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Residents Say NO to recycled water but Yes to local democracy

Water down the sink

Residents of drought-stricken Toowoomba have convincingly rejected the notion of drinking their own waste water. In a referendum held last week that generated national discussion, some 62 per cent of residents opposed the treating of sewage for drinking water in the inland south-east Queensland city. A total of 60,231 people were eligible to vote in the referendum.

The outcome was a resounding victory for the 'no' campaign. Rosemary Morley, coordinator of a group calling itself Citizens Against Drinking Sewage, had insisted Toowoomba should not be a guinea pig for the rest of Australia in adopting the controversial plan.

Whilst the decision might have been a blow to the 'yes' campaigners, especially Toowoomba Mayor Di Thorley, it was a victory for local democracy and a lesson on how best to run a referendum on issues that are controversial and deal with matters that generate diverse opinions. On local ABC radio, the Mayor of Goulbourn Mulwaree, Paul Stephenson was philosophical on the outcome and believed that it was imperative that the community be well informed and fully engaged with the diversity of issues at stake.

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie is on record saying that regardless of the referendum outcome, other parched south-east Queensland communities would likely have to vote on the same issue in the future. The Premier has subsequently met with Toowoomba's Mayor and indicated that a water supply task force has up to six months to come up with options to tackle Toowoomba's water crisis.

It would appear than the issue of water, together with the rising costs of fuel and home ownership will continue to impact the decision making at all levels of government, not just the burghers of Toowoomba and Goulbourn.

Local Government and Planning Ministers meeting in Adelaide

Circus tent

ALGA President, Cr Paul Bell AM, will meet with local government and planning ministers in Adelaide today. The Local Government and Planning Ministers' Council (LGPMC), will consider and debate a variety of important matters that are of critical importance to local government. Key agenda items include the implementation program for the COAG sponsored National Reform Agenda, the ongoing implications of the Hawker Inquiry and the Inter-Governmental Agreement on Local Government and the need to comprehensively address local government financial sustainability concerns.

The President intends to brief the Council on ALGA's decision to commission Pricewaterhouse Coopers to undertake a comprehensive study into local government finances, including issues related to Local Government Financial Assistance Grants. The outcomes of this study due for completion by November of this year, will form the basis of a submission that will ultimately be forwarded to the next meeting of COAG.

Other items on the Ministerial Council agenda include the ongoing work related to the Framework for National Action on Affordable Housing, major airport master planning, communities affected by rapid population growth and the Future of Australia's Cities and Towns Policy. The NSW's Local Government Minister will also report back on the outcomes of the Local Government Ministers' Roundtable on Financial Sustainability held in May.

The LGPMC last met in April in Canberra at a special meeting to endorse the Inter-Governmental Agreement on Local Government.
From the President

As I reflect on this week’s column I am struck with the number of issues which touch directly or indirectly on local government and which underline the importance of local government to the economy and the community. The debate and vote on recycled water in Toowoomba highlights the role many councils play, both in delivering essential services and as a democratic sphere of government. The adequacy of our water supply is one of the most important issues facing Australia today and it is significant that the issue is being played out at the local government level.

The interest rate rise earlier this week and the consequent debate about rising fuel prices, inflation and the strength of the economy also reminds us of the critical role local government plays in economic growth. Local government employs more than 165,000 people across Australia and while the local government sector makes up only around 2.5% of GDP, individual local councils, especially in rural areas play a hugely important role in local economic development.

The government’s announcement on August 2 of more than $7.6m in funding to local governments, and local government associations, for projects aimed at improving communities’ emergency preparedness also underlines the critical role local government plays at times when a community faces an emergency. We saw this in Cyclone Larry and again in Beaconsfield where strong local leadership played a central role in helping those communities cope.

Local government remains at the heart of Australia and all of us who play a role in local government can be proud of the contribution we make.

Cr Paul Bell AM
ALGA President

Future NRM programs

ALGA joined the Australian and state/territory governments to discuss possible future NRM programs in Adelaide last week. The various Australian Government reviews and evaluations formed the basis of these discussions. Participants discussed the possible architecture of future programs, funding and governance arrangements, the importance of continuing to trial and roll-out tools such as market based instruments, stewardship arrangements, improving monitoring and evaluation arrangements, possible approaches to better involve the community, traditional owners and industry participants and enhancing local government involvement in programs. These issues will continue to be refined and a report will be taken to the NRM Standing Committee and Ministerial Council in October and November 2006.

Grants for emergency management

Attorney General Philip Ruddock has announced successful projects valued at $13.1 million under the 2006/07 Local Grants Scheme and National Emergency Volunteer Support Fund. The grants schemes are part of the "Working Together to Manage Emergencies" initiative which is in its third year. The projects range from under $1,000 for the purchase of tabards for use in an emergency operations centre to $360,000 for the development of the national Australian Disaster Information Network (AusDIN) web portal. Applications will be called in December 2006 for projects to be funded in the 2007/08 financial year.

Sustainable gardening

Sustainable Gardening Australia (SGA) is leading a project to environmentally certify garden centres in Victoria. With financial assistance from the Australian Government, this project is set to be expanded to South Australia and parts of Western Australia, before going national. Local government is a key player in the project, through the identification of key local environmental weed species and working with certified nurseries to promote the use of local indigenous plant species to the community. Sustainable Gardening Australia also works with local governments to meet environmental benchmarks and encourage community behavioural change, such as through community awareness of sustainable gardening practices. This can lead to, amongst other positive environmental outcomes, a reduction in council expenses to manage weed infestations. SGA have a range of free information sheets available online that can be used as a community resource and have developed customised Sustainable Gardening booklets for nine councils. For more information, call Mary Trigger, CEO Sustainable Gardening Australia on 0414 641 337 or mary@sgaonline.org.au

Bicycling Achievement Awards

The Cycling Promotion Fund has invited nominations for its Bicycling Achievement awards. One of the award categories - Local Government Award for initiatives to encourage cycling - encourages local government to invest some of their Roads to Recovery funding on cycling infrastructure. (Nominations close on 27 August 2006) Presentation of the Awards will be held in Melbourne at the Victorian Arts Centre on 14 October 2006 at the Bicycling Australia Show Dinner. More information and nomination forms can be obtained from Rosemarie Speidal at the CPF 03 9818 5400.

Quote of the week

I have to wonder why people think that when they can't manage local personnel within easy strangling and shooting distance, then they can manage personnel thousands of miles away that have different languages, cultures, and business rules.
    - Joe Celko Professor and vice-president of RDBMS at Northface University in Salt Lake City

State of the Regions report 2005-06
Census time again

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) will conduct the next national Census of Population and Housing on Tuesday 8 August 2006. Census collectors are in the final stages of dropping off a census form at every household in Australia and will return to pick up a completed census form between 9 and 28 August 2006. This year, people will have the option of completing the census form online. The census is the keystone for local government planning. An accurate count in the census is vital for local government to continue to both serve its communities and demonstrate to State and the Commonwealth the need for a fairer share of resources . If you have any enquiries about the census, log on to www.abs.gov.au/census. So don't forget to fill in your census form. Your community is counting on you!

Growing Regions International

ALGA Board member Cr Ann Bennison addressed a major international regional development conference held in Brisbane last week. Cr Bennison's paper - Population change and its impact on local economic development - highlighted the significant roles played by local government in fostering sustainable outcomes for their communities when faced with major demographic change. Cr Bennison's presentation moved beyond the narrow definition of 'local economic development' and included a discussion of the social, environmental, economic and governance dimensions relating to population change and its impact on society.

Sponsored by the Department of Transport and Regional Services, Growing Regions International Conference heard from many distinguished speakers including Slawomir Tokarski (a member of the Cabinet for Regional Policy, European Union), Odile Sallard (from the Public Governance and Territorial Development Directorate of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development), Mark Drabenstott (Vice-President and Director of the Centre for the Study of Rural America at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City), Maria Helena Henriques Meuller (Head of the Section for Youth in the United Nations Bureau of Strategic Planning), and Edward Bergman (Director of the Institute for Regional Development and Environment at Vienna University of Economics and Business).

National Housing Affordability Forum

A forum on affordable housing was held at Old Parliament House, Canberra on the 24 and 25 July. Attended by 60 invited participants from across Australia, the National Housing Affordability Forum heard presentations and discussed issues raised from a range of government, private and non-profit specialists. The aim of the Forum was to generate options that may be subsequently included in a National Affordable Housing Agreement that could provide a national framework for maximising effective investment in the provision of affordable housing across Australia. The Forum was chaired by Professor Julian Disney and was coordinated through the active support of the Australian Council of Social Service, ACTU, Housing Industry Association and the National Housing Alliance.

Australia's capital cities are among the least affordable places to live, according to a recent international housing affordability survey undertaken by Demographia. The survey ranked the affordability of around 100 cities in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States, Britain and the Republic of Ireland. While it concluded that the most severely unaffordable housing could be found in cities in the United States, it argued that Australia had "the most pervasive housing affordability crisis". Sydney, Hobart and Adelaide were ranked the most unaffordable housing markets. Sydney ranked number 7 while Hobart ranked number 15 and Adelaide number 18.

International news  
Rocking the boat

The gondoliers of Venice will no longer be able to sing 'o sole mio' and have been told to strip their boats of "kitsch and glitz" under plans backed by the city council. The council and the Venetian Gondoliers' Association have issued guidelines to remove plush multicoloured cushions, garish rugs, phosphorescent paint, fairy lights and other "tacky and tasteless" decoration and ornamentation. The aim is to restore the gondolas to their original elegantly austere and predominantly black 16th-century look.
- Agenzia Ansa (Ansa news agency)