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Positive response to local government and infrastructure ministry

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The President of the Australian Local Government Association, Cr Paul Bell, has welcomed the announcement that local government and infrastructure will be combined in a super-ministry of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, and Local Government.

"I congratulate Anthony Albanese on his appointment as Minister and am delighted that local government concerns such as roads, infrastructure, community building and developing regions, have been combined in a Cabinet portfolio," Cr Bell said.

Cr Bell also congratulated Gary Gray on his appointment as the Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development and Northern Australia.

"I am still waiting to hear about the break-up of responsibilities and believe that Mr Gray may be responsible for economic development in the regions, particularly Northern Australia, and working closely with Minister Albanese on roads and infrastructure," he said.

Cr Bell said he had written to Minister Albanese seeking a meeting at the earliest opportunity to discuss ALGA's priorities, including the backlog in the renewal of community infrastructure, the time table for constitutional recognition and the emerging challenges facing local government in the areas of water security, climate change, urban policy and the provision of broadband. Cr Bell said he particularly would like to discuss Labor's plans for setting up a Roads to Recovery-style program, which Labor has promised to fund and look at expanding grants to encompass public transport-related projects.

Following the National General Assembly of Local Government last week, Cr Bell announced local government's decision to hold a Constitutional Forum late in 2008. Cr Bell said ALGA would work cooperatively with Mr Albanese to establish the Council of Australian Local Governments.

Labor has said the new Council would allow local and Federal governments to discuss issues of national importance, ensure local government has a more effective voice at the Council of Australian Governments and generally help governments work together to achieve better outcomes for local communities. One of the first tasks for the new Council would be to plan for a national referendum on the Constitutional recognition of local government.

Local government's important role in meeting climate change challenge

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Local government globally does the 'heavy lifting' in terms of climate change, according to Australian of the Year Professor Tim Flannery.

In an upbeat, positive take on the huge challenges we face, Flannery paid tribute to local mayors saying they are the 'true leaders' in what has become a growing community-based movement to deal with the effects of climate change.

The keynote speaker at the National General Assembly of Local Government, Flannery said local government was responsible for services where there were great opportunities for change, and much could be achieved at a local level. For example, wind-farming started as a small business on the west coast of Denmark.

When thinking about climate change, Flannery said it was useful to see it as 'a pollution problem.' However, there was cause for optimism. "After 10,000 years of evolution, we know that our survival depends on cleaning up pollution. Climate change is air pollution. It is a global problem." Flannery referred to three events, and the world response to the first two give us cause for hope that environmental problems can be tackled. The first was the acid rain in Europe caused by power stations burning coal with high sulphuric acid content. Following action taken, the forests regenerated. The second was the discovery of the hole in the ozone layer and the signing of the Montreal protocol which led to a substantial reduction in CFCs released into the atmosphere. The third event was the discovery of the potential of greenhouse gases to cause global warming. "This last challenge we face will become relevant to every human being on the planet."

Flannery stressed the importance of ratifying the Kyoto agreement (Australia signed up this week) and increasing the use of alternative energy sources such as photovoltaic energy, and the sequestration of carbon. The defining issue of our century will be social justice, warfare, and above all, sustainability. "9 billion humans all aspiring to the quality of life we have today presents a huge challenge. The pressures on the planet will be enormous." Flannery said the challenge would be to find a way of living sustainably on this planet with the dignity and affluence we all value and enjoy.

At the ALGA Regional Co-operation and Development Forum prior to the General Assembly, an in-depth session was conducted on Climate Change. Four speakers presented on this complex topic.

Dr Phillipa England discussed climate change risks and potential liability issues for local government, shining a spotlight on international cases and scenarios where state environmental laws have led to councils being held liable for approving development that have had excessive greenhouse emissions.

Mt Alexander Mayor, Cr Jim Norris showcased the positive moves Mt Alexander Shire has made to reduce its ecological footprint. Cr Norris also highlighted what can be done such as education programs, partnerships with lead flagship groups and businesses and building environmentally sound housing.

Steven Greenwood, Manager for Planning and Environment for the Local Government Association of Queensland provided an insight into the immense amount of work being undertaken by the Association in Queensland. Mr Greenwood also provided information on the Adapting to Climate Change - A Queensland Local Government Guide which has provided a valuable tool for Councils in Queensland in addressing Climate Change.

Lastly, Martin Brennan the Executive Manager of ICLEI gave a run down on the highly productive work that they have been carrying out on Mitigation. Through their Cities for Climate Change Protection program ICELI has been instrumental in engaging with councils to reduce their greenhouse emissions.

Overall, the forum provided four very interesting aspects to Climate Change and stimulated a great deal of debate. Climate change is an ongoing challenge in which ALGA will continue to move the agenda forward.

Councils rewarded for mobile phone recycling efforts

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Brisbane City Council, Lake Macquarie Council and Campbelltown City Council have been announced as the top councils in encouraging and boosting mobile phone recycling at the inaugural MobileMuster Local Government Awards.

Australian of the Year and leading environmentalist, Professor Tim Flannery, presented the awards at the National General Assembly of the Australia Local Government Association in Darwin.

Brisbane City Council in Queensland was awarded 'Top Recycler/Collector' (by weight) for collecting 160 kg of mobile phones, batteries, chargers and accessories in the last 12 months. Brisbane City Council also claimed the top honour winning the 'National Excellence Award'. Brisbane City Council has not only actively promoted the program via its website, customer help line, local publicity, community events and green days but has also set up 40 collection points at their libraries, customer service centres and transfer stations. This performance can be attributed to the strong support from the Mayor and councillors and the commitment from the council's waste management team.

Lake Macquarie Council in NSW was awarded 'Best Promoter' for their effective use of the MobileMuster Local Council Toolkit to generate broadcast and print media coverage for specific MobileMuster campaigns. Lake Macquarie Council also actively promotes mobile phone recycling via its website and community network.

Campbelltown City Council in NSW was awarded the 'Working with Schools' Award for initiating and running the first ever MobileMuster 'Schools Mobile Phone Recycling' Competition. The council offered a $1,000 incentive for the top primary school and the top high school that collected the highest number of mobile phones, batteries and accessories.

Awareness of mobile phone recycling has increased from 46% to 79% over the past two years. Part of this increase can be attributed to the efforts of local governments around Australia who have promoted MobileMuster via their websites, newsletters, mayoral columns, community events, rates notices and through the media. As a result of this effort, collections have grown from 50 tonne to 86 tonne in the past 12 months alone.

For further information, or if you are interested in registering your council for the MobileMuster program, visit www.MobileMuster.com.au or contact 1300 730 070.

(Photo: Australian of the Year and leading environmentalist, Tim Flannery, presents one of the two awards to Brisbane City Councillor, Margaret De Wit.)
From the President

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you for helping to make the National General Assembly of Local Government in Darwin last week such a success and it was great to meet up with so many of you again!

Today's column is a letter to the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, I wrote immediately following the election. I also wrote to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Anthony Albanese, along similar lines. I will keep you updated on outcomes that take place from discussions with the Rudd Government.

I congratulate Mr Albanese on his new role and would also like to pay tribute to former Minister Jim Lloyd who for over three years was an exceptional local government minister. He was never too busy to answer calls or respond to our concerns and I look forward to a similar relationship with the new government.

The letter is as follows:

Dear Prime Minister

Please accept the congratulations of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) on your victory in the recent Federal Election.

ALGA, as the representative body of the third sphere of government, works closely with the Australian Government across the broad range of issues which impact on individual councils and local communities. As the President of ALGA, I look forward to working with you in the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) on issues relating to the reform of the Federation and the need to move to a more collaborative approach between the three spheres of government. I strongly support your view that a meeting of COAG should be held in the near future to ensure that issues of national importance receive early attention and, as a member of COAG, I would welcome the opportunity for an early discussion with you on how issues on the national agenda could be addressed.

The need to reform the way in which roles, responsibilities and funding are distributed between the different spheres of government has been central to ALGA's strategic policy direction in recent years. ALGA's '3Fs' framework (Fair Funding, Fair Treatment and Formal Recognition for Local Government) establishes our focus on the need to address the issues of vertical fiscal imbalance and cost shifting between the spheres of government and the need for constitutional reform to recognise local government. These strategic priorities formed the core of ALGA's election document; A 10 Point Plan to Reinvigorate Local Communities, released on 5 September 2007. The Plan calls for action to address the backlog in investment in renewing community infrastructure and for initiatives to address the emerging challenges facing local governments and communities in the areas of water security, climate change, urban policy and the provision of broadband telecommunications.

ALGA's 10 Point Plan was provided to both major parties with a request that they consider the initiatives contained therein. ALGA was pleased to receive a response from Senator Lundy on 5 November 2007, identifying five key aspects of a Labor Government's policy toward local government, including support for constitutional recognition of local government, the creation of a new Council of Australian Local Government, fiscal reform (including the opportunity to look at local government funding), infrastructure renewal through Infrastructure Australia and a more collaborative approach to working with local government. These priorities were reiterated in the ALP's Local Government Policy released immediately before the recent election. ALGA welcomes the identification of these policy directions which provide a firm basis for addressing many of the major issues of concern to local government.

ALGA will be seeking an early meeting with a newly-appointed Federal Minister for Local Government to follow-up on aspects of the letter from Senator Lundy and to discuss the major issues facing local government at the national level.

Yours sincerely

Paul Bell

Cr Paul Bell AM
ALGA President

Tas Govt to investigate future management of water and sewerage infrastructure

A discussion paper looking at ways to improve the regulatory framework for Tasmania's water and sewerage infrastructure has been released by the Tasmanian Government.

The Treasurer, Michael Aird, says it is part of the Government's plan to overhaul the provision of water and sewerage services, which includes taking the responsibility out of the hands of individual councils.

Mr Aird says the state's regulatory system is light-handed compared with other states.

"We need to improve that to meet modern standards and those standards relate to protection of consumers, independent price setting and making sure that the management of water and sewerage infrastructure leads to better public health, leads to better environmental outcomes and leads to better economic prospects for the future," he said.

A decision on the future of water and sewerage infrastructure is expected in February.

NOROC re-elects long serving president

Kyogle Mayor Ernie Bennett has been re-elected as president of the Northern Rivers Regional Organisation of Councils (NOROC).

The regional lobby group is made up of the mayors of seven councils and represents about 300,000 New South Wales north coast residents.

This will be Mr Bennett's fifth term as president.

He says one immediate focus is ensuring that pre-election promises of funding for the Pacific Highway are honoured.

"That's something that I guess was on our wish list, but came as a really pleasant surprise," he said.

"[In the] past NOROC had a commitment from government a long time ago, after the bus crashes actually, and that was not carried through. In this case, we intend to make sure we follow on and make sure that government sticks to the promise they made."

Brisbane's booming population

A new report has forecast massive population and jobs growth in Brisbane over the next 20 years.

The National Institute of Economic and Industrial Research paper was compiled for the Queensland Council of Mayors and the State Government.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman says it has found that Brisbane's economy will grow from $89 billion last year, to an estimated $203 billion by 2026.

"That says that Brisbane really is on fire in an economic sense," he said.

"We're expecting 82 per cent jobs growth within our local government area between now and 2026, so it's an exciting time for the city but with those exciting benefits come some very significant challenges."

NT Chief Minister extends opportunities for local government consultation

Local government reforms will be open to consultation again, but the new NT Chief Minister's announcement has failed to satisfy critics of the changes.

The legislation was to be tabled in Parliament today, but Paul Henderson says it will now happen in February to allow more consultation and "fine tuning".

But Mr Henderson says the key elements of the reforms aren't negotiable. He says the legislation is written and ready to go, and he's decided to allow more time for consultation even though the timetable will remain the same.

"We will listen to Territorians and consider fine tuning the legislation."

More public meetings have been ruled out, with Mr Henderson arguing there have been more than 170 meetings already.

The politician who's been most critical of the amalgamations, the independent Member for Nelson Gerry Wood, is deeply unimpressed.

"The idea that people have been consulted is just wrong," he said.

"There has been one Government-run meeting in the Litchfield Shire in the last 11 months. Transition Committees which the Government's referring to are not open to the public unless you are invited.

"What I heard today was a combination of a big lie and big spin."

The Opposition Leader Jodeen Carney says it is nothing more than a delaying tactic.

"The minister himself said that there would be no changes to the major reforms or the timeline. What does that tell you about the level of consultation that is seriously wanted or desired by this Government."

The business plans for the new shire councils will be made public in mid-December.

Neither the Chief Minister nor the Local Government Minister gave any examples of changes they would consider.

First bikie as mayor?

The Mayor of Glamorgan-Spring Bay on Tasmania's East Coast wants to become the first Australian mayor to have a motorbike as his official vehicle.

The newly elected Mayor, Bertrand Cadart says he is proud to be part of a "motorbike friendly" council and is testing a maxi scooter to see if he is able to use it to carry out his mayoral duties.

Councillor Cadart says he is not aware of any other council providing its mayor with two-wheel transport.

"So far it has been so good," he said.

"Of course I'm not sure how things will work when we will have visitors and dignitaries that I may have to cart around to show around the municipality but we also have a pool of cars and I can always borrow a car if need be."

Councillor Cadart says he prefers a motorbike to a car because it's cheaper and emits less greenhouse gas.

"Scooter uses about a third of what an average sedan uses in petrol, the cost of buying it is also about a third.

"The cost of maintaining it is also about a third and they pollute a lot less," he said.

SA Government to review Adelaide's urban boundary

The SA Government is considering submissions received on the proposed changes to Adelaide's urban boundary. Under the proposed changes, a total of almost 2,000 hectares of land would be brought inside the urban boundary, and earmarked for future development. This move will complement development on vacant land which already exists inside the boundary, and ongoing redevelopment in existing urban areas. For more information, including maps: click here

NSW Government to improve the NSW planning system (again?)

After what seems like an eternal review of the NSW planning system, the NSW Government has released yet another discussion paper on how it intends to improve the NSW planning system. The discussion paper, which contains more than 90 recommendations to improve the planning system was released last week by the NSW Department of Planning.

The discussion paper covers a wide variety of topics including plan-making, development assessment, exempt and complying development, e-planning, certification oversight, strata management and paper subdivisions.

The discussion paper includes new targets to reduce the processing times for development proposals and local plans. Public comment is welcome until 8 February 2008. For more information see www.planning.nsw.gov.au

Development Assessment Forum

DAF met recently in Perth under its new chair - Mr Peter Allen. Peter, Executive Director of the Victoria Department of Community Development and Planning has been the Victoria government representative for several years and is also a member of the Planning Officials Group (POG) that reports to the Local Government and Planning Ministerial Council.

The meeting priorities involved reviewing the ongoing work concerning the national RRIF funded eDA project and reviewing progress in the specific areas involving objectives, rules and tests, track based assessments and national benchmarking projects.

The Forum also discussed ways of potentially enhancing the Office of Small Business proposed guidelines for facilitating home business activity.

The meeting concluded with an agreement in principle for DAF to proceed to mark its' tenth anniversary by running or sponsoring a potential best practice DA conference or seminar series in the second half of next year.

DAF was established in 1998 to recommend ways to streamline development assessment and cut red tape - without sacrificing the quality of the decision making. It consists of some thirty members representing the three spheres of government - the Commonwealth, State/Territory and Local Government; the development industry; and related professional associations.

The next meeting of the Forum is planned to occur in March in Sydney.

NSW to overhaul infrastructure contributions

The NSW Premier on 12 October announced a comprehensive overhaul to the way that contributions from development in NSW are administered. State and local infrastructure contributions will now only fund attributable infrastructure and land requirements to support the development of land rather than infrastructure requirements driven by general population growth. On 6 November, the Department issued a Planning Circular to provide early advice to local councils, state agencies, industry and the community. Further advice will follow as the changes are implemented. For more information see website.

Work begins on Sydney's newest suburb

Work officially has commenced on Sydney's newest suburb - the first construction to start in the northwest or southwest growth centres. The Stonecutters Ridge development in the Colebee precinct, northwest of Blacktown will provide more than 800 lots and feature environmentally sustainable design. Sixty per cent of the 150-hectare site will be open space. For more information click here

Code of conduct for WA councillors

The Western Australian Local Government Association has begun implementing its new code of conduct for elected officials.

The code came into effect last month and was written to ensure councillors know how to avoid conduct that can lead to conflicts of interest and impropriety.

Newly-elected councillors from across the state are learning about the code for the next few days at the association's headquarters in Perth.

The association's president, Bill Mitchell, says sitting members would also receive instruction.

"This official code of conduct is the only one in Australia at the moment and councillors need to be very aware of that, put fines of up to $5,000 and or suspend councillors for up to five years, so there is a very clear line councillors cannot cross," he said.

Sunshine Coast continues protest

More than 500 people attended a rally in Noosa a few weeks ago to protest against the Queensland Government's planned amalgamation of the three Sunshine Coast councils.

Noosa residents fighting the forced reforms will this week begin door-knocking in the shire to encourage people to vote against the merger in next week's Federal Government-funded plebiscite.

The Friends of Noosa group is also seeking a royal commission into the reform process, but the Local Government Minister Warren Pitt says it is "wasting its breath".

The group's spokesman, Bob Ansett, says lobbying against the reforms will continue.

"We're going to be expending a great deal of breath to ensure that the pressure remains on this Government to call a royal commission," he said.

"In addition to that we'll be door-knocking, we'll also have representation at all the federal polling booths on federal election day because we want to see an absolute awesome response."

Adelaide City Council leads fight against homelessness

New apartments for the homeless and low income earners have been officially opened in Adelaide.

The 38 apartments are above the new Adelaide bus station in Franklin Street in the city.

They are part of the Common Ground project, supported by property developers, business, the South Australian Government and Adelaide City Council.

The project arose from the efforts of former thinker-in-residence Rosanne Haggarty, who runs similar projects in New York.

State of the Regions report 2006-07
Shadow Ministry announced

Warren Truss is the new Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Local Government. Barry Haase will be Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure, Roads and Transport and Sophie Mirabella is Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government.

General Assembly - Health and Ageing

This year's health and ageing session at the National General Assembly was titled "Policy to Action", and the session certainly provided a good insight into both the integration of policy development across council functions, as well as the practical ways that councils can achieve better health and ageing outcomes.

Ms Di Jay and Ms Anne Moroney of the Planning Institute of Australia provided a perspective on the importance of integrated planning for improved health and ageing outcomes within our built environments, with a particular focus on local government.

They also gave an overview of the "Healthy Spaces and Places", being undertaken jointly by The Planning Institute of Australia, the National Heart Foundation and the Australian Local Government Association with support from the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing.

The session provided details on the project outcomes to date, and how the national guidelines will be developed in consultation with local government and other stakeholders to provide resources for not only local government, but others who interact in the planning and development of our communities.

Mr John Kurko of the National Heart Foundation then provided a very useful presentation that provided "on ground" examples and case studies of how local governments can translate "Ageing Strategies" (such as those developed using the "Ageing Toolbox" initiative) and the healthier built environment principles being formulated under the "Healthy Spaces & Places" work, into tangible results within their communities.

The session also made many connections between the similarity of both policy and outcomes for health and ageing and those that could also be adopted into strategies to address climate change, again showing the integrated nature of planning and the ability to achieve results across the various functions of local government.

For further information on the session or any of the matters that were discussed please contact Mr Matt Lawrence on matt.lawrence@alga.asn.au

NGA resolutions available on-line

Adopt a humpback whale for coastal councils, mandatory labelling to reduce the volume of waste going to landfill, constitutional recognition, a fair share of taxation revenue, federal funding for public transport infrastructure, small motorbike noise control, telecommunications planning and towers, sporting infrastructure, childcare funding, housing affordability - these are just some of the issues discussed in the 63 motions debated at the National General Assembly.

Final resolutions from the NGA are available on the ALGA website

Calculating employees' super using ordinary time earnings

The Tax Office has announced that from 1 July 2008, all local government agencies, including government organisations, statutory authorities or municipal bodies, must use ordinary time earnings, as defined in the superannuation (super) guarantee law, to calculate super guarantee contributions for their employees. This ensures all employees are treated the same for super guarantee purposes.

Ordinary time earnings are generally what your employees earn for their ordinary hours of work, including:

  • over-award payments
  • commissions
  • allowances that relate to conditions of employment, and
  • paid leave.

Ordinary time earnings does not include overtime.

Some employees of local government agencies may have an alternative earnings base contained in:

  • an industrial award
  • an existing employment agreement
  • a fund's trust deed, or
  • a law of the Commonwealth, states or territories.

Alternative earnings bases may be used until 30 June 2008 but you will have to use ordinary time earnings as defined in the superannuation legislation from 1 July 2008.

What do you need to do as a local government agency?

You should:

  • check your payroll systems to see if you’re using an earnings base other than ordinary time earnings to calculate your super contributions. If the amount you pay is less than the minimum 9% required, you will have to increase this amount to meet the minimum and avoid paying the super guarantee charge to the Tax Office.
  • start to review your payroll systems now, to see if you need any modifications so you are ready for 1 July 2008.
  • check if you are paying bonuses to your employees. From 1 July 2008, you have to pay super guarantee on bonuses that relate to specific performance criteria.
  • check what is included or excluded from ordinary time earnings by referring to Using ordinary time earnings to calculate the super guarantee (NAT 10319) and using the 'Checklist for salary or wages and ordinary times earnings'. To obtain a copy visit our website and searching for 'ordinary time earnings'.
  • use ordinary time earnings to calculate super contributions for all your employees from 1 July 2008.

Example
Greg is the new finance officer at Local Council XYZ. One of Greg's responsibilities is to ensure that super is paid on behalf of Local Council XYZ's employees. Greg has also been asked to organise bonuses for some employees.
Greg is not sure what to include when calculating super guarantee contributions. He thinks that super guarantee contributions may need to be paid on bonuses or certain allowances and wants to ensure that super contributions are being calculated correctly.
Greg checks out the Tax Office website to find out what is included or excluded from ordinary time earnings when calculating super guarantee. Greg can then work out the correct amount of super guarantee to pay on behalf of Local Council XYZ's employees.

For more information on your super guarantee obligations:

  • visit www.ato.gov.au and go to For Businesses > Super essentials, or
  • phone 13 10 20, between 8am and 6.00pm, Monday to Friday.
NSW environment awards

Local Government's commitment to dealing with climate change has been highlighted as part of the annual Local Government Excellence in the Environment Awards in Sydney.

Randwick City Council took out the Climate Change Adaption and Mitigation Award for its Home Energy Makeover project - The first time climate change has been acknowledged through its own category.

President of the Local Government Association of NSW, Cr Genia McCaffery said the calibre of entries was further evidence that Local Government is leading the charge on management of the environment.

"Councils are making leaps and bounds on environmentally sensitive and sustainable projects, with a particular focus on climate change," Cr McCaffery said.

"We realise the sustainability of our communities rests on our ability to protect our environments. In response councils are not only changing their operations and activities accordingly, but are educating their communities."

Clarence Valley Council was awarded the prestigious Local Sustainability Award, which recognises projects that make community operations and activities more environmentally sensitive.

Giving week

This week (December 3-9) is Australian Giving Week (proudly Supported by Westpac) with Honorary Patron Magda Szubanski (better known as Sharon from 'Kath and Kim') - the annual festival of giving designed to focus attention on the many ways that people can make a difference to the community.

All the details are loaded on the Giving Week website. There are tips for businesses, MPs, local councillors and the media on the site.

Litter and away from home training

A new Litter and Away from Home Training Program, developed and funded by the Packaging Stewardship Forum, is ready for rollout across Australia. Based on the highly successful BInS (Bin Infrastructure Systems) Training Program, the training has been revamped for delivery in two separate courses - public place recycling (for local government) and events recycling (for events organisers/local and state government officers).

The training program:-

  • Takes participants step by step through the principles, concepts and systems of reducing litter, minimising waste and recovering valuable resources through away from home recovery systems
  • Helps participants gain the practical knowledge, understanding and confidence to enable them to implement effective litter and resource recovery systems at events or in public places

General information

  • It is FREE to attend the training
  • Each session is a full one day of training
  • Sessions are for up to a maximum of 15 participants
  • Training will be delivered by Sustainable Learning Australasia, a recognised industry specialist in the provision of waste management and resource recovery training.
  • There are two session modules (Events or Public Place Recycling) and dates for 2008 are listed below
  • Venue details for the sessions will be confirmed early in 2008 and provided to those who have registered
  • We urge anyone interested in taking up this opportunity to register with Lorraine Stark at SLA via lorraine@sustainablelearning.com.au

Sessions

Location Module Date
Hobart Events Recycling 13 February, 2008
Melbourne Events Recycling 19 February, 2008
Melbourne Events Recycling 20 February, 2008
Sydney Events Recycling 4 March, 2008
Hunter Events Recycling 5 March, 2008
Perth Events Recycling 12 March, 2008
Perth Public Place Recycling 13 March, 2008
Darwin Events Recycling 2 April, 2008
Darwin Public Place Recycling 3 April, 2008
Brisbane Events Recycling 7 May, 2008
Brisbane Public Place Recycling 8 May, 2008
Canberra Events Recycling 21 May, 2008

For more information on the training please call Lisa Shadforth (SLA) on 1300 799 938 .

New Treasurer calls for community input into next year's Federal Budget

The new Federal Treasurer has invited Australian families, individuals, business and community groups to submit their ideas for the Government's first Budget.

Given Australia is entering a period where the nation is facing significant challenges such as "fighting inflation, tackling climate change and securing water, making Australia's workforce the most highly skilled in the world, lifting workforce participation and productivity in the face of an ageing population, delivering modern infrastructure and a world-class broadband network", the Treasurer says community views are critical considerations for the Government when forming its policies.

In order to allow views to feed into the Budget process, the Treasurer has asked that interested parties lodge submissions as soon as possible, and before Friday, 18 January 2008. ALGA will be lodging a submission outlining local government's national priorities as contained in the '10-Point Plan to Reinvigorate Local Communities.'

Australian population passes 21 Million

Australia's population has cracked the 21 million mark, official ABS figures show.

The estimated population as at June 20, 2007 was 21,017,200.

An extra 315,700 people in the three months to June 30 pushed Australia's population growth rate to 1.5 per cent.

Western Australia was the fastest expanding of the states and territories, recording a 2.3 per cent growth rate.

Queensland grew at 2.2 per cent, the Northern Territory two per cent, ACT 1.7 per cent, Victoria 1.5 per cent, NSW 1.1 per cent, South Australia one per cent and Tasmania, 0.7 per cent.

Immigration accounted for 56 per cent of Australia's growth, while 272,900 births minus 134,800 deaths made up 44 per cent of the increase.

Australia's fertility rate is on the rise, with 272,900 babies born in the year to June the highest ever annual number of births.

The fertility rate climbed to 1.85 births per woman, the highest rate in 14 years.

Climate conference opens in Bali

The two week Bali conference, to be attended by delegates from a majority of nations around the world, will be the most important since the negotiation of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997.

Its aim is to deliver a blueprint for a new global agreement to reduce greenhouse gases that must be in place before the protocol's first phase ends in 2012.

Following the Rudd Government's decision to ratify Kyoto, Australia will be sending one of its biggest ministerial delegations ever to an international summit.

The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, will attend with Treasurer Wayne Swan, and the Ministers for Environment, Peter Garrett, Climate change, Penny Wong, and Trade, Simon Crean.

Mr Crean will fly to Bali this week for exploratory talks on a global carbon trading scheme.

The UN climate change conference will be held in Bali from 3 to 14 December. At the end of the conference the informal dialogue on long-term cooperative action among the 192 Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will formally end.

Hobart wins design award for public WC

The Hobart City Council has won a national award for the way it has designed the toilets at Cornelian Bay.

The new building has won the 'Universal Design for Public Amenities' prize at the 2007 National Awards for Local Government in Canberra.

After consultation, the Council built a structure to fit the coastal nature of the area, moving it closer to children's play equipment and a nearby restaurant in a highly visible location.

The building is described as contemporary, with a clean, open layout, taking maximum advantage of light and using a smaller building footprint.

The Lord Mayor, Rob Valentine says given the favourable reaction, Council is looking to use the design elsewhere in the city.

Quote of the week

"Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest."
Mark Twain

International news  

On 14 November, the European Commission launched a six-week-long internet-based call for evidence on the economics of biodiversity loss. Following commitments made at the G8+5 meeting of Environment Ministers in Potsdam in March 2007, the Commission is supporting Germany with the preparatory work for a Review on the Economics of Biodiversity Loss. The Review will be carried out by an independent economist who will be appointed as study leader.

The Review will evaluate the costs of the loss of biodiversity and the associated decline in ecosystem services worldwide. It will consider the failure to take protective measures, versus the costs of effective conservation and sustainable use. While there are many reasons why preventing biodiversity loss should be addressed as a political priority, when the G8+5 ministers endorsed the Postdam Initiative they concluded that it was essential to have an objective assessment of the economic arguments.

The Review will sharpen awareness of the value of biodiversity, and it is intended that the findings will facilitate the development of cost-effective policy responses. The results of the call for evidence will contribute to a preparatory report on the Review to be presented at the Ninth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Bonn, Germany in May 2008.

For More information click here at: