is developer-driven because of incomplete development applications in the first instance." About 70% of all applications were determined within three months, 44% within eight weeks and around 25% in under four weeks. There was little difference in processing time between councils across the state.
From the President

Earlier this year, the Sydney Morning Herald argued - rather bluntly - that states should be abolished and local government formed into a system of regional government. Nothing less was needed - it argued - to cure our creaking federal system of the woes that confront it. Now Queensland academic Dr AJ Brown is opening up the debate on regionalism and federalism with a major symposium in Sydney to be held in early May (see item below). I look forward to participating at this soul-searching seminar. I support a thorough examination of Australia's federal arrangements. Any fair examination can only come to one rightful conclusion. Local government must be strengthened - it must be properly funded - it must play its full and rightful role within the Australian federation as an equal partner with the other spheres of government. Importantly, we must deal with the issue of vertical fiscal imbalance, which sees the federal and state governments with the lion's share of the nation's taxes (97% of them), but a great reluctance to properly share the revenue in a way which allows local government to meet its service and infrastructure obligations. Most importantly, local government is the foundation stone of our democratic system of government. In considering regionalism, we must not create new regional governments. Instead, we must allow councils greater flexibility to collaborate and innovate to meet the needs of local and regional communities. We must ensure any changes are driven by the bottom-up. Good regional arrangements occur when they are built and driven by the community through local government. The Sydney Morning Herald editorial said that the states were not regions, "they do not represent single, coherent communities of interest or culture". The editorial did not go on to make the next logical point - local government already does form single, coherent communities of interest. As such, they should be strengthened - not weakened. I would be keen to hear your views president@alga.asn.au.

Cr Paul Bell AM
ALGA President

The Games: Lloyd meets Islanders

Local Government, Roads and Territories Minister Jim Lloyd this week joined City of Stonnington Mayor Anne O'Shea to welcome the Norfolk Island Commonwealth Games team to Melbourne. Stonnington has adopted the Norfolk Islanders for the duration of the Games and has planted a string of Norfolk Island Pines in their honour. Back at home, Norfolk Islanders are considering options for their future governance arrangements presented to them by Mr Lloyd earlier this year. Norfolk Islanders have a Legislative Assembly, complete with ministers, who govern the island and its 2,000 residents. Residents don't pay income tax. The governance options have been promoted by the island's precarious financial situation, with a recent report calling for its tax and welfare systems to be incorporated with the Australian system.

Community water grants

The Australian Government has announced successful applicants for the first round of the Community Water Grants program. Some 1,750 community groups will share in $61m of funding to undertake water saving projects. A large number of the successful applicants were local governments for projects involving community engagement, water recycling, conservation and water health. The second round of funding will be announced in coming months.

National Families Week

Each year, tens of thousands of people and hundreds of organisations celebrate National Families Week May 14 to 20 - Australia's annual celebration of the vital role of families. This year, Families Australia is inviting councils to become involved in Families Week. Families Week coincides with the United Nations International Day of Families on 15 May. Suggested activities and registration details can be found on the Families Australia website www.familiesaustralia.org.au. Families Australia is happy to answer your questions and talk to you about how you can celebrate Families Week. Contact them by phone on 02 6273 4885 or email familiesweek@familiesaustralia.org.au.

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Fifth World Technopolis Association General Assembly

Smart cities ensure smart futures

Brisbane, 26 - 28 July 2006

Visit Brisbane in 2006 for the Fifth World Technopolis Association (WTA) General Assembly - an important international conference to be hosted for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere, bringing together Cities and the Science and Technology community.

For more information visit www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/WTA.

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Growing Regions Conference

25-27 July 2006, Brisbane

Early Bird registration deadline: 24 March 2006

Hosted by the Australian Government Department of Transport and Regional Services

You are invited to attend the prestigious Growing Regions Conference, the premier international regional development conference for 2006. This will be the highest profile regional policy and research event held in Australia since the Regional Australia Summit in October 1999. Growing Regions will present a unique opportunity to discover how different regions are addressing current, common issues across the world. There will be a strong emphasis on innovative approaches and the lessons to be learnt from them, through interactive sessions encouraging audience participation.

Please visit the website for more program details, speaker biographies and online registration.

Seeking more information?
For a hard copy registration brochure, a sponsorship prospectus, or any other enquiries about the Growing Regions Conference please contact:

Email: growingregions@dotars.gov.au
Phone: +61 2 6274 7126 or +61 2 6274 7358
Fax: +61 2 6274 8116

State of the Regions report 2005-06
Bailey to consult on tourism investment

The Australian Government this week released an interim response to a report on a national tourism investment strategy, vowing to consult state and local government on relevant recommendations. Tourism Minister Fran Bailey has also established an inter-departmental committee to pursue recommendations that cut across federal government agencies, but has ruled out a raft of tax-related recommendations to stimulate investment in tourism. The development of a "consolidated government response" would be a priority in the coming months, the Minister said. Recommendations of relevance for local government included recognition of the development of strata title apartments, enforcement of backpacker accommodation regulations and development of best practice corridor planning guidelines to assist smaller councils with port development.

IGA set to be signed next month

The Local Government and Planning Ministers Council is scheduled to meet on April 12 in Canberra to formally consider and sign the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) on cost shifting. The document is to be signed by all state and territory local government minsters and ALGA President, Cr Paul Bell. An IGA was a key recommendation of the Fair Share report on cost shifting, tabled in Federal Parliament in November 2003. Cost shifting by state and federal governments has been estimated to have an impact on local government of between $500m and $1.1bn each year.

Is our federation broke?

ALGA President, Cr Paul Bell, will promote the concept of localism as a cure for the problems confronting the Australian federation when he addresses a symposium - Federalism and Regionalism in Australia - to be held in Parliament House in Sydney on 8 May. The seminar has been organised by Griffith University academic and regional governance specialist, Dr AJ Brown. The seminar will help shape a new research agenda into federalism and regionalism. Cr Bell welcomed the seminar, saying that strengthening local government was critical if the Australian federation was to better serve the people.

ALGA launches seniors case studies

ALGA this week launched its second series of Connecting with seniors case studies. The project showcases council initiatives that respond to the diversity of older Australians in the development or delivery of policies and programs. The case studies focus on geographical diverse seniors. This project is an initiative of ALGA's local government ageing action plan , which aims to build the capacity of local government to respond to ageing communities. To submit a case study, contact Alley Peck, Assistant Director, Health and Ageing Policy by email alley.peck@alga.asn.au or phone 02 6122 9421.

ALGA at affordable housing meeting

Work continues on practical strategies to address affordable housing issues at the national level. ALGA last week attended a meeting of a working party, established under the framework for national action on affordable housing, charged with taking the agenda forward. Part of the framework seeks to achieve three main outcomes. Firstly, to develop a national approach to defining and analysing housing need at geographic levels. Secondly, to develop a resource package to assist in demonstrating and facilitating the provision of affordable housing. And thirdly, to see how the provision of such housing can be better reflected in planning policy and regulations. The framework was endorsed by a joint meeting of housing, local government and planning ministerial councils in August last year. The Local Government and Planning Ministers Council will consider progress at its mid-year meeting.

E-government: New award up for grabs

The Australian Government has announced a new excellence in e-government award, with entries invited from all three spheres of government. To be known as the e-Award, the inaugural presentation ceremony will be held in conjunction with an e-Government Forum to be held in Sydney on May 10. The e-Award will recognise the most outstanding and successful project of a government agency in Australia in the delivery of e-government services. The award and forum are an initiative of the Australian Government Information Management Office. Nominations close on March 31.

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Conference

Third annual local government instrastructure conference

April 6-7 2006
Double Bay, Sydney

The third annual Building and Financing Local Government Infrastructure Conference will be held in Sydney between April 6-7 at the Stamford Plaza in Double Bay.

This popular event which attracts more than 150 senior managers and councillors annually will focus on assisting local government decision makers to bridge the infrastructure financing gap and will showcase leading examples of innovation and success in building and financing much needed infrastructure.

Experts from a wide range of disciplines will address the conference including Ross Greenwood, the Deputy Director General of the NSW Dept of Local Government; the Hon Anna Bligh, Deputy Premier of Queensland; Maha Sinnathamby, the Chairman of the Greater Springfield Land Corporation; John Davis from IDSM; and Doug Owens from Banyule City Council.

Case studies will include the City of Townsville's Cleveland Bay Treatment Plant PPP: the City of Charles Sturt's clever use of debt financing to overcome what would have been a high cost replacement of major parts of its road system; Wollongong Council's City Beach Redevelopment and Parramatta City's CBD Renewal Project.

For more information about the conference see www.halledit.com.au or telephone Denise McQueen on 03 8534 5000.

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International Local Government Asset Management Conference

Wednesday 26 - Thursday 27 April 2006

Hotel Sofitel, Melbourne

With billions of dollars worth of ageing infrastructure nearing the end of its useful life and a limited capacity to raise revenue, local government must adopt sound financial strategies, robust methodologies and best practice policies to manage asset obligations.

The 2006 International Local Government Asset Management Conference, hosted by the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) will explore how councils can make a difference by integrating a 'whole of organisation' asset management strategy that meets community service priorities.

International and local speakers will provide expert insight into global responses to asset management challenges and a range of case studies will demonstrate some of the leading strategies being adopted by councils across Australia.

This event should be attended by councillors, CEOs, and any local government personnel with a responsibility or interest in infrastructure, service, IT, finance and risk management.

The conference costs $495 (plus GST) for the first registration and $450 (plus GST) for subsequent attendees from the same council.

The conference program and registration details are available from www.mav.asn.au/asset2006