Australian Local Government Association

Main story. Leading local government groups to form compact on key goals
16 December 2005
ALGA President, Cr Paul Bell, convened a roundtable meeting of local government organisations in Sydney last Friday in a bid to better coordinate lobbying efforts at the national level. …

Main story. Vaile flags more R2R regional funds
9 December 2005
The Australian Government would "almost certainly need to invest more money" in the strategic component of the AusLink/Roads to Recovery program in the coming years, Deputy Prime Minister, Mark Vaile, told the National Press Club on Wednesday. The comments earned quick praise from ALGA President, Cr Paul Bell. …

Main story. Labor canvasses 'new deal' for local government
2 December 2005
The Labor Party has flagged major changes to the system of financial assistance grants for local government, possibly replacing it with a new system altogether. The changes have been floated in a policy options paper on housing, urban development and local government - Australia's Future Cities (PDF 900 kb) - released yesterday by the shadow minister for these portfolios, Senator Kim Carr. …

Main story. Beazley's nation-building blueprint
25 November 2005
A future federal Labor government would establish a statutory authority - Infrastructure Australia - to develop a coordinated and objective approach to longer-term planning and development of nationally significant infrastructure, Labor Leader Kim Beazley said yesterday. He was releasing Labor's "National Building Blueprint", his fourth policy statement since becoming leader in January this year. …

Main story. IGA over first hurdles
18 November 2005
The development of an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) to stop cost shifting moved a step forward this week. A drafting group charged with producing a first cut of the IGA is understood to have made solid progress when it met in Melbourne on Monday. The drafting group consists of two representatives from each sphere of government - local, state/territory and federal. …

Main story. Campaign launched - 600 rally for fair funding
11 November 2005
More than 600 local council leaders and representatives from across the country rallied at the National General Assembly in support of fair funding, fair treatment and formal recognition of local government. The rally condemned the practice of cost shifting by state and federal governments, a practice that costs local government between $500m and $1.1bn each year. …

Main story. Rally for fair funding, fair treatment and formal recognition
4 November 2005
Around 600 delegates from councils the length and breadth of the nation will gather in Canberra next week for the 12th National General Assembly of Local Government. A highlight will be a rally of delegates on Tuesday to support the case for fair federal funding for local government, fair treatment by putting an end to cost shifting and formal recognition within the Australian Constitution. …

Main story. Lord Mayors join ALGA in call for fair funding
28 October 2005
The Council of Capital City Lord Mayors has today joined with ALGA to call for a fair share of national taxation revenue for local government. The Lord Mayors supported the call at their meeting in Canberra today. ALGA has been calling on the Australian Government to replace the current system of financial assistance grants (FAGs) with a system based on a share of at least one per cent of national taxation revenue. …

Main story. ALGA wins on waste study
21 October 2005
The Productivity Commission will examine the way Australia manages its waste and products over their life-cycle, a move strongly applauded by ALGA President, Cr Paul Bell. The study was announced yesterday by Federal Treasurer, Peter Costello, and Environment Minister, Ian Campbell. …

Main story. States rolling in revenue while councils miss out
14 October 2005
State governments received $35bn in GST revenues in 2004-05, giving them a "windfall" of around $2bn over and above the revenue they would have received under the "old system" of financial assistance grants, the Federal Treasurer told Parliament this week. Queensland had received the largest windfall, $7.328bn, some $768m over and above the amount it would have received under the old system. …

Main story. Council call-to-arms - rally in Canberra!
7 October 2005
ALGA President Cr Paul Bell has called on all councils to rally in Canberra next month to send a clear message to state and federal governments - local government is facing severe financial pressure and needs concerted action to get it fixed. "All councils are urged to attend the National General Assembly of Local Government in Canberra (7-10 November)," Cr Bell said. …

Main story. Closer involvement for councils in security issues
30 September 2005
Local government will participate in the development of a national code of practice for CCTV, be more closely involved in counter-terrorism exercises and will be kept informed in the event of any national emergency. These were among the key outcomes for local government at this week's special meeting of the Council of Australian Governments in Canberra. …

Main story. Costello calls for pre-Budget submissions
23 September 2005
ALGA has begun work on its annual pre-Budget submission to the Australian Government. The Federal Treasurer, Peter Costello, this week invited submissions from individuals, business and community groups on priorities for the 2006-07 Federal Budget, to be brought down next May. …

Main story. Truss, Crean to attend Regional Forum
16 September 2005
The Minister for Transport and Regional Services the Hon Warren Truss, MP, and Shadow Minister for Regional Development, the Hon Simon Crean, MP, will address delegates at this year's Regional Cooperation and Development Forum. The Regional Forum is held in conjunction with National General Assembly of Local Government in Canberra from 7-10 November. This will be their first address at General Assembly since the appointment to their respective regional development portfolios. …

Main story. ALGA VP to address first National Speakers Series
9 September 2005
ALGA Vice-President, Cr Geoff Lake, will address the opening event of the National Speakers Series, 'A Community for All Ages - Building the Future' in Sydney on 27 September. The National Speakers Series is an Australian Government initiative, supported by several partners including ALGA. …

Main story. National General Assembly - Partnerships the key
2 September 2005
This year's National General Assembly to be held in Canberra, 7-10 November, will demonstrate local government's wide-ranging partnerships - with other spheres of government, communities and businesses. ALGA's strong relationship with the Australian Government will be highlighted, with no less than four sessions that promote our positive collaboration. …

Main story. Wide-ranging roundtable finds common ground
26 August 2005
This week Federal Local Government Minister Jim Lloyd met with ALGA President, Cr Paul Bell and the presidents of the state and territory local government associations in Adelaide for their annual roundtable. The roundtable discussions covered a range of matters of concern to the Commonwealth and local government including the progress on implementing policies agreed in the government response to the Fair Share Report into cost-shifting, roads and transport issues, local government funding and policy proposals for future local government grant programs. …

Main story. Positive meeting with PM
19 August 2005
ALGA President, Cr Paul Bell, met with the Prime Minister this week on a variety of important issues facing local government. In a lengthy and congenial meeting Cr Bell and the Prime Minister discussed how local government can complement the counter-terrorism measures being adopted by the Australian Government. It was acknowledged that local government can play an important role in promoting community cohesion and inclusiveness. …

Main story. Councils key to harmony, ALGA to tell COAG security summit
12 August 2005
ALGA will highlight the key role played by councils in promoting community harmony and preventing alienation of ethnic minorities at a special meeting of the Council of Australian Governments in late September called to consider counter terrorism arrangements in wake of the London bombings. ALGA President, Cr Paul Bell, said he would outline the exemplary work being done by councils to promote inclusiveness and social cohesion within local communities. …

Main story. Cost shift IGA gets green light from ministers
5 August 2005
The campaign by ALGA and state associations to stop cost shifting took a leap forward yesterday when state and federal local government ministers agreed to progress work on an intergovernmental agreement to address the problem. The Local Government and Planning Ministers Council (of which ALGA is a full member) agreed to the development of an IGA that will help ensure fair treatment of local government in its financial dealings with its state and federal counterparts. …

Main story. Moment of truth: ALGA to press case for IGA 'with teeth'
29 July 2005
ALGA will press home the case for the development of a meaningful intergovernmental agreement to address cost shifting at next Thursday's joint meeting of Australia's local government, planning and housing ministers. The Ministers will meet in Melbourne to consider a range of issues including the Australian Government's response to the Fair Share report on cost shifting. Ministers will also consider the 'leading practice' model for development applications, the impact of demographic change on councils in high growth areas and a framework for national action on housing affordability. …

Main story. Knowles backs councils on planning powers
22 July 2005
NSW Planning Minister Craig Knowles has supported the role of councillors in planning decision-making and questioned the concept of development assessment panels, as sought by developers. Mr Knowles told a Property Council of Australia meeting this week, "Should you trust local councillors to approve development or should it be delegated to a panel of experts? ..." …

Feature story. ALGA working party pursues cost shifting, fair funding
15 July 2005
ALGA President Cr Paul Bell has established a working party to further develop the strategic approach to the intergovernmental agreement on cost shifting. The working party - which comprises representatives from all state and territory local government associations - met in Melbourne this week to consider the Australian Government's response to the Fair Share report and ALGA's plans to take local government's case forward. In relation to cost shifting, the government's response to the Fair Share report opened the way for the development of an intergovernmental agreement (IGA). …

Feature story. ALGA to develop unified national transport strategy
8 July 2005
Delegates at this week's National Local Roads and Transport Congress have backed the call of ALGA President, Paul Bell, for a unified, national local government transport strategy. Delegates resolved to call on ALGA to develop the strategy based on four key elements. …

Feature story. Labor reshuffle: O'Brien, Carr key players for councils
1 July 2005
Last Friday's reshuffle of Labor Party portfolios has seen significant changes of relevance to local government. Former local government spokesman, Senator Kerry O'Brien, has been promoted to the transport portfolio. His place has been taken by Senator Kim Carr, who becomes shadow minister for housing, urban development, local government and territories. …

Main story. Lloyd tables Fair Share response
24 June 2005
Developing an intergovernmental agreement to help stop cost shifting to local government, a Productivity Commission study on barriers to local government revenue raising, and recognition of local government by Federal Parliament are key features of the Australian Government's response to a House of Representatives report on local government, announced yesterday by the Minister for Local Government, Jim Lloyd. …

Main story. Bell, Lloyd meet again on IGA, Fair Share
17 June 2005
As the Australian Government's response to the Fair Share report draws closer, ALGA President Paul Bell has again met Federal Local Government Minister Jim Lloyd to press the case for a robust intergovernmental agreement on cost shifting. ALGA wants a meaningful agreement that will include measures to discourage cost shifting and establish a set of principles to guide financial relations between local government and its federal and state counterparts. …

Main story. Congestion, freight, funding key issues for Roads Congress
10 June 2005
Congestion, freight and funding will be among the key issues at ALGA's 6th National Local Roads and Transport Congress, to be held at the Hotel Grand Chancellor Convention Centre in Launceston on 3-5 July. More than 500 delegates from councils across Australia are expected to take part in the Congress and help shape local government's future transport agenda. …

Main story. National report flags roads 'strategy'
3 June 2005
The idea of a national local government roads strategy has been floated in the annual Local Government National Report, recently tabled in Federal Parliament by Local Government Minister Jim Lloyd. The 2003-04 report says local government "could set itself a national goal to mange its local road in a fit-for-purpose condition by 2008-09, erasing the $344m local road deficit". …

Main story. ALGA to press for an IGA "with teeth"
27 May 2005
ALGA will press for an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) on cost shifting that includes compliance measures to help put an end to a practice that is estimated to cost local government between $500m and $1.1bn a year. The ALGA Board yesterday opted for an allocative model for the IGA which includes: …

Main story. Senate committee gives green light to AusLink, R2R
20 May 2005
A Senate committee has given the green light to the AusLink enabling legislation now before Federal Parliament. The rural, regional and transport legislation committee reviewed the AusLink bills that establish the AusLink land transport initiative, including the second phase of the Roads to Recovery program (R2R2). …

Main story. Election commitments met in full
13 May 2005
Election commitments to local government totalling hundreds of millions of dollars were met in full in this week's Federal Budget. This included $1.2bn for the renewed Roads to Recovery program, $30m for council emergency management capacity grants, $43.6m for a red tape reduction incentive program and $15m for the council rural infrastructure medical infrastructure fund. …

Main story. Budget to deliver election commitments
6 May 2005
Next Tuesday's Federal Budget would focus 'very heavily' on delivering election commitments, Federal Treasurer, Peter Costello has confirmed this week. ALGA will publish a summary of Budget highlights for local government on the night of the Budget - Tuesday 10 May. More detailed analysis and state by state funding tables will be published on Wednesday 11 May. …

Main story. Pressure mounts for PPP tax solution
29 April 2005
Pressure is mounting on the Australian Government to come to an acceptable compromise on planned changes to the way privately funded infrastructure projects (PPPs) are taxed. The Government wants to reduce the ability of the private sector to access tax deductions arising from involvement in the growing number of PPPs. …

Main story. Anderson canvasses the big issues
22 April 2005
Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson has acknowledged the increasing financial pressure on councils. In a wide ranging speech to the Local Government Association of Queensland's infrastructure conference in Brisbane on Monday, Mr Anderson said the role of local authorities "has expanded significantly over the last few decades and there has been considerable devolution of functions by state governments". But these new functions had not been accompanied by appropriate state funding despite the "enormous windfall" the states are receiving from the new tax system – an additional $16bn over the next five years. …

Main story. ALGA releases ageing survey
15 April 2005
ALGA has today released the results of a new survey on ageing and local government. The survey has found a high level of awareness among councils of population ageing and the impacts it will have on their municipalities. The survey found that councils have begun to respond to the impacts of population ageing. …

Main story. ALGA pursues public health partnerships with Feds
8 April 2005
ALGA is to lobby the Federal Health Minister, Tony Abbott, to develop a public health partnership between federal and local government. The plan, set out in ALGA's Federal Budget submission, calls for 25 public health packages - each worth $800,000 over four years - to be offered to councils, or groups of councils, on a competitive basis. Each package would require successful applicants to design and deliver local or regional public health outcomes. …

Main story. 'Something of a hole' in water fund
1 April 2005
Medium sized water projects may find it hard to attract funding from the Australian Government's $2bn water fund, ALGA President, Cr Paul Bell, told the National Water Summit in Sydney this week. Cr Bell said the Australian Water Fund was a welcome and much needed initiative, but it would largely fund very large projects of national significance at one end and much smaller, community projects at the other. Local government would be able to access small community water grants and was eligible to compete for major project funding. …

Main story. Constitutional recognition tops Commonwealth agenda
24 March 2005
The principles, set out in the Aberdeen Agenda for Local Democracy and Good Governance, were endorsed by the Commonwealth Local Government Forum, of which ALGA is a member, on Friday. The conference brought together more than 500 local government leaders, senior officials and 20 national ministers from across the Commonwealth. The 'Aberdeen Agenda' will be presented to Commonwealth Heads of Government at their next meeting in Malta in November.…

Main story. ALGA calls for national approach on treated pine logs
18 March 2005
The national regulator of agricultural chemicals said this week that it could not be satisfied that there wasn't a risk for people, particularly children, who had frequent and close exposure to treated timber used in play equipment, outside seating and domestic decking. The Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicines Authority - an Australian Government agency - on Wednesday released its final report on copper chrome arsenate in treated pine products. The Authority will move to phase out the use of CCA treated timber products for such uses by March next year. But it did not make a ruling on the removal of existing equipment, saying that was not its job. Instead it will provide research to councils, schools and childcare centres to help them decide what to do. …

Main story. Senate reviews AusLink bills
11 March 2005
A Senate committee has begun its review of the AusLink enabling legislation now before Federal Parliament. The rural, regional and transport legislation committee will scrutinise the two bills that establish the AusLink land transport initiative, including the second phase of the Roads to Recovery program (R2R2). The committee is to report by 12 May with submissions due by 24 March. The committee will examine a range of issues including the suggested extension of the criteria for R2R2 projects to include public transport, cycling, walking infrastructure and regional airport runways as proposed by Labor prior to the last election. ALGA is preparing a submission which will highlight the immense value of the R2R program in reducing the rate of decline in local roads and call for a seamless transition from the current program to the new one, scheduled to commence on 1 July this year. …

Main story. July start for council rural health fund
4 March 2005
A July start date has been set for the Australian Government's $15m infrastructure fund to assist councils establish and maintain premises and equipment to help keep health professionals in the bush. ALGA joined forces with the Rural Doctors Association to successfully lobby for this initiative in the lead up to last year's federal election campaign. Guidelines for the program will be announced with the Federal Budget in May. Funding of $5m a year will be available over three years. ALGA is liaising with state associations on the Australian Government's proposed format for the program. ALGA President, Cr Paul Bell, said this was an "excellent start" to help councils that are forced to dig into their own funds to keep health professionals in country communities. …

Main story. DAF agrees to disagree on call in powers
18 February 2005
The Development Assessment Forum met in Canberra yesterday to continue work towards the development of the so-called leading practice model for development assessment. The latest draft follows an extensive four month consultation undertaken last year. The Forum has been revising the model over the past nine months, in an attempt to make it acceptable to all DAF members, including local government, professional groups and building industry representatives. One of the major sticking points is a building industry push to curb the involvement of councillors in determining DAs. …

Main story. ALGA survey highlights pressure on coastal councils
11 February 2005
Nearly 90% of coastal councils experienced population increases over the past five years and of these, more than half have experienced annual growth rates over 4%, according to the 2004-05 National NRM suvey of coastal councils report released by ALGA today. In addition, 67% of councils have been dealing with pressure from increased tourism. On average, coastal shires in Victoria must plan for their population to increase by 250% during peak tourism periods, placing significant pressure on the local community who must provide the services and infrastructure the tourists demand. …

Main story. ALGA calls for extra $400m for councils
4 February 2005
ALGA has called on the Australian Government to replace financial assistance grants to local government with a 1% share of national taxation revenue, providing Australia's 675 councils with access to much needed growth revenue. The call comes in ALGA's submission on the 2005-06 Federal Budget, lodged with the Australian Government this week. Such a move would increase payments to local government from $1.61 billion to $2.01 billion in 2005-06 - an increase of $400m in the first year.

Main story. Honours for 26 from local government
28 January 2005
ALGA President Paul Bell was among 26 Australians to receive awards in the Australia Day honours list. Cr Bell, who is also President of the Local Government Association of Queensland, became a Member in the Order of Australia (AM). Four other AM recipients were the Mayor of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Ron Yuryevich, Mrs Peggy Parkin (WA), Mrs Florence Pens (SA) and Mr Herman Weber (SA). Nineteen others received Medals of the Order of Australia (OAM), including eight from NSW, four from SA, three from WA, two from Tasmania and one each from Queensland and Victoria. Two others, Mr James Gott (Qld) and Mr Kerry Graham (WA), received the Public Service Medal. ALGA has extended its congratulations to all award recipients. Since 1975, some 14,000 Australians have been recognised for their service to Australia or to humanity through the Order of Australia.

Main story. Tsunamis: councils urged to register.
21 January 2005
ALGA encourages councils wanting to assist communities devastated by the Indian Ocean tsunamis to register their interest with us via our tsunami response website. Local government's best response in the short term is to facilitate community fundraising activities to established charities and aid agencies with capacity on the ground. Individuals with specific skills wanting to volunteer their services can link via this webpage to Australian Volunteers International and RedR.