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Roads Congress to consider historic transport strategy

Road on the Nullabor

Next month's National Local Roads and Transport Congress will consider a strategic policy document that will, for the first time, combine local government's broad transport agenda into a single document. The strategy will cover five key areas; local road funding and management; urban transport solutions; mobility and access for regional Australians; freight management; and the long-term financial sustainability of local government. More than 400 delegates from councils across Australia are expected to attend the congress, to be held in Alice Springs on July 9-11. The strategy will assist ALGA to lobby for important transport commitments ahead of the 2007 federal election. The congress will also consider a range of other important issues, including Roads to Recovery project management, freight corridors, National Transport Commission programs and asset management. Delegates will hear from the Federal Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads, Jim Lloyd, and Shadow Transport Minister, Senator Kerry O'Brien. A keynote address will be given by well-known futurist and strategist, Dr Keith Suter.

Funding boost for age-friendly communities

Santo Santoro

The Minister for Ageing, Senator Santo Santoro, has announced initial funding of $250,000 to boost action to help develop age-friendly communities. The move has been welcomed by ALGA President, Cr Paul Bell. Senator Santoro announced the funding while launching a report on building age-friendly environments. The report makes a number of recommendations that arise from a program of seminars and workshops held over the past nine months to highlight the links between built environments and the health and wellbeing of older Australians. The inaugural event was addressed by ALGA Vice President and President of the Municipal Association of Victoria, Cr Geoff Lake, who detailed the challenges facing local government in its bid to plan for a "community of all ages". ALGA has also published a resource paper, Age-friendly built environments: Opportunities for local government. This contains fact sheets and case studies covering a range of age-friendly built environment issues relevant to local government. This publication is an initiative of the Australian Local Government Population Ageing Action Plan, which aims to build the capacity of local government to respond to ageing communities.

Costello's criteria for greatness: fix federalism

Peter Costello

Fixing federalism has been listed by the Federal Treasurer as one of the key criteria for future greatness. Addressing a dinner to mark the announcement of The Bulletin magazine's top 100 most influential Australians, Mr Costello said individuals who made their way onto the list in future would include "the person who can solve the problem bedevilling Australian political life in every area, the problem of federalism". He said federation was a great success in 1901 as "the coming together of colonies in a customs and economic union within an empire". "But the empire has faded and the nation now has consciousness of itself. We are no longer dealing with self-governing sovereign colonies. I believed that by giving the states a revenue base - a financial free kick - we would restore that sense of sovereignty. It was a failed hope. States are moving towards the role of service delivery more on the model of divisional offices than sovereign independent governments. Legally, constitutionally and practically we must fix the problem of federalism." ALGA has been pressing for a review of federalism to better recognise the increasingly important role local government plays within the Australian federation.
From the President

Peter Costello this week gave a hint - perhaps - of things to come when he addressed a gathering of eminent Australians at a Sydney restaurant, aptly named Machiavelli's. He was there to help launch the Bulletin magazine's list of the 100 most influential Australians (see story above). While his speech was light-hearted and entertaining, it does set out what he clearly sees as some defining issues for our nation. These were, in order, fixing federalism, solving our water problems, arresting the nation's fertility decline, developing an acceptable model for a republic, and finding a workable way of lifting Indigenous people form 'the margin to the mainstream'. There is much in here of interest to local government. In his desire to fix federalism, he will need to look not only at the changing roles of state governments, but the increasingly important place of local government within the Australian federation. He says state governments should be strong, sovereign entities, but were lapsing into mere 'divisional offices' for service delivery. If he genuinely wants stronger, more sovereign state government, surely he would want the same for local government. My guess, however, is that he is happy to see states become increasingly subservient to the national agenda and would also be happy to see state and local government - and the private sector for that matter - compete for the delivery of Commonwealth services. Whatever the agenda, change brings opportunity for local government. We need to be ready to press our case and carve out a stronger role for local government in a way that strengthens outcomes for our communities. These are issues we need to consider should the Prime Minister decide to pull stumps ahead of next year's federal election.

Cr Paul Bell AM
ALGA President

Vaile, Truss job swap?

There is increasing speculation that National Party Leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Mark Vaile, could swap his trade portfolio for transport. A report in The Australian this week suggested Mr Vaile's colleagues were encouraging him to change portfolios to allow him to concentrate on domestic issues in the run up to next year's federal election. It suggests Mr Vaile might do a straight swap with the Minister for Transport and Regional Services, Warren Truss. Mr Truss was appointed to the transport portfolio following the resignation of former Nationals leader, John Anderson, in July last year.

SMH backs councils on rates

Local government has found a new ally in the fight for fair funding - the Sydney Morning Herald. In an important editorial for local government across the country, the newspaper said that structural and management reforms could only go so far. "State and federal governments cannot avoid putting more money into local government - or taking over the whole lower tier of government - if years of neglect are to be overcome," it said yesterday. It also called for rate capping to be abandoned in NSW. "Let the councils answer to the ratepayers, not the minister. It's called democracy".

Water grants

The Australian Government has called for applications for the second round of grants to be made under the $200m Community Water Grants program. The program encourages better water use, and improvements in water health and quality through practical on-the-ground projects, such as reducing pollutants reaching our streams, and water recycling and efficiency initiatives. Grants worth up to $50,000 will be provided for water saving, recycling and treatment projects that demonstrate community involvement and a clear public benefit. Environment Minister Ian Campbell said round one of the program was an outstanding success, with $61m awarded to 1,750 water saving projects, many of them from local government. Application forms and guidelines are available online or by calling 1800 780 730. Applications open on July 1 and close on August 25.

NRM facilitators report

The work and future activities of the national network of local government natural resource management facilitators has been documented in a new report - Current achievements, future opportunities. The report details the network's achievements over the past three years and provides an outline of future work. The Australian Government has funded NRM facilitators in each state local government association and ALGA to increase the engagement of councils in regional NRM activities.

Quote of the week

"The rate peg may have looked like a good idea when it was introduced in 1976. Today it is a joke. It needs a serious re-think, if not abolition"
    - Sydney Morning Herald editorial June 29
Greenhouse abatement grants

Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell has announced a series of grants available for local projects to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Nearly $1.8m is available from the Low Emissions Technology and Abatement (LETA) measure to help local governments, businesses, or other groups adopt small scale low emission technologies. Under the Local Greenhouse Action program $280,000 will fund community abatement grants where three or more Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) councils will work together on projects with householders, local businesses, schools or other local groups to reduce greenhouse gases. A further $120,000 in funding will help local councils involved in CCP to meet formal program milestones. CCP Australia is the world's largest and most successful local government greenhouse program with a record breaking 216 local governments participants representing 82% of the Australian population. Further enquiries should be directed to Alex Fearnside alex.fearnside@deh.gov.au or phone 02 6274 1022.

Hobsons Bay podcast pioneers

Hobsons Bay City Council in Melbourne has begun podcasting a slick, weekly magazine-style program, Baychat. The 30 minute podcasts include council news, interviews with councillors and local identities and tips about what's happening in the community. Podcasts enable anyone with a computer to download files direct from website. They can be easily loaded to iPods or other digital music players. Hobsons Bay Mayor, Cr Carl Marsich, said the council had received very positive feedback about Baychat. "With hits to Baychat increasing each week, it's wonderful to see the community engaging with this revolutionary new communication medium," Cr Marsich said.

Local heroes

Nominations are now open for the 2006 Human Rights Medal or one of the seven 2006 Human Rights Awards. The awards recognise those who have made an outstanding contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights in Australia. They may have made an outstanding contribution within their communities or through the practice of law, through writing books about human rights issues or by working in the media. Entries must be submitted on an official entry form, available via the Commission's website www.humanrights.gov.au/hr_awards or by telephone 02 9284 9618 or email paffairs@humanrights.gov.au. Entries close on September 29.

Crime prevention grant winners

Eighteen projects - including 12 from local government - have received more than $2m in grants awarded under the security-related infrastructure component of the National Community Crime Prevention Program. The Australian Government has committed a total of $64m to the program, which provides funding in three streams: Community Partnership Stream with grants of up to $500,000; Community Safety Stream with grants up to $150,000; and the Indigenous Community Safety Stream with grants up to $150,000.

Rural health - abstracts call

Individuals interested in presenting papers to the 9th Rural and Remote Health Conference in Albury next March are invited to send abstracts to organisers by July 14. The conference is likely to attract considerable interest from local government, with major topics including preparation for and community response to natural disasters and regional and local success stories. Further information from the National Rural Health Alliance.

International news  
50 mayors face jail

More than 50 mayors in the Kurdish southeast of Turkey could be sent to jail over a letter that they sent to the Danish Prime Minister. A Turkish court accepted the state prosecutor's charge that the mayors had "knowingly and willingly" aided Kurdish rebels by calling on Danish PM Anders Fogh Rasmussen not to close Roj TV, a Kurdish channel based in Denmark. Turkey accuses Roj TV of being a mouthpiece of the banned Kurdish Workers' Party, which is seeking to create an ethnic homeland in Kurdish regions. If convicted, the mayors face up to ten years in jail. The case could even jeopardise Turkey's campaign to join the EU. In comments made at an EU summit in Brussels last week, Mr Rasmussen said that trying the mayors over the letter would contravene European values.

2006 National Local Roads and Transport Congress
State of the Regions report 2005-06