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Local Government Roads and Transport Strategy launched

Jim Lloyd and Paul Bell shaking hands

A five-part plan calling on the Australian Government to work with councils to deal with the transport challenges facing communities over the next ten years was unveiled yesterday by the President of the Australian Local Government Association, Cr Paul Bell, AM.

"Local government is a key player in transport and will continue to play a major role for the next ten years and beyond," Cr Bell said at the launch of the Local Government Road and Transport Strategy at the National General Assembly of Local Government.

In his speech, Cr Bell reminded the Australian Government of the importance of local roads and other local government owned transport infrastructure in Australia's transport system.

"Nearly every freight journey begins and ends on a local road irrespective of whether it travels by truck, rail, air or sea," he said.

"Some of the challenges we need to address are pollution and traffic congestion in our cities, the increase in freight movement, public transport, ageing communities and land use planning. The level of freight is expected to more than double by 2020."

"Local government is responsible for some 650,000km, or nearly 80% of all Australian roads significant public transport infrastructure and more than 200 airports," he said. "The National Transport Commission has estimated that some 18% of kilometres travel by vehicles over 4.5 tonnes and 28% of commercial kilometres travelled is on local roads."

The strategy was developed by local government at its Local Roads and Transport Congress in Launceston in 2005 and refined in Alice Springs in July. It focuses on:

  • local road funding and management
  • urban transport
  • mobility and access for regional Australians
  • freight management
  • long-term financial sustainability of local government

"Local government needs permanent funding arrangements to have certainty of funding to ensure a well-managed and sustainable local road system that provides appropriate access and levels of service for all communities," Cr Bell said.

"We have proved that we can deliver value for money when funding is provided to meet the needs of local communities and economies."

Cr Bell praised the Federal Government's Roads to Recovery and AusLink Strategic Regional Program which has delivered almost $3b for roads and the Council of Australian Governments transport reform agenda.

Minister urges councils to comply with Roads to Recovery requirements

Mark Vaile at the podium

In a speech to the ALGA Regional Cooperation and Development Forum on Monday, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Regional Services, Mark Vaile, restated the Government's commitment to regional Australia and partnerships with local government.

He said that for ten years, the Australian Government had been developing policies and programs to strengthen regional Australia and improve the lives of those people living in our regions.

The Australian Government had invested heavily in the things that were important to regional Australians, such as schools, roads, health care facilities and telecommunications.

He said the cornerstones of the Australian Government's relationship with local government - were the $2 billion worth of financial assistance grants and Roads to Recovery grants provided to councils.

"The Australian Government is strongly committed to assisting councils fulfil their responsibilities to improve the economic and social wellbeing of their communities, whether they are in urban, rural, regional or remote parts of Australia," he said.

"Financial Assistance Grants, which total more than $1.6 billion this financial year, are untied, which means councils can spend the money on projects that are important to them. They often make up more than half the revenue of some small and remote councils. For these councils, these grants are a lifeline."

"As most of you know, the Australian National Audit Office has reviewed the former Roads to Recovery Programme and its report was tabled in March this year. The audit focused on my Department's administration of the program, but it also involved an audit of 93 councils across the country.

"The programme came through the audit reasonably well. Local councils are using the programme to boost their road networks, but the report also implied that some councils have been cost shifting.

"If that's the case, they are working against themselves. If councils want the programme to continue, the one thing that will undermine that objective is clear evidence that they have been cost shifting. Most of the other issues were at the margin.

"In view of this, we have asked councils to provide information on their own sources of road funding as part of their normal annual reporting. From this, we will be able to gain a much better idea of the use of funds by councils for roads and have much more definitive information as to whether cost shifting is in fact occurring.

"The current Roads to Recovery program has now been operating for over a year and I urge all councils to ensure that they are meeting the requirements of the program.

The Australian National Audit Office would like to look at the program again in a few years and their findings will need to have been addressed."

Labor's plan to streamline development approvals

Kim Carr at the podium

The Shadow Minister for Housing, Urban Development, Local Government and Territories, Senator Kim Carr, says the Labor Party is committed to strengthening the cooperative relationship between the local and federal spheres.

In a speech at the National General Assembly this week, Senator Carr said that in the twelve months since he last had the opportunity to address the General Assembly, the political climate affecting local government in Australia had changed.

You could argue that it has changed for the better, with Parliamentary recognition of local government's critical role in the governance of this country," he said. "… In some ways, though, the pressures facing local government continue to grow.

"The things that affect the nation as a whole - the things that affect our citizens - also affect local governments. Things like housing affordability. As the State of the Regions report makes clear, Australia is facing the most severe problems with housing affordability in living memory."

"… Things like drought. Especially in regional and rural Australia local governments play a key role in helping their communities cope with the challenge of drought. In these areas, local governments provide both services to help families get by and leadership on water management.

"… Things like infrastructure shortfalls. Labor understands that different local governments face different challenges in relation to infrastructure. Rapidly growing sea change, tree change and outer urban councils - not to mention mining boom towns - face demands for new infrastructure, as well as new services requiring new facilities. In other areas, both urban and regional, infrastructure is reaching its use-by date or is in need of costly repairs and maintenance.

"And like the rest of us, all councils face the challenge of climate change. Addressing the causes and impacts of global warming is something for which every sphere of government has responsibility."

Senator Carr said Labor was committed to working with local government on initiatives such as improving the energy and water efficiency of Australian homes in ways that don't undermine affordability; and examining traffic and parking advantages for alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles to encourage take-up - as part of Labor's Aussie Fuels blueprint.

Senator Carr said that Labor was working to directly address the problems faced by new home developers and local governments. He said Labor planned to support the streamlining of processes with a policy for a nationally consistent system for approvals. The scheme aimed to cut red tape and speed up approvals. He said a Labor government would extend the Electronic Data Exchange Standard developed under the auspices of the DAF across the country to help streamline applications and building approvals and cut the cost of housing. Labor would work with State and local governments to ensure adequate funding and will draw on the Regulation Reduction Incentive Fund for a Commonwealth contribution.

From the President

Congratulations on a very successful 13th National General Assembly of Local Government.

We have had the opportunity to showcase our achievements, to discuss the important issues facing our nation such as the state of our regions, climate change, local government funding and of course, fair treatment.

One of our key goals this year will be to secure funding for the growing demands facing our other council infrastructure. Local government maintains assets worth more than $170b. Of this, $115b comprises built infrastructure plant and equipment. Roads, bridges and related assets are the largest single component, worth around $80b, with the remainder mostly comprising buildings, parks etc.

Much of the non-roads infrastructure dates from the post-war period and was built in the 1950s and 1960s with the help of state and federal funds. These assets, which include community facilities, swimming pools, bike paths, ovals, parks and sporting grounds, are in desperate need of replacement and repair to meet community needs and expectations.

The PricewaterhouseCoopers report to be launched next week, and this report together with the State of the Regions report launched on Monday, will underpin our case for fair treatment. It is not fair that local government does not receive a share of growth revenue, as the states have with the GST, and we will be working hard in the lead-up to the 2007 election campaign to fight for a better and a fairer system.

This is where I need your help. Over the Christmas/January period, I would like you all to identify infrastructure projects that need upgrading or renewal or where new infrastructure is needed - such as a library, oval, swimming pool, bike track - and talk about these issues with your local MPs and the media. This will produce a national picture of local examples to illustrate the reality of ageing community infrastructure and raise public awareness. There is a problem and it needs to be fixed and ALGA will be working hard to lobby all parties on this critical issue that impacts on the health and well-being of our communities and local economies.

United, local government is a force to be reckoned with and this is our greatest priority over the next 12 months - to make further progress on the three F's - fair funding, fair treatment, formal recognition - and a 4th F - failing and deteriorating infrastructure. We have captured the ears of the Government and the Opposition - the challenge is to maintain their attention.

I call on all of you to assist me in this task. Thank you and I appreciate all you have done to make this National General Assembly one of the most memorable ever.

Cr Paul Bell AM
ALGA President

Women urged to take up leadership

The second Australian Local Government Women's Association national breakfast was held on Wednesday at the National General Assembly. Guest speaker Senator Judith Troeth highlighted the issues identified in the Inquiry into Women's representation on rural and regional boards and bodies of influence. She encouraged women to come forward to participate on boards and in community leadership positions. Kaele Way, national president of the Australian Local Government Women's Association spoke on the organisation's activities across Australia and gave an overview of the Review of the National Framework for Women in Local Government.

Resolutions passed at the National General Assembly

The 3F's' theme - Fair Funding, Fair Treatment and Formal Recognition - was the flavour behind the majority of the 46 motions debated at the National General Assembly of Local Government. Resolutions passed include one from the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) calling for a fair share of Commonwealth taxation revenue of at least one per cent. Melton Shire Council in Victoria also supported the Fair Treatment agenda with a call to action and 'an escalation of the campaign to achieve fairer funding for local government, in anticipation of the contents of the PricewaterhouseCoopers report.' The City of Norwood Payneham and St Peters in South Australia sought an investigation into transferring Australian expertise in reducing greenhouse emissions to local and provincial governments in China and India. All resolutions are listed on the ALGA website.

National Awards for Local Government

The Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads, Jim Lloyd, congratulated the seven winners of the Australian Government's National Awards for Local Government.

Mr Lloyd presented the awards at the 20th Anniversary Awards presentation dinner, held at Old Parliament House, Canberra, in conjunction with the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) National General Assembly.

"For 20 years the National Awards have been highlighting the excellent and innovative work being undertaken by local government in communities across Australia.

"The Awards have been recognising ingenuity, resourcefulness and self-reliance, and identifying and promoting councils who are finding new ways of delivering services and developing local solutions to complex and challenging problems ", Mr Lloyd said.

"This year's award winners have demonstrated strong commitment to their local communities - with Councils showing innovation in the face of crises caused by drought, breakdown of community values and isolation.

"The extraordinary efforts of these Councils and the positive effects on the social and economic health of local communities stand as superb models that can guide other Councils right across the country.

"The National Awards for Local Government are the only truly national local government awards programme, rewarding the resourcefulness, commitment and extraordinary talent and vision in the local government sector", Mr Lloyd concluded.

In 2006, 215 entries for the awards were received from local governments nationally. National Awards were presented to:

  • City of Playford, South Australia - National Award for Outstanding Achievement. The 'Marni Waeindi' project facilitates the provision of learning and training for Indigenous young people by a range of agencies - a lifelong learning strategy integrating health, justice, education, training, employment, housing and culture.
  • Goulburn Mulwaree Council, New South Wales - National Award for Excellence. The Council's positive approach and strong leadership in addressing the drought crisis with a mixture of water restrictions, whole-of-community engagement, education and incentives has had significant benefits for all sectors of the community,
  • District Council of Yorke Peninsula, South Australia - National Award for Excellence (presented to a council with fewer than 15,000 ratepayers). The project, introducing broadbanding to the Yorke Peninsula, produced benefits spread across the community. By increasing the efficiency of communications there were economic savings for individuals, businesses, for Council and more effective community services and operations.
  • Campaspe Shire Council, Victoria - National Award for Innovation. For over three years, the Council has encouraged and resourced a highly effective Community Development Program. Engaging the community has been the first step in the process of empowering locals to steer their own district or township's future.
  • Sarina Shire Council, Queensland - National Award for Innovation (presented to a council with fewer than 15,000 ratepayers). The Council's innovative approach of helping the young people conduct a pictorial audit of their community had far reach results. The project actively engaged young people in the process of learning important life skills: how to achieve small but important improvements within their community through dialogue and cooperation.
  • Swan Hill Rural City Council, Victoria - National Award for Merit. The Council took the lead in establishing the Swan Hill Healthy Minds Network. The community development approach has brought all age groups in the community together to address the issue of mental health, improved collaboration between services, and helped men focus on issues that traditionally they have avoided.
  • Carpentaria Shire Council, Queensland - National Award for Merit. The Council saw the problem: their young people were caught in a cycle of socially unacceptable behaviour and lacked empowerment and skills to break out. The Council forged partnerships with local Indigenous groups, the police, cattle station owners and the local mining company and developed a training program that appealed to their young people. Over 100 attended the program during the summer.
State of the Regions report 2006-07
Ageing toolbox
Ageing Toolbox launched

The launch of the "Local Government Ageing Toolbox: A Guide to Action" at the Australian Local Government National Assembly delivers another significant outcome in the implementation of ALGA's Local Government Population Ageing Action Plan 2004-2008.

This toolbox is an initiative which aims to build the capacity of local government, and is a practical aid for local government to develop a strategic response to population ageing.

The toolbox provides a step by step guide through the planning process from scoping a plan and engaging the community and other stakeholders, through to completing the plan and monitoring its implementation.

It is also aimed at providing a coordinated "whole-of-council" approach to planning for an ageing community in recognition of the wide ranging impacts that ageing populations will continue to have on our communities.

The toolkit was also recognised by the Australian Government's Minister for Ageing, Senator Santo Santoro, in his speech to the Assembly, as a very positive step in ensuring local government continues to respond to ageing in a positive manner.

The toolbox has been developed in consultation with councils and state local government associations across Australia, and can be adapted for use in a range of situations.

"It is a very comprehensive online resource that will be reviewed and updated over time to ensure that it remains an effective tool for local government, and continues to respond to emerging best practice," ALGA President Cr Paul Bell said.

The toolbox can be accessed online at www.alga.asn.au/toolbox

Local government focuses on ageing

The Minister for Ageing, Senator Santo Santoro, presented the demographic realities in relation to ageing, and the implications for local government, as part of his speech at the General Assembly this week.

"The proportion of older Australians is increasing, the number of younger ones is falling and people are living longer," he said. "The ramifications of these simple facts are wide ranging.

"In just 20 years time, more than one-third of our population will be older than 55. Within 50 years the number of people aged over 65 is expected almost to triple, and that age group will account for a quarter of the population. Think about it….one in every four Australians older than 65.

Well, nowadays neither 55 nor 65 counts as old. So how about people older than 70? This age group currently accounts for only 9% of our population. But in just 30 years' time, the over-70s will account for 18% of our population. There will be 4.7 million of them - in fact I should say 4.7 million of us, because many people in this room, myself included, will be part of that number!

"Looking further ahead, by 2050 the over-85s - currently only 1.5% of our population - will probably make up at least 6% of the population. When our retirement age was set, back in 1909, the average male lifespan was probably about 58. Now average life expectancy is over 78 years for men and 83 years for women - one of the highest in the world.

"At the other end of the spectrum, though, in 1962 more than 30 per cent of the population was younger than 15 years old. Today that figure is around 20 per cent, and by 2042 it is projected to fall to under 15 per cent.

"The shift from a young population to an older one will affect our economy, our health priorities, urban planning, housing, the nature of our recreation…the list goes on. It will change the kind of society that Australia is. This has started already.

"Some parts of the country are experiencing an influx of retirees on top of their own natural population ageing. Such regions will experience a growing demand for age-related services such as suitable community transport, social activity support services, meals programs, in-home support, respite care options and allied health services.

"But preparing for an ageing Australia isn't just a matter of building more aged care homes and providing more services - vital though these are.

"In the future, local government will face growing pressures about the suitability of infrastructure for older people, or about modifying residential accommodation to minimise the risk of slips and falls; it will face growing demand for appropriate retirement villages; demand for crime prevention measures to address community concerns; and an increased need for planning policies to deal with a growing population of older people living in a range of settings."

Senator Santoro praised the tripartite agreement that was signed recently in Tasmania and urged other states to broker similar deals with local government and the Commonwealth.

He invited ALGA President Councillor Paul Bell to help develop a strategy to bring all other states on board in terms of signing similar tripartite agreements. "For my part, I will write to all state Premiers and ask for their involvement. The benefits of working more closely with their state and federal counterparts will be clearly obvious to all local authorities."

Relationship with local government highly valued: Lloyd

The Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads, Jim Lloyd, said that the Australian Government saw the role of local government as a key partner in reaching the community and interacting with communities in rural, regional and remote parts of Australia that might otherwise feel isolated.

"Local Government is also an effective way to deliver services on the ground quickly," he said. "As you know, we provide more than $2 billion to local government each year…that's an increase of more than 70 per cent increase in local government funding since the Howard Government came to office in 1996."

He said that local government was also eligible for funding from a wide range of other Australian Government programs, such as the Australian Government Water Fund. "I encourage you as councils to look very carefully at what other grants are available from the Australian Government, particularly in relation to water," he said. "I know in my own area and all around Australian when I travel, water is the number one issue. So I would encourage you all to look at some of those community water grants and what's available to assist you in ensuring that you have a strong and viable water supply into the future."

He said that local government operated at the very highest levels of decision-making, "ALGA is well represented on Ministerial councils including COAG and the Local Government and Planning Ministers' Council." Mr Lloyd underlined the importance of the IGA on cost-shifting. "In April, on behalf of the Australian Government, I signed, with the States and Territories and the Australian Local Government Association, an Intergovernmental Agreement that sets up a framework to protect local government from cost shifting. I must admit I was disappointed in the lack of publicity that received because it is a very important achievement and we need to highlight that as much as we can. The substantial funding provided by the Australian Government to local government, the Parliamentary Resolution and the Intergovernmental Agreement are a clear indication of the great importance that the Australian Government places on supporting local government."

He urged local government to remember that it must also keep up the pressure on state governments. "And there is an increasing tendency as I travel around Australia, councillors say to me, 'yes, I know that this is a state responsibility, but they're not doing it, so the Australian Government must.' Well there is a limit to what we can do and whilst you should keep the pressure on the Australian Government, please do that, but do not forget the responsibilities that states and territories have to step up to the mark and assist you as well. Please, keep the pressure on States and Territories as much as you do on the Australian Government."

State of the Regions 2006-07 - Crean calls for rapid broadband roll-out

Australia's wealthy and well-connected regions have continued to build their advantage over less-affluent and less-connected regions widening the gap between rich and poor regions, according to the 2006 ALGA National Economics State of the Regions report.

The survey of Australia's 64 regions is commissioned annually by the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) from National Economics. This is the 9th survey undertaken by National Economics.

The 2006 survey is set against a backdrop of accelerating of population growth in the 'resource zones' and a ten-year land boom that saw land values triple between 1996 and 2005 creating a housing affordability crisis for renters and first home buyers.

Despite improvements in broadband usage, the lack of connectivity in parts of regional Australia translates to an inability to attract new industry and well trained productive workers. Lower land costs make these regions attractive to low-income earners, fixed-income retired or semi-retired households.

Regions with higher concentrations of low and fixed income earners tend to be less attractive to young people and skilled workers which further reduces the skills base and accelerates the loss of skills and critical mass for improved connectivity.

The key to reversing this vicious cycle is to reverse the flow of skills and improve connectivity - both transport and communication - between relatively disadvantaged regions and successful regions as well as international markets. The report says Australia's local government areas could resemble California's Silicon Valley, given a boost to regional innovation, and mentions the Bendigo Community Telco as an example.

The report paints a picture of regions and local communities fighting back by innovating and generating investment. It shows that:

  • Improved employment conditions in rural regions are encouraging greater levels of working age migration to some rural regions
  • The baby bounce continues in core metro and lifestyle regions
  • Local communities can take action to improve the speed and coverage of their internet services
  • High productivity regions are ageing relatively slowly
  • The capacity to innovate depends on knowledge networks at the regional level
  • Australia's major centres are forming innovation clusters that attract high tech start ups
  • The land boom in Australia increased the self-perceived wealth of households across the nation

Regarding council infrastructure, the report estimates that $2.3 billion in extra money is needed to bring resource-poor local government regions infrastructure up to the general standard. On the issue of road finance, the report advocates a move to road finance through user charges with council rates only paying for maintaining local access roads.

The Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Simon Crean, said the release of the 2006-07 State of the Regions Report highlighted the vital need to connect all Australian regions with high speed broadband.

"Labor believes all Australians are entitled to broadband access, regardless of where they live," he said. "Labor will put an end to the 'digital divide' between cities and regions. Labor will make the rollout of broadband a national priority and deliver a world class fibre-to-the-node network, which is the best technology to deliver broadband to all regions. A Beazley Labor Government will draw on the $757 million Broadband Connect program and provide an equity injection from the $2 billion earmarked to the Communications Fund to deliver the public funding to roll out broadband, in partnership with the telecommunications sector."

Quote of the week

We now expect more from government than from God.
    - British MP Ann Widdecombe

International news  
China to build massive solar power stations

China intends to build one of the world's biggest solar power stations at a cost of $US765 million ($A994 million). The 100-megawatt facility, to be built in Dunhuang, an oasis town in north-west China's Gansu province, would be a collaborative effort between the local government and Beijing's Zhonghao New Energy Investment, Xinhua news said. The project would take five years to construct. The report followed plans announced by Australia last month to build the world's biggest solar power station, a 154-megawatt behemoth, which the builder said could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 400,000 tonnes a year. About 70 per cent of China's energy comes from burning the fossil fuel and hundreds more coal-fired power plants are being built every year. China has set goals for renewable energy to account for 16 per cent of its overall energy production by 2020 and to increase energy efficiency per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by 20 per cent over the next four years. But already there are signs that those targets are being missed, with energy per unit of GDP rising by 0.8 per cent in the first half of the year, according to government figures.

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