From the President
I have been heartened by letters received from councils who have lobbied their local Members on ALGA's election document 'A 10-Point Plan to Reinvigorate Local Communities.' Among those who have contacted me, I would particularly like to thank Urana Shire Council, the Mayor of Kempsey, Betty Green, and the Mayor of the City of Mandurah, Paddi Creevey, who have done much to bring the 10 points to the attention of their local representatives. I also thank those councils which submitted more than 1,000 ideas onto our community infrastructure register.
My overall impression of the election campaign is that the Coalition and Labor have focused on the 'big picture' of their visions and values on what they see as the key areas of economic management, investment in skills and education, the environment, health, families and the workplace. There have at the same time been local project announcements centred in the marginal seats on roads, sporting facilities, water infrastructure, and hospitals and other issues which may be important to winning over hearts and minds. These have tended to be politically targeted announcements.
Both major parties are yet to respond to the core elements of local government's 10-point election document. As we enter the home stretch of the election campaign, and neither major party has yet released its Local Government Policy, I am concerned that the needs of the vast majority of our local communities should not be overlooked in the midst of the political battle.
I may be pre-empting next week's announcements, and I hope so, but so far we have seen no commitment by either major party to a Local Community Infrastructure Renewals Fund or to a restructure of local government financing arrangements. As the PricewaterhouseCoopers report identified, all local communities have infrastructure backlogs and needs but neither party has addressed these with a comprehensive program such as a fund to upgrade existing infrastructure of $250 million per annum over 4 years.
ALGA put its 10-Point Plan onto the table in early September identifying the strategic concerns and priorities of local government and giving both parties plenty of time to develop their responses. Both parties need to release local government policies which set out how they intend to address those priorities. The 10-Point Plan calls for: A Fair Share for Local Communities; Funding for Community Infrastructure; Permanent Funding of Roads to Recovery; Improving Asset Management; Promoting partnerships and Putting a Stop to Cost Shifting; Formally Recognising Local Government in the Constitution; Tackling Climate Change; Securing Water Resources; Supporting Sustainable Urban Regions; and Affordable Broadband for All.
I urge all councils to keep up the fight, right to Election Day. I also call on State and Territory Association Presidents to make their own approaches to political leaders to galvanise support for an infrastructure program and for the release of Local Government Policies by the major parties. Time is running out and we must show both major parties that local government and local communities should not be taken for granted or become casualties on the political battlefield that is the federal election campaign. Local government will not be appeased by a few crumbs thrown from the table - our priorities of Fair Funding, Fair Treatment and Formal Recognition will continue to stake a claim on the national policy agenda long after the election is over. The '3 F's' are an article of faith for local government and it is time the major parties respond to our 10-Point Plan to reinvigorate Australian communities.
Cr Paul Bell AM
ALGA President
Wetland management training
Wetlands.edu is being developed and delivered by a consortium comprising the Hunter Wetlands Centre Australia, the Wetland Education and Training program of the Sydney Olympic Park Authority, Banrock Station Wine and Wetland Centre, Dr Bill Phillips (Mainstream Environmental Consulting), Dr Rhonda Butcher (Water's Edge Consulting) and Jennifer Hale Consulting.
The program aims (as its priority) to offer train-the-trainer style capacity building for those working in regional NRM and catchment bodies, State government NRM agencies, plus Landcare and river management groups, and local governments. NHT (National Competitive Component) funding to help establish Wetlands.edu comes to an end in mid-2008.
To date Wetlands.edu has completed 13, two-day training sessions in five States, with another two courses scheduled before the end of 2007. Unique to Wetlands.edu is that training is delivered across the country through established wetland education centres and key regional towns and cities, with a particular emphasis on training to address regional issues. All courses include a field component, as training is intended to be very practical and hands-on.
By early 2008 Wetlands.edu will have 17 training modules developed (see details on the web site - see URL below), peer reviewed and undergoing national accreditation; meaning participants in Wetlands.edu courses will be able to gain credit for doing so against a range of related tertiary courses.
Wetlands.edu sees itself as an information broker; keeping on top of the latest advances in wetland management and then delivering these tools in a ready-to-use format for practitioners.
Further information on Wetlands.edu, including advice on up-coming training opportunities, can be obtained from www.wetlandsedu.org.au or alternatively, contact the Wetlands.edu coordinator, Dr Bill Phillips - Telephone: 02-62817470 and Email: coordinator@wetlandsedu.org.au
Graduate Certificate in Emergency Management
Emergency Management Australia (EMA) is currently undergoing an extensive review of its Graduate Certificate in Emergency Management, prior to reaccreditation, to ensure that it is well positioned to promote best practice in the Emergency Management industry and provide Emergency Management professionals with the knowledge and skills they require.
EMA would be grateful if you could take a few minutes to complete a survey about EMA's Graduate Certificate from the perspective of an industry representative who might be seeking to employ a graduate of the program. The survey is web-based and should take no more than ten minutes to complete.
Please click here to complete the survey.
If you would like further information about the survey please contact Mike Tarrant, Assistant Director, Education and Training. Email: mike.tarrant@ema.gov.au Phone: (03) 5421 5219
Australia falling behind on global plastic bag ban
Australia's major cities have lost momentum and are falling behind in a global push to ban plastic bags, Clean Up Australia Chairman Ian Kiernan said following a move by 33 London councils to introduce a ban to reduce the 1.6 billion plastic bags London shoppers use each year.
"We've had no real action on plastic bags since the Retailers Code of Practice on plastic bags in Australia expired at the end of 2005, despite the fact that 92 per cent of Australian's support a plastic bag ban," Mr Kiernan said.
"There has been little to no progress since then, only talk of state and territory governments working together toward phasing out plastic bags by 2009 nothing concrete. It's time Australian cities stepped up to the plate."
San Francisco recently became the first US city to ban plastic bags. Now many other cities across North America are looking to follow suit. Over 40 countries around the world are currently taking action to get rid of plastic bags.
"In Australia we use over 3.9 billion plastic bags each year, of which only 2 to 3 per cent are recycled, leaving 90 per cent of the population reusing plastic bags, which still means they end up in the environment," Mr Kiernan said.
"That means something like 3.76 billion plastic bags still going to landfills. That's more than 20,000 tonnes of plastic every year. A ban is the only way to reduce this problem.
"Almost 4 billion plastic bags are produced for Australian use every year. The rubbish problem they create, the detriment they cause to kerbside recycling systems and the resources and energy used to produce them are something that cannot be justified," he said.
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Vaile launches aviation policy, attacks Qld Govt over amalgamations
Nationals Leader Mark Vaile released the Coalition's aviation policy at the National Press Club on Wednesday. The policy included:
- Establishing a Regional Airline Pilot Scholarship Scheme to help maintain regional airline services;
- Establishing a second Aviation Technical College located adjacent to Perth Airport to address skills needs;
- Providing $500,000 funding to assist the aviation industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
- Maintaining a strong policy not to investigate sites for, or build, a second Sydney airport and remaining strongly committed to the Sydney Airport curfew.
Mr Vaile also announced $785 million in funding under AusLink 2 to complete the Hume Highway project in NSW by 2012 to link Sydney and Melbourne by a 4-lane highway. He said that there was more money for Australia's roads and rail than at any time in Australia’s history "because we can afford it" due to the dividends provided by a strong economy.
He mounted a strong attack on the Qld Government's policy of forced council amalgamations. "We believe in democracy...People should have a say in who manages local communities," he said. Mr Vaile said that people were still angry at the way they were treated by the Queensland Government "and many local communities are concerned they will be disenfranchised."
Qld councils to place FOI requests over mergers
Local councils will seek documents through freedom of information laws in bid to prove the findings of an independent commission into council amalgamations were predetermined.
Opponents of the mergers, which will cut the number of the state's councils from 156 to 72, met in Brisbane earlier this week to review their plans to overturn the mergers.
Anti-amalgamation campaigner and Friends of Noosa spokesman Bob Ansett said representatives from about 40 affected councils and 20 community groups had attended to discuss revelations the government had started drafting the legislation before public consultation ended two months later.
Premier Anna Bligh denied there was a smoking gun and said the government was merely acting expeditiously, as it had promised.
The Local Government Association of Queensland has called for a royal commission.
Mr Ansett today said opponents were also applying to the Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) for an inquiry.
He said councils would now apply under freedom of information laws to prove the inquiries were needed.
Mr Ansett said a statewide day of protest would be held on Sunday, hopefully drawing thousands to rallies in affected areas.
Merger opponents would also be at federal election polling booths on November 24 advertising the upcoming council plebiscite in 85 affected communities to encourage good voting numbers, he said.
Coalition announcements on child care and carers
The Prime Minister, John Howard, has announced that a re-elected Coalition Government will cut the amount parents have to pay upfront each week to their child care service by 30 per cent by paying the Child Care Tax Rebate directly to child care services so they can pass it on to parents immediately. A re-elected Coalition Government will also increase families' access to child care places, including places for younger children, in areas of identified high need by providing capital funding of up to $1 million to local governments to build or extend up to 35 child care centres in the areas across Australia which have unmet demand.
Mr Howard also announced important measures to assist the thousands of Australians who provide care for older people and people with disabilities. From 1 January 2008, a re-elected Coalition Government will significantly boost respite services for Australian carers and the people they care for by providing 120,000 extra individual days and 10, 000 additional full weeks of round-the-clock respite care each year, at a cost of $223.5 million over five years.
Labor Pledges $100 million for Coast Protection
Shadow environment minister Peter Garrett announced $100 million to help protect coastlines against climate change and population growth.
It is envisaged that the Community Coast Care Program would run over five years with grants of up to $50 thousand being allocated to community groups. The funding of this program will be from unallocated monies from the Natural Heritage Trust Phase Three.
Mr Garrett believes that increasing storm activity and sea level rise from climate change are threatening coastlines, property, habitat and the financial viability of local councils.
For more information visit: www.alga.asn.au/Election2007/environment.php/
$5.5 million Allocated to Indigenous Water Initiatives
The National Water Commission has awarded $5.54 million for two projects in Northern Australia to foster engagement in water resource management.
The North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA) has been awarded two grants from the commission to support its initiatives: the Indigenous Water Policy Group and the Indigenous Water Facilitator Network.
The group aims to increase the awareness of Indigenous people about the Government's plans for water reform under the National Water initiative, and, engage in research focusing on the rights, interests and responsibilities of Indigenous people to water at the policy level.
The Indigenous Community Water Facilitator Network advances Indigenous engagement in research and management across Northern Australia at the Community planning level, ensuring that Indigenous interests are incorporated in water planning, management and policy processes.
For more information visit: www.nailsma.org.au
Gold Coast to become climate change hub
The Coalition has announced Australia's first climate change adaptation facility would be based on the Gold Coast.
Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull says a number of universities would be involved in the centre's work.
Mr Turnbull says $50 million will be committed to climate change research at Griffith University.
"To pull together the science on climate change and how we adapt to climate change so that decision makers - governments - can be better advised as to how we make those adaptation decisions," he said.
Quote of the week
"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another."
Walter Elliott
International news 
The obesity epidemic in the US and global warming might not seem to have much in common. But public health experts suggest people can attack them both by cutting calories and carbon dioxide at the same time.
How? Get out of your car and walk or bike half an hour a day instead of driving. And while you're at it, eat less red meat.
That's how people can simultaneously save the planet and their health, say doctors and climate scientists. The potential payoffs are huge.
One numbers-crunching scientist calculates that if all Americans between 10 and 74 walked just half an hour a day instead of driving, they would cut the annual US emissions of carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas, by 64 million tons.
About 20 billion litres of petrol would be saved. And Americans would also shed more than 1.36 billion kilograms overall, according to these calculations.
The World Health Organisation estimated that 160,000 people died in 2000 from malaria, diarrhoea, malnutrition and drownings from floods - problems that public health and climate scientists contend were worsened by global warming. Officials predict that in the future those numbers will be higher.
The American Public Health Association, which will highlight the health problems of global warming in April, is seeking to connect obesity and climate change solutions, said executive director Dr Georges Benjamin.
"This may present the greatest public health opportunity that we've had in a century," said University of Wisconsin health sciences professor Dr Jonathan Patz, president of the International Association for Ecology and Health - (AAP)
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