ALGA News

From the President

Australia Day is a special day, well-marked in local government calendars. We are holding citizenship ceremonies around the country and many councils, including Emerald Shire Council in my neck of the woods, are presenting Australia Day awards.

Like most of you, I have attended and officiated at many citizenship ceremonies over the years and I always find them a moving occasion. The value that those escaping economic hardship, oppression, in some cases torture, or being reunited with family members, place on Australia's lifestyle, freedom and democratic system of government is truly heart-warming. Local government deserves greater recognition for its role in helping over 3.5 million people to become citizens since Australian Citizenship was introduced in 1949.

I have a strong belief that citizenship is the glue which binds us as a nation. With 43% of us born overseas or with a parent born overseas, Australia is one of the word's greatest migration magnets. One of the challenges facing the government is to encourage the more than 900,000 eligible non-citizens to take out citizenship - the majority of these are from the UK and New Zealand.

It is significant that the Prime Minister has appointed a new Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Kevin Andrews. This underscores the importance the Federal Government gives to citizenship. On 11 December 2006 the Prime Minister and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs announced that the Australian Government intended to introduce a formal citizenship test. Responses to the discussion paper have been received from several councils and state associations and are now on the website.

From the early days, to the post-war waves of migration, to the skilled and refugee migrants who are now calling Australia home, I have no doubt that migration enriches us as a nation. To put it in perspective skilled migration accounts for more than 100,000 of annual arrivals and refugees numbers are around 13,000. This balance recognises the skills crisis facing Australia while honouring our international humanitarian obligations. However, many of the refugee migrants now arriving in Australia have no knowledge of English and have come from traumatic circumstances, some having lived for years in refugee camps.

Tamworth Regional Council has highlighted some of these issues and called for a better deal from the federal and state governments to provide appropriate settlement services.

Mayor James Treloar says he wants to make sure that the city can provide for issues like translation services, trauma counselling and housing and he has called on community volunteers and organisations who have offered to support refugee resettlement in Tamworth to help run the pilot program. This is a welcome initiative and I congratulate the council and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship for working together to resolve this difficult situation. We must make our new arrivals feel welcome and we must have adequate services and support from State and Federal Governments to support these newest members of our community. The investment in settlement services will be quickly recouped by governments as these migrants go on to contribute to their new country.

It is heart-warming to see Tamworth and councils all across Australia opening their doors to the newest Australians, helping them to settle in, and building strong, vibrant and resilient communities that celebrate differences but also share a love of Australia and value all that this wonderful country has to offer. That to me is what Australia Day is all about.

Cr Paul Bell AM
ALGA President

Weed out glyphosate resistance in council areas

Cases of glyphosate resistance in the weed annual ryegrass are increasing in Australia and annual ryegrass on council-owned land is vulnerable to developing resistance, warns the Glyphosate Sustainability Working Group (GSWG).

A total of 54 populations of glyphosate resistant annual ryegrass have been documented since the first reported case in 1996. Minimal use of cultivation, little rotation to herbicides with a different mode of action, and a lack of other control techniques are common factors behind glyphosate resistance occurring.

Annual ryegrass is currently the only weed in Australia which has developed glyphosate resistance.

While some populations occur in broadacre cropping situations, new populations of annual ryegrass with resistance to glyphosate have been located on roadsides, fencelines and other non-agricultural situations. The GSWG encourages council officers responsible for weed management to develop an integrated management program to protect against resistance. Council officers who suspect glyphosate resistance or require management guidance to minimise the risk of glyphosate resistance should visit the national Glyphosate Sustainability Working Group.

Various strength formulations of glyphosate are commonly sold under trademarks such as Glyphosate(tm), Roundup(tm), Touchdown(tm) and Wipe-Out(tm).

Further information: Rex Stanton (Chair, GSWG) 02 6938 1618; rstanton@csu.edu.au

Applications invited for emergency management funding

Local councils and eligible emergency management groups are being invited to apply for funding to help local communities manage emergencies.

Emergency Management Australia is accepting applications until 2 March 2007 for two funding programs that will foster new initiatives to expand the ability of communities to deal with disasters and emergencies.

Local councils may apply to the Local Grants Scheme to fund projects that complement existing emergency management programs.

Projects that will enhance a community's capability to deal with disasters and emergencies can include response and recovery initiatives, identification of critical infrastructure needing protection, training of local government staff, or any other project that will result in enhanced community safety.

This could include installing flood warning systems or buying portable water dams or equipment, upgrading facilities or reviewing emergency risk management plans.

Details of the programs are available from Emergency Management Australia.

Community safety initiatives

Griffith City Council will be fast tracking a number of coordinated initiatives after a crisis meeting of council was held earlier this month.

The meeting was held to update councillors on the events surrounding the death of Andrew Farrugia on New Years Day and to quell the many rumours and innuendo which have been circulating around the city.

Griffith Mayor, Cr Dino Zappacosta, has urged the community to let the family and friends of Andrew Farrugia grieve in peace and to allow Griffith City Council and the various government agencies to develop and put in place strategies which will assist with future crime prevention.

"This is not a time for knee jerk reactions, but we will be bringing forward some of the initiatives that are already being developed and have been in place for some time," Cr Zappacosta said.

"Various groups such as Creative Riverina Youth Team (CRYT), the Community Drug and Alcohol Team (CDAT) and the Youth Advisory Council as well as crime prevention plans have been developed and Council has been proactive in providing support services for the youth of the city.

"The bottom line is that council has not been ignoring this issue," Cr Zappacosta said.

"There have been a number of initiatives developed which are now going to be brought forward with the ongoing support of other state agencies.

"There are also a number of crime prevention tools which council is investigating, including the installation of CCTV.

"An application for funding for CCTV was lodged in November with the Federal Government through its National Community Crime Prevention Program.

"This is only the second time CCTV has been nominated as eligible for funding and we will be talking to local Federal Member for Riverina, Kay Hull, to further support our case for funding.

"However, before any CCTV is installed there are a number of processes which need to be followed and council staff met with local police last October to ensure these specific issues could be addressed.

"I would urge all Griffith residents to remain calm and let the courts do their job, allow the families and friends of this young man to lay him to rest peacefully and to allow council and associated agencies to develop proper strategies for our city."

Community consultation crucial in NSW development application system

Further reform of the development application system in NSW councils would not reduce processing delays, councils and the state government say.

The average processing time for a NSW development application was 54 days, with two in five councils taking longer than the 40-day limit set out in the Local Government Act.

The NSW Urban Taskforce, a group representing the development industry, said the figures showed the process was hamstrung by bureaucracy, with most developments required to go through the public exhibition process.

Many smaller residential projects, such as new homes which complied with regulations and extensions or alterations to existing dwellings, could be exempt from the exhibition process, Taskforce CEO Terry Barnes said.

But Local Government and Shires Association president Genia McCaffery warned such changes would undermine public confidence in the diplomacy of the process.

"If you throw away that planning consultation process I think you are going to end up with a lot of communities feeling they have been completely sidelined," she said.

"You do have to strike a balance. If the first you hear of your neighbour's development is when the bulldozers arrive in the backyard that's not a good process."

The NSW government reformed the approvals process in April last year, allowing for the implementation of independent hearing and assessment panels, a spokeswoman for Planning Minister Frank Sartor said.

The panels would only target councils with "systemic" development problems, the spokeswoman said. "Those measures have not yet been exercised, but the mechanism is in place," she said. The planning department was closely examining the figures, and collecting other data, to identify the real bottlenecks.

Since the 2004-05 report period, many councils had taken action to improve their processing times and the government was working to attract more planners to NSW and assist with major redevelopment projects, the spokeswoman said.

Opposition planning spokesman Chris Hartcher accused the government of hypocrisy in fast-tracking major applications at the behest of developers.

"It's only prepared to intervene to help the big developers, it's not prepared to intervene to help councils, nor to help ordinary citizens," Mr Hartcher said.

He said there was no need to reform the current approvals process, but the government should help by providing extra private certifiers and resources during peak periods.

New settlement DVD for humanitarian entrants from Africa

The Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA) is currently working on a DVD to help newly arrived humanitarian entrants from Africa to settle into Australia and adapt to the new environment. This DVD will provide new arrivals with a range of information and advice on:

• public services and support, such as settlement services, translating and interpreting services, English language lessons and Centrelink payments and services
• adapting to a new cultural environment
• renting accommodation
• health services and emergencies
• the Australian education system
• budgeting
• employment services
• parenting
• the legal system
• becoming part of the community.

This DVD, due to be released in May 2007, will be available in six key African languages and English. For more information about this product, and to request a copy, contact Cressida Thompson, Settlement Branch, DIMA on 02 6264 3329.

2007 funding for Industry e-learning demonstrations

Funding opportunities for 2007 industry led e-learning demonstrations are now available. Access the guidelines and selection criteria for funding.

Please contact the Project Manager, Jenny Dodd on 02 6207 4955 or jenny.dodd@cit.act.edu.au if you would like to discuss an idea or need more information.

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Are your employee appraisals lacking performance?

Councils invest a considerable amount of time and effort in appraising their employees; unfortunately most don't get value for that effort. At best they are seen as a waste of time by employees and a nuisance, which gets in the way of the 'real work', by supervisors and managers. They are often only done to meet industrial or regulatory obligations with no real expectation of positive outcomes.

At Cambron we became so frustrated at the traditional paper based and inefficient appraisal system we developed our own software. The software had to be simple to use, have a strategic and administrative impact and deliver savings.

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If you want to know more visit www.cambron.com.au or contact us directly on either 03 5243 9484 or info@cambron.com.au

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Interested in postgraduate study in sustainable regional development.

The University of Western Australia offers fully online courses in regional development and natural resource management policy and planning. The courses offer flexible online learning (with no need to attend campus) and are highly suited to people in both metropolitan and rural and regional areas. The courses explore topics in both an Australia wide context and in the student's own local and regional context.

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Applications for first semester 2007 close on 31 January but late applications will be accepted. Semester starts on 26 February.

Airport Amendment Bill

ALGA delivered a strong submission to the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee on the Airports Amendment Bill 2006

ALGA has made strong representations to this Senate Inquiry about the proposed amendments to the Airports legislation which covers the planning for developments on the major airports owned by the Australian Government but leased to private operators. The land not used for aviation purposes is being developed for commercial purposes at a number of airports. These developments however are outside local planning powers and the developers do not pay rates to the councils.

ALGA in its submission acknowledged that the aviation elements of airports are key parts of the nation's infrastructure and their planning is a matter for the Australian Government. However, ALGA considers the extensive non-aviation commercial developments do not constitute key national infrastructure and does not justify being excluded from state and local planning regimes.

In its submission, ALGA sought that in relation to commercial developments on airport land the Federal Minister be required to appropriately consult with local government and to state in any decision whether developments are consistent with state and local plans and if not why they should proceed. ALGA also recommended that the Minister in making a decision should also be required to take account of the proposed development on nearby residents and businesses.

The submission also asks that consideration should also be given to charging commercial developments on airport land the equivalent of rates and where appropriate developer contributions on behalf of councils to help pay for any infrastructure requirements and to assist in meeting the overall community needs.

Review of ABS geography

The ABS has commenced a review of the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) that will run from October 2006 to August 2007. The aim of the review is to create a new standard statistical geographical classification that will provide a more relevant spatial framework for the publication and analysis of a wide range of statistics. The review includes all units and structures of the current ASGC between the Mesh Block and state level, except Remoteness.

Local government is the key to the success of the review, both as a major user of regional statistics that will be presented on the basis of the new standard geography and as part of the classification itself. One of the key conceptual issues to be decided by the review will be the position of Local Government Areas in the new classification and how they will relate to the other units. The Australian Local Government Association has been invited to provide input to the review.

The new classification is envisaged as having a three part structure:

• A core comprising of a new general purpose structure, definitions of rural/urban, major regional centres and remoteness.
• A set of endorsed structures, outside the core, but under the umbrella of the new standard classification.
• A set of supported geographies for which the ABS will provide boundaries, concordances and possibly data, but will be outside the standard classification.

The review will develop the criteria to build the core structure and criteria for incorporating endorsed geographies as classification structures. It will also consider the circumstances where the ABS will support some geographies.

The review will occur in four phases:

Phase 1: Development of options, October to early December 2006.

A committee of ABS and external experts will be set up to identify possible options for a new standard statistical geographical classification.

Phase 2: General consultation, January 2006 to mid-April 2007.

The ABS will go to general consultation with all stakeholders to consider the option(s) developed by the committee. This will include consultations in all state and territory capitals by ABS Geography staff. The ABS will give each state/territory government the opportunity to identify a person to coordinate their response.

The expert committee will meet again in April 2006 to consider the feedback on their options, and to select and draft a preferred option.

Phase 3: Focused consultation, April 2007 to July 2007.

A public information paper on the draft option will be released for discussion. Feedback at this point will be limited to fine tuning the proposal.

The committee will meet a final time in mid July 2007 to consider the feedback and make final recommendations.

Phase 4: Documentation of recommendations, July 2007 to mid August 2007.

The committee's recommendations will be documented and presented to ABS senior management for consideration.

Local governments are encouraged to provide comments during this review and for further details to contact alec.bamber@abs.gov.au

Broadband Blueprint

The Australian Government launched its 'Broadband Blueprint' towards the end of last year.

The Blueprint it identifies the important role of local government in facilitating broadband in Greenfield and Brownfield sites. It builds upon the experience of a number of councils that have taken the lead in ensuring broadband was available in new developments.

ALGA is working with the Australian Government in consultation with state associations on a proposed consultancy project looking at - local government planning policy, guidelines/regulations for deployment of broadband infrastructure in Greenfield and Brownfield sites.

Good Security-Good Business

The Attorney-General has released a new publication to raise awareness about risk management and business continuity amongst small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Good Security-Good Business provides useful information for SMEs on the importance of being prepared for an incident and the value of having plans in place to respond and recover as quickly as possible. Good Security-Good Business is a free booklet. Telephone 1300 656 863 or visit the Trusted Information Sharing Network to order/download your copy.

Insulation can help safeguard the elderly during summer heat waves

Installing home insulation can help reduce mortality among the elderly during heat waves, according to new medical research from the French Institute of Public Health Surveillance.

Researchers investigated the causes of thousands of excess deaths during a severe heat wave that hit France in August 2003. They found that 35% of the sample died of heat related factors. They identified that a lack of thermal building insulation was a main risk factor associated with the deaths of elderly people.

A recommendation of the report was to provide insulation to older buildings and better vegetation shading.

In their report, published in the European Journal of Public Health, the researchers said: "Housing characteristics associated with death were lack of thermal insulation and sleeping on the top floor, right under the roof".

Dennis D'Arcy, President of the Insulation Council of Australia and New Zealand (ICANZ), said the research highlights the additional and often overlooked important health benefits of living in well-insulated, energy efficient homes.

"Building insulation's contribution to the health and well-being of household occupants should be factored in by designers along with its role in reducing household energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Insulation's potential to reduce serious health risks during weather extremes is a vital benefit for householders", Mr D'Arcy said.

Mr D'Arcy, said that with 39 per cent of Australian homes uninsulated and many others very poorly insulated the implications of the research into the French heatwave of 2003 should be noted by Australians. "Australia can be a very hot country in summer and it has some of the least energy efficient homes in the developed world, certainly well below the standards of Western Europe and the US.

Installing air-conditioners into these homes can help improve summer comfort levels, but it is a very energy inefficient solution and will only provide protection while power is available. Occupants of poorly insulated or uninsulated air conditioned homes quickly become exposed to the distressing effects of a heat wave when power blackouts occur.

"Recent years have seen a rising incidence of power failures, particularly during heat waves when overall energy demand exceeds generation capacity. Insulation uses no electricity to do its job of helping to keep homes cool in summer, and it also helps flatten the spikes in energy demand when heat waves occur," he said.

The Commonwealth will be just a brief flight away…

The fourth Commonwealth Local Government Conference is drawing very close - 26-29 March in Auckland. Already many Commonwealth counties are represented, but due to the Christmas break registrations from Australia have slowed.

It's an event not to be missed for decision makers in the world of local government - especially with the opportunity to meet assembled Commonwealth colleagues just across the ditch.

We recommended you do register without delay as we certainly don't want Australian representatives to be disappointed and also Auckland accommodation is filling up fast.

The conference boasts some high profile speakers including several heads of state and government ministers. Also there is the highest ranking African woman in the UN System - Dr Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) and Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director of The Earth Institute, Professor of Sustainable Development, and Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University and also Director of the UN Millennium Project - to mention just two.

QLD: Three councils join recycled water vote

More Queensland voters will get a say on recycled water with another three councils joining the March 17 referendum. About 30 thousand residents of Jondaryan, Rosalie and Crows Nest shires will join voters in 19 other south-east shires from Coolangatta to Noosa in the poll. Crows Nest Mayor Geoff Patch whose shire has moved to Level Five water restrictions says he's encouraging a "yes" vote.

The state government says it's confident purified recycled water can be used as a safe and reliable source of supply. It has been used to replenish drinking water supplies in many other parts of the world for decades including the USA, UK, Singapore and Africa.

The other councils involved in the vote are: Beaudesert, Boonah, Brisbane, Caboolture, Caloundra, Cooloola, Esk, Gatton, Gold Coast, Ipswich, Kilcoy, Laidley, Logan, Maroochy, Noosa, Pine Rivers, Redcliffe, Redland and Toowoomba.

It'll give voters a say on whether recycled sewage should be introduced to the drinking water system which services the south-east corner.

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Sydney, February 22-23 2007

Promoting a culture of workplace safety within local government is not only a management imperative, but also make good economic sense through reduced insurance premiums.

The Local Government Occupational Health and Safety Conference will provide fresh insights into occupational health and safety strategies being adopted by award-winning councils for their workforces. It will focus on providing practical, detailed information about the measures that councils across Australia have taken to reduce accidents, as well as lowering occupational stress.

Leading councils have adopted OH&S programs that have resulted in sustained and measurable safety improvements within their workplaces. This two-day national conference, to be held in Sydney on February 22-23, will focus on case studies presented by a range of experts from across the spectrum of OH&S in local government.

Some of the themes will include: promoting the culture of safety; legal liabilities in workplace safety; OH&S cost reductions; risk management; the impact of workplace incentive schemes; positive changes in injury management; occupational stress and bullying; local fleet safety initiatives.

Presenters will include Mayors, General Managers, Risk Management experts, HR and Safety Managers within Councils as well as industry and legal practitioners.

To find out more about the conference and to register, please visit www.halledit.com.au Enquiries should be directed to Denise McQueen denise.mcqueen@halledit.com.au Tel: 03 8534 5021

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Melbourne, March 28-29 2007

The 2nd National Road Pavement Management & Engineering Conference in Melbourne will provide local government road engineers and managers with fresh insights and new perspectives into new and emerging issues in road construction, maintenance, asset management and contract management.

This two-day conference on March 28 and 29, at Melbourne's Carlton Crest Hotel, will hear presentations on a range of relevant case studies from councils including Glenorchy, Gosford, Coffs Harbour, Mornington Peninsula, Corangamite, Melbourne City, and Latrobe City.

Leading experts from a number of disciplines including: asset evaluation and road performance modelling, surfacing, pavement design, road maintenance, contract management, linemarking, water in the road reserve, work site safety, and water sensitive design will address this important event. Climate change and water scarcity are examined in the technical sessions.

There will be concurrent technical and management streams, allowing delegates to choose the topics and speakers which are of most relevance to their immediate concerns.

The conference - which follows on from the highly successful 2006 forum - is being actively supported and endorsed by industry and professional bodies including the IPWEA, the AAPA, AustStab, the Roadmarking Industry Association, the CCF, the Australian Road Forum and the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects.

The National Conference - which incorporates the 3rd Victorian Roads Conference - provides an ideal opportunity for engineers and managers to receive up-to-minute information about best practice and technical road issues in a collaborative environment with their local government and industry peers.

For the full conference details please visit www.halledit.com.au

For registration enquiries, please contact Denise McQueen on 03 8534 5021 or email denise.mcqueen@halledit.com.au