From the President
To the casual observer, last Friday's meeting of local government ministers and ALGA may have appeared little more than a gabfest on council sustainability. In reality, it marks a significant development in our long march to secure fair funding. For the first time, local government ministers were focusing on the financial plight of councils in a rational way. While not all ministers were able to attend the meeting, the outcomes - described above - will feed into the full meeting of the Local Government and Planning Minsters Council in Adelaide in August. Most importantly, the roundtable highlighted the inadequacy of the base upon which federal financial assistance grants are built. In the absence of the federal minister, Jim Lloyd, you could argue that talk of financial assistance grants and their adequacy was entirely academic, not to mention an easy option for state governments, whose own track record on local government financial assistance isn't too flash. Nevertheless, recognition of the difficulties facing local government is highly significant. We must now ensure that we move forward in a cooperative way, working together to address the issues in a fair and logical fashion. We must bring the state and Commonwealth ministers with us. We can't afford to alienate anyone. At the end of the day, decisions on federal funding for local government will be made by the federal government under its own steam. Nonetheless, sensible examination of the issues by LGPMC will ensure the issue remains a high priority as we move towards the next federal election. Useful work can be done by the ministerial council that will strengthen the case for change. This work, and the results of the PricewaterhouseCoopers study on local government financing commissioned recently by ALGA, will require positive policy responses from both the Coalition and Labor as the election draws near. Things are, I believe, moving in the right direction.
Cr Paul Bell AM
ALGA President
Councils mark Reconciliation Week
Local government across Australia marked the National Day of Healing (May 26) and National Reconciliation Week (May 27-June 3) in a variety of ways. In the City of Port Phillip in Melbourne, 200 people turned out to watch a performance of Funny Bones, a play developed and performed by two Aboriginal elders, Maria Starcevic and Judy "Jacko" Jackson, and Maori woman Mabel Enoka. Other councils hosted traditional smoking ceremonies, flag raising events, dancing and other cultural activities to allow Australians to focus on reconciliation and hear about the culture and history of Australia's Indigenous people. May 27 marks the anniversary of the 1967 referendum removing discriminatory clauses from the Constitution while June 3 marks the anniversary of the Mabo judgement. ALGA President, Cr Paul Bell, said the cause of reconciliation was as important as ever. "The Bridge Walks were an enormous indication that Australians want to work together to address Indigenous disadvantage. But the reality is that we still have a very long way to go. Councils have made a commitment to build relationships to achieve better outcomes for Indigenous people - we're in it for the long-haul."
Vic councils satisfy more
Satisfaction with Victorian councils has risen according to an annual independent community satisfaction survey published by the Victorian Government. Communities surveyed across the state rated the performance of their council 1% higher than last year's average. The survey sampled 27,000 people in 77 Victorian council areas. Some 79% of respondents rated their council excellent, good or adequate, up 1% from last year; 82% in metropolitan areas rated their council excellent, good or adequate, down 2%; and 77% of respondents in regional and rural councils rated their council excellent, good or adequate, up 1%. The report does not compare the performance of individual councils.
ALGA in infrastructure talks
ALGA President Paul Bell engaged in a wide ranging discussion in Sydney on Monday with a national ALP committee conducting an inquiry into the provision and financing of Australian infrastructure. The committee, which called for public submissions, is looking to make recommendations to form the basis of future ALP policy on key aspects of infrastructure funding and regulation. Cr Bell outlined the core issues facing local government in the provision of infrastructure, which formed the basis of a submission made to the committee by ALGA earlier this year. Cr Bell stressed the increasing pressures that have been placed on local government to fund an ever widening range of infrastructure and services, including in the area of human services. He further indicated local government's strategic goals of fair funding with other spheres of government so that the infrastructure needs of local communities can be adequately met. Other methods of funding infrastructure, such as the possible wider use of PPPs, were also canvassed.
Quote of the week
"It's little wonder rural and remote communities are doing it so tough when their share of national tax revenue has dropped by about two-thirds since 1980."
- NSW Local Government Minister Kerry Hickey following last Friday's roundtable on council sustainability.
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Sustainable Melbourne 2030
June 14-15 2006 - Melbourne
The Sustainable Melbourne 2030 and Beyond Conference will review in detail the progress towards achieving the Melbourne 2030 goals of building a liveable, balanced society which harmonises the city's economic, cultural and environmental goals.
The two-day conference on June 14-15 at Zinc at Federation Square will examine the achievements to date of the Melbourne 2030 plan with a number of case studies from councils that have implemented projects building on the 2030 framework.
Planning Minister, Rob Hulls, will deliver the keynote speech and there will be important contributions from Shelley Penn, Associate Victorian Government Architect; Jim Betts, the Director of Public Transport, and Mike Scrafton, the General Manager, Growth Areas Authority Establishment Taskforce.
Senior managers from a number of councils including Greensborough, Frankston, the City of Port Phillip and Moreland will outline their planning initiatives in response to Melbourne 2030, and there will also be important contributions from senior planning consultants which will help to illuminate the challenges and the opportunities within the 2030 framework. In particular, the role of the Growth Areas Authority will be outlined and explained.
This Conference provides a unique opportunity for public and private sector decision-makers involved in, or affected by, the Melbourne urban plan to be brought up to date with the key issues. More than 200 people are expected to attend this event and there will be ample opportunities for vigorous feedback sessions and networking. For more details, including the full conference document and registration details, please go to www.halledit.com.au or email denise.mcqueen@halledit.com.au or telephone 03 8534 5000.
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Regional partnerships "stockpiled"
Senate estimates committee hearings had revealed a major underspend on regional programs, the Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Simon Crean, said last week. To date, $28m (30% of allocated funds) had been underspent in the Regional Partnerships program in 2005-06. Mr Crean said the Government was "stockpiling funds for the next election". He said 70% of money to be re-allocated over the next four years would be targeted for 2007 - election year. "Labor will be writing to all area consultative committees to inform them of the outcomes of Senate Estimates and will urge them to not waste the opportunity of the Regional Partnerships program to deliver useful projects," he said.
Goulburn first with recycled water?
Residents of the NSW town of Goulburn may be the first in Australia to drink recycled water. The Goulburn Mulwaree Council was this week given a $50,000 federal grant from the Australian Water Fund to assist with its water options. After six consecutive years of poor rainfall, Goulburn (pop 22,000) is considering the construction of a system to recycle water for human consumption. Total dam capacity is now 29%, but the amount available is just 17%. The council is considering a system whereby treated waste water would be transferred by a pipe into a wetland above the main dam's catchment. The initial $50,000 will go towards a community consultation process. If the public backs the concept, then the Commonwealth could contribute up to $11m, with the NSW Government and the council providing matching funds.
International news
UK councils act on reputation
More than a third of all British councils have signed on to a campaign by the Local Government Association to enhance the sector's reputation. The campaign was launched in July last year and councils are signing up at the rate of one a day. Councils agree to undertake 12 actions to enhance their reputation at the local level, including adopting a highly visible, strongly branded council cleaning operation, deal with 'grot spots' and ensure the council brand is consistently linked to services. The LGA acknowledges the poor press local government received at the hands of the UK media and noted research which revealed only 1% of Britons spoke well of local government without prompting. This was in spite of the fact 4% of the population – some 2m people – actually work in local government.
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Teamcare Insurance Brokers
Asbestos insurance - Leading rates for local councils
Local governments in Australia have been calling for a sensible approach to asbestos issues for some time. Teamcare Insurance Brokers have established a facility with Lloyds of London specifically for the asbestos and environmental related risks of councils. Environmental Health Officers activities and advice can be covered at what we believe are the most competitive rates in the Australian market. Coverage is available for both Public Liability and Professional Indemnity Insurance. Please contact our office for an obligation free quote or renewal comparison.
Please email Andrew Ferns for further information, or call 02 4296 7999.
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Bank@Post and Postbillpay
now at a post office near you
Bank@Post is the new name for Australia Post's agency banking service, which offers services such as withdrawals, cash and cheque deposits and checking of account balances for over 70 financial institutions.* Today Bank@Post is available at over 3,100 outlets across Australia. By the end of 2006 this number will grow to 3,300, with most of the newly enabled outlets in regional and remote areas gaining agency banking services.
Postbillpay services are also available in these outlets, enabling ratepayers to pay almost all their regular household bills in one location. Postbillpay customers can also pay bills by phone or over the Internet. "The extension of Postbillpay and on-line Bank@Post services demonstrate Australia Post's ongoing commitment to supporting local government, local community and small business" says Terry Stephens, from Australia Post.
Australia Post's retail network is one of the nation's largest, with over 4,000 outlets. Small businesses operating as licensed post offices (LPOs) are a vital part of this network. Many licensed post offices are operated by families who are ratepayers in the community. Just over half of all LPOs are located with other businesses such as newsagents, general stores and chemists and often provide local employment opportunities. In remote areas they are often the sole provider of over-the-counter banking transactions.
* Limits apply on withdrawals. Checking account balances can only be done with some financial institutions.
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Public Relations Seminars
- Sydney June 7
- Melbourne June 9
- Canberra July 24>
- Brisbane July 26
- Adelaide August 15
- Perth August 18
Next Wednesday morning PR practitioners from NSW will be meeting at the prestigious Walkley Foundation for Journalism's annual Public Impact seminar. The NRL's John Brady will lead the seminar room through his approach to issues and crisis management. David Jones' Helen Karlis will share with seminar delegates how she has managed to voice a strong public message true to the David Jones brand thanks to a strong and open relationship with her marketing department. Helen has been one of the driving forces that have won David Jones a firm positioning in the market, despite the heat of the Myer/David Jones retail war. Further information from the Walkely Foundation.
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