News

Nothing in Federal Budget for major council infrastructure fund

A program that has provided more than $1 billion in infrastructure funding for local government around Australia seems certain to be wound up.

No funding has been allocated in the 2010-2011 Federal Budget for the Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program.

The program, launched in late 2008, is set to end on June 30 this year despite lobbying from the local government sector to continue the funding to overcome the backlog of infrastructure projects facing councils in all states.

A spokesperson for Federal Infrastructure, Transport and Local Government Minister, Anthony Albanese, says no extra funding has been made available for the program because there is about $120 million still unused under the second round of funding.

The spokesperson refused to comment on whether further funding would be made available once the $120 million was used.

The Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program was announced by the Prime Minister at the Australian Council of Local Government inaugural meeting in November 2008 as part of the government's economic stimulus plan.

Since its inception, the program has made more than $1 billion available to local government authorities to build and modernise community infrastructure.

The Australian Local Government Association says future investment in community infrastructure should be on the Federal Government’s agenda as the budget is restored to surplus.

President of the ALGA, Geoff Lake, says the allocation of $1 billion under the economic stimulus package was a good start, but the local government sector needs an ongoing program to boost infrastructure once a budget surplus has been achieved.

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Councils to receive $2 billion in Financial Assistance Grants

Councils across Australia will receive $2 billion in Financial Assistance Grants and $350 million through the Roads to Recovery program in 2010-2011, according to the Federal Budget.

The $2 billion in FAGs is nearly $100 million more than last year’s entitlement and is the biggest level of FAG funding on record.

The Federal Government will again bring forward the first quarterly payment of the grants, worth an estimated $511 million, into 2009-10, a move that has been welcomed by the Australian Local Government Association.

President of the ALGA, Geoff Lake, says bringing forward the first quarterly payment from August to June will help to smooth councils’ cash flows, especially rural and regional councils which rely heavily on the grants. The grants allocations to local governments are:

• $683 million for councils in New South Wales and the ACT;
• $481 million for Victoria;
• $406 million for Queensland;
• $243 million for Western Australia;
• $153 million for South Australia, including nearly $15.5 million for supplementary local roads funding;
• $65 million for Tasmania; and
• $29 million for the Northern Territory.

Roads to Recovery funding allocations for each local government can be viewed on the website here. Over five years, the current Roads to Recovery program is expected to deliver $1.75 billion towards councils' road projects.

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Funding for new national waste policy

The Federal Government will invest $23 million over five years to deliver Australia’s new National Waste Policy.

Environment Protection Minister, Peter Garrett, says the funds will assist in delivering a national regulatory framework for television and computer recycling and other product stewardship schemes.

Mr Garrett says other priorities for what he describes as the “landmark” policy will include ways to cut red tape preventing the use of waste as a resource, promoting sustainable procurement by governments, developing a national data system to monitor waste and better management of hazardous substances.

He says the federal, state and territory governments have agreed on the need to be smarter and more innovative in the way they deal with Australia’s growing mountain of waste.

Mr Garrett says the new National Waste Policy will improve they way they deal with waste, help industry take greater responsibility, increase community access to recycling facilities and improve the way in which hazardous waste is managed. For more information on the National Waste Policy visit the website here.

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Coastal councils prepare to exert their influence on Federal election

The National Sea Change Taskforce is mobilising coastal councils to raise awareness among Federal MPs who will be standing for re-election of the challenges facing coastal communities.

Taskforce chairman, Barry Sammels, says coastal councils are being called on to support an advocacy campaign for the coming Federal election that will involve promoting taskforce policy initiatives with candidates and sitting members in coastal electorates.

Mr Sammels says the initiative is aimed at gaining the support of all political parties for measures necessary to address the “complex and difficult pressures facing coastal councils and communities”. He says the large number of coastal electorates currently held by narrow margins suggests that all parties are likely to respond to the advocacy campaign.

The taskforce is preparing an Advocacy Campaign Toolkit which will soon be distributed to all member councils – the toolkit is designed to be used in conjunction with a Coastal Policy Framework which outlines major policy initiatives.

The framework will shortly be available here on the taskforce website.

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2010 Benchmarking Best Practice in Local Government Conference

Australia’s peak annual conference for local government organisational development and performance improvement

• Wednesday, July 7 to Thursday, July 8, 2010
• Venue: Novotel Brighton Beach, Sydney (close to airport)
  
• Agenda available at: www.halledit.com.au/bestprac2010/agenda

Leading-edge local government performance improvement strategies, organisational development programs and tactics to become an “employer of choice” will be among topics discussed at next week's 2010 Benchmarking Best Practice in Local Government Conference.

The CEOs and senior managers of some of Australia’s most innovative councils will address this annual national conference, to be held in Sydney on July 7 & 8.

Speakers will provide local government managers with detailed information about the management tools and initiatives being successfully used by leading councils to increase organisational performance and efficiency, cut costs and improve service delivery.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Mark Searle, City of Marion CEO and Chair of the Local Government Business Excellence Network.
  
• Dave Walker, General Manager of The Hills Shire, who will detail how his council is adopting the Six Sigma management framework.
  
• James Trail, CEO of the Shire of Kalamunda, who will reveal how the shire has developed a leading-edge performance management framework.
• Aaron Jones, General Manager, Blayney Shire.
• Fred Warner, Manager People, Performance and Organisational Culture at Moonee Valley City Council, who will detail how the council is well on its way to becoming an ‘Employer of Choice’.
• Ken Wallis, Manager Learning & Development, City of Boroondara.
• Philippa McNally, Coordinator Quality Systems at Rockdale City Council.
• Jan Lawson, City of Stonnington’s Manager Human Resource Management & Organisational Development.
• Monica Sidhu, Manager Communications & Change, Central Highlands Regional Council.

The 3rd Annual Benchmarking Best Practice in Local Government Conference will focus on local government best practice in areas such as: organisational development and performance improvement; staff productivity & workforce culture; management structures & systems; financial management; technology implementation; and sustainability improvements

In recognition of this conference serving as a key national forum for discussions on local government innovation and best practice, this year’s conference will be followed by a meeting of councils participating in the Local Government Business Excellence Network, which will also be held at the Novotel Brighton Beach. This venue is very close to Sydney’s airport, allowing interstate attendees to quickly fly in and out to attend the conference.

Conference attendance enquiries should be directed to: Denise McQueen, Hallmark Conferences + Events, Ph: (03) 8534 5021; Email: denise.mcqueen@halledit.com.au.

Further information, including access to online registration, is available on the conference website www.halledit.com.au/bestprac2010.

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New push to further extend Roads to Recovery program

The Australian Local Government Association has commissioned a study into the state of local roads across Australia as part of its efforts to have the Roads to Recovery program extended beyond 2014.

The ALGA has engaged consultancy Jeff Roorda and Associates to undertake the study.

ALGA President, Geoff Lake, says the findings of the research will be used to put a business case to the Federal Government to extend Roads to Recovery. Cr Lake says solid data on the deficiencies of the local road network is needed to reinforce the case for extending the program and a sample of councils will be approached for information.

The number of councils that will be involved in the study and the time-frame of the research are still being determined by the ALGA. However, the association does expect to report the findings to its annual Roads and Transport Congress in October this year.

News of the push to extend Roads to Recovery follows a recommendation to the Federal Government that it needs to strengthen the governance framework of the national local road funding program.

The Australian National Audit Office made the recommendation after conducting an audit of the program that found many councils had taken advantage of it to cut back on their own road spending.

The audit focused on aspects of the program which involved the allocation of $1.537 billion to councils between July 2005 and June 2009. It found a “significant number” of councils did not maintain their expenditure in one or more of those years and some councils failed to maintain spending in any year.

The audit said a fundamental principle of the Roads to Recovery Program was that funding provided to councils was to be additional to their existing road funding.

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Work under way to devise new national road safety strategy

State and federal governments have commenced work to design a new 10-year National Road Safety Strategy, with the current strategy due to conclude by the end of this year.

Consultation with the local government sector and other stakeholders is expected to be a key element of the process to develop the new strategy.

The new strategy will cover the years of 2011 to 2020. A recent meeting of Australia’s transport ministers saw agreement reached that the new strategy should set an ambitious long-term vision for road safety improvements, including the setting of national targets for reductions in serious injuries and fatalities.

State and federal transport ministers are expected to assess a draft version of the new strategy when they meet during the second half of this year.

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ICAC report shows councils more at risk of corruption

Councils in New South Wales are more vulnerable to corruption than state agencies, according to the most recent research by the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

ICAC’s Profiling the NSW Public Sector 11 Report 3: Differences between local and state government says councils face a wider range of corruption risks than the agencies, but appear less likely to use management controls that are important to sound corporate governance.

The commission says this makes councils more vulnerable to corruption.

It says councils’ increased vulnerability arises from the number of high-risk functions they perform and the business processes used to conduct the functions.

ICAC says the finding that councils appear less likely to use management controls that are important to sound corporate governance was observed across a range of management controls including audit mechanisms, risk management processes and fraud control plans.

The research shows 58% of councils had an audit plan compared with 92% of state agencies; 85% of councils had a risk management process compared with 95% of agencies; and 44% of councils had a fraud control plan compared with 62% of the agencies.

ICAC’s Deputy Commissioner, Theresa Hamilton, says the report notes that management controls are arguably more important in an environment where many corruption risks abound because of a greater need to prioritise and organise the management of corruption risk.

The report does show there several areas where councils appear to use a greater number of operational controls relevant to corruption prevention than agencies - they are in the areas of record keeping, gifts and benefits, and codes of conduct. For example, 95% of councils had a gift register compared with about 75% of state agencies. The report can be downloaded via the link here.

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Local Government Sustainable Development Conference 2010

August 24 - 25th 2010, Dockside Convention Centre, Sydney

~ PROVIDING SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT ~

The Local Government Sustainable Development Conference 2010 is the leading sustainable development conference for local government, with CEOs, Mayors, Councillors and senior managers from local councils around Australia attending each year.

The national Conference will showcase leading edge examples of outstanding environmental initiatives by Australian local governments, including the winners of the Australian Sustainable Cities Award and the International Liveable Cities Awards as well as international best practice case studies.

Topics will include:

• Climate change and energy efficiency
• Integrating sustainability into economic imperatives
• Future directions for asset management
• Practical approaches to water management
• Sustainable planning and urban design
• Waste management and resource recovery
• Land remediation
• Community engagement in environmental initiatives
• Green purchasing and procurement

Invited speakers include:

• Chris Davis, Commissioner, National Water Commission
• Cr Paul Bell, President, Local Government Association of Queensland
• Professor Peter Newman, Professor of Sustainability, Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute
• Professor Gary Jones, Chief Executive, eWater CRC
• Kelly Pearce, Assistant Secretary, Waste Policy Branch, Department of Environment and Heritage
• Rod Welford, CEO, Australian Council of Recyclers
• Dave West, Founder, Boomerang Alliance
• Pete Williams, CEO, Deloitte Digital
• Ian Blair, Director, Quadraco Asia-Pacific
• Martin Brennan, Deputy CEO, ICLEI Oceania
• Tom Roper, President, Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council
• Wayne Wescott, Chair, Local Government Task Group, Green Building Council of Australia
• Dr Ralf Haese, Project Leader, Coastal Research and Management, Geoscience Australia
• Sean Rooney, Sustainability Program Manager, Sinclair Knight Merz
• Marcus Spiller, Director, SGS Economics and Planning
• Dan Atkins, Managing Director, Shaper Group
• Cr Angelo Tsirekas, Mayor, City of Canada Bay
• Shayne Silcox, Chief Executive Officer, City of Melville
• Bob Gaussen, Managing Director, Review Today Pty Ltd
• Percy Allan, Research Director, Review Today Pty Ltd
• Michele Leembruggen, 1200 Buildings Program Coordinator, City of Melbourne
• Colin Pitman, Director, City Projects, City of Salisbury
• Charles Turner, Manager Asset Management, Bayside City Council
• Greg Hunt, Executive Officer, South East Councils Climate Change Alliance

REGISTRATIONS

Register now by going to http://www.halledit.com.au/lgsd2010 or contact Denise McQueen on 03 8534 5021 or denise.mcqueen@halledit.com.au

SPONSORSHIP/EXHIBITION

For sponsorship and exhibition enquiries, contact Brian Rault on 03 8534 5014 or email brian.rault@halledit.com.au

PLATINUM SPONSOR

SUPPORTING PARTNER

NETWORKING DRINKS SPONSOR

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Henry Tax Review serves as platform for debate on local government issues

State and national local government associations say the findings of the Henry Tax Review provide a platform for further consideration of a number of issues which directly impact on the local government sector.

The Australian Local Government Association and state associations are united in their reaction to recommendations in the review dealing with critical issues such as property rates, land tax, developer charges, road-user charging for heavy vehicles and zoning and planning.

The key recommendations of the review with relevance to local government are:

• Recommendation 120 - that the states should allow councils substantial autonomy in setting property rates;
• Recommendation 62 - that road-user charging for heavy vehicles be imposed with revenue going to asset owners, including councils;
• Recommendation 69 - that COAG review zoning and planning arrangements to ensure they do not inhibit housing supply and affordability; and
• Recommendation 70 - that COAG review infrastructure charges to ensure they are set appropriately and that they reflect the actual cost of developments.

President of the ALGA, Geoff Lake, says the association welcomes the Henry Review’s acceptance of the important role of developer charges to defray the costs of public infrastructure associated with new development. Cr Lake’s comments are backed by the Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW, which say developer levies play a key role in providing essential infrastructure.

The associations say the review recognises council rates are relatively efficient and fair, and serve as a stable source of revenue.

On the issue of road funding, Cr Lake says if road-user charging is to be progressed, local government must have access to new funding arrangements.

The ALGA and state local government associations say they were concerned about recommendations 52 and 53 - that state governments expand land tax to cover all landowners. They say local government believes state governments have over-reached into property tax and they have welcomed Canberra’s rejection of the recommendations.

The Local Government Association of Queensland says communities in the state’s resource regions are continuing to struggle with increased infrastructure costs and deserve to benefit from the Bligh Government’s allocation from the new resources tax. The Henry Review and the government’s response can be found here.

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Discussion paper poses questions about modenising NSW local government

The Local Government and Shires Associations of New South Wales have released a discussion paper which looks at key issues involved in modernising local government in the state.

The associations say the discussion paper is a key element of moves to assess how the local government sector deals with challenges that will arise in the next 20 years.

They say the paper, which can be downloaded here, encompasses a wide range of issues because councils are facing a variety of challenges.

The document deals with questions including:

• What reforms would help local government to remain democratic;
• What reforms are needed to help councils remain environmentally sustainable in the long term;
• What changes will help to ensure social justice and economic viability; and
• What reforms are needed to help with councils’ financial viability.

The associations say forums and focus groups will be organised to help gather feedback from councils on the questions raised in the discussion paper.

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Inquiry into Vic council regulations urges red tape to be cut

Victoria’s Competition and Efficiency Commission says there would be an annual cost saving to business of between $30 and $60 million if its draft recommendations on the impact of council regulations were adopted.

The commission has released a draft report after inquiring into how the administration of regulations by local councils impacts on the state’s businesses.

VCEC says adoption of the draft recommendations relating to land-use planning; building and construction; and procurement regulations would achieve the savings without any “degradation of regulatory outcomes”.

The commission says in some areas of regulation, particularly land-use planning, legitimate tensions exist between the objectives of the State Government and the interests of communities that councils represent.

It says a key objective of the investigation is to reconcile those differences without imposing unreasonable and significant costs on businesses in the process.

The commission says the State Government has a responsibility to make its regulatory objectives clear and to support councils as necessary. It says local government, in accepting the state’s broad objectives, needs to understand its own costs, improve its regulatory processes and avoid adding to state regulation.

VCEC says there is further scope to streamline land-use planning and enhance the capacity of local councils by permitting accredited private assessors to decide on simple planning applications, setting clearer timeframes and strengthening incentives for councils to implement best-practice planning processes.

The commission has set a deadline of June 22 for public responses to the draft report and recommendations. It is due to submit a final report to the Victorian Government by August 24. The draft report can be found here.

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NBN’s impact on councils analysed in next Councillor magazine

The likely ramifications for local governments of the roll-out of the National Broadband Network will be analysed in the next edition of Councillor magazine.

Australia’s national magazine for councillors and mayors will analyse how councils should expect to harness the economic development and technological opportunities that are likely to be available as a result of local communities having greater access to faster broadband services.

Other articles in Councillor magazine’s June/July edition will include analysis of the policy commitments being sought from major parties in the lead-up to the federal election by key local government lobby groups including the National Sea Change Taskforce and the newly-formed Rural Roads Group.

For information about how to subscribe to Councillor magazine, please phone Naomi Braham at Hallmark Editions on (03) 8534 5000, email naomi.braham@halledit.com.au or visit here.

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Sixty-five WA councils back structural reform

The Western Australian Government has announced that 65 of the state's councils support local government reform – and 60 of those councils are in non-metropolitan areas.

WA Local Government Minister, John Castrilli, has told Western Australia's Parliament that 22 of the councils which support amalgamation are blocked from moving ahead because of a lack of support from neighbouring councils.

Mr Castrilli says his department and the Western Australian Local Government Association will work with councils that have not been able to gain support for reform to see what steps can be taken to progress the reform process.

He says five councils within the south-east Avon region of the state’s Wheatbelt have agreed to form a Regional Transition Group to fully investigate amalgamation opportunities.

The group, consisting of Beverley, Cunderdin, Quairading, Tammin, and York, is the biggest of four groups of 11 councils that have agreed to prepare regional business plans with a view to amalgamating in 2013. Other councils taking the same step are Esperance and Ravensthorpe in the Goldfields-Esperance region; Brookton and Pingelly in the Wheatbelt; and Claremont and Cottesloe in Perth.

Those councils are in addition to the 10 local governments which have already decided to merge into four entities between 2011 and 2013.

WALGA President, Mayor Troy Pickard, says the association appreciates the opportunity to work with the State Government to achieve reform of the local government sector. Mayor Pickard says everyone recognises the need for reform in local government, and while progress is being made, much more needs to be done.

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Local Government Facilities Management Conference

• Wednesday 22nd - Thursday 23rd September, 2010
• Dockside Convention Centre, Sydney
• Visit www.halledit.com.au/lgfm

The national Local Government Facilities Management Conference will feature detailed case studies of leading-edge design, management and maintenance practices for local government buildings, recreational and community facilities, and open space areas.

This important event will also provide attendees with the latest information and advice about critical facilities management issues for councils, including funding, compliance, contracting and environmental sustainability.

At a time when councils are under increasing financial pressure to build and maintain facilities that meet local community demand, this conference will provide attendees with information and innovative ideas that they can readily apply within their own local government administrations.

This event will also provide excellent networking opportunities for local government managers to meet with their peers from councils across Australia and discuss common facilities management issues.

CALL FOR PAPERS:

If you would like to provide a presentation at the conference, please send a 200 word abstract plus any relevant documentation to the Conference Director, Ben Hutchison, at benh@halledit.com.au or call (03) 8534 5025. Please submit the paper by June 15, 2010.

For further information visit the conference website www.halledit.com.au/lgfm

Delegate attendance enquiries can be directed to: Denise McQueen, Hallmark Conferences + Events, Phone: (03) 8534 5021, Email: denise.mcqueen@halledit.com.au

For information about Sponsorship and Exhibition Opportunities contact: Ben Hutchison, Conference Convenor, Phone: (03) 8534 5025, Email: benh@halledit.com.au

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Property executive calls for national planning guidelines for councils

The Federal Government must implement a national system of planning guidelines for councils in order to overcome the inconsistencies that are plaguing housing development, according to an executive with the large property group Stockland.

Mark Hunter – Chief Executive, Residential, with Stockland – told a property conference that “inconsistency of process, inconsistency of standards and inconsistency of government levies” was severely frustrating the release and development of land for affordable housing.

Mr Hunter said there were 565 local government areas across Australia and developers were faced with adhering to nearly that many different planning standards, charges and processes.

He said politicians needed the “foresight, courage and leadership” to make the tough decisions to tackle housing affordability head-on. He believed that involved enacting a single, uniform standard across Australia to overcome inconsistency.

Mr Hunter said developer infrastructure contributions represented the largest planning-related cost and in some local government areas were completely untenable.

He said inconsistent levies muddied the development sector’s understanding of return on investment and stifled its ability to deliver affordable homes.

Mr Hunter acknowledged the New South Wales Government had introduced a cap on Section 94 developer contributions of around $20,000 per lot, but believed the decision was not materialising at ground level. He urged the government to refocus on delivering the initiative in the interests of improving affordability.

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MAV disappointed at Victorian budget of ‘missed opportunities’

The Victorian Government's State Budget has largely left councils to go “cap-in-hand” to ratepayers to meet the growing funding gap in areas of shared state and local government responsibility, according to the Municipal Association of Victoria.

MAV President, Bill McArthur, says the budget was election-friendly in the big ticket areas of community safety, health and education, but missed key opportunities to meet challenges facing local government in a number of basic areas.

Cr McArthur says the $14 million allocated to extend the building and expansion of kindergarten and childcare facilities is welcome, but much more federal and state government recurrent and capital funding is necessary to fix ageing facilities and deliver kindergarten and childcare reforms.

He says $3 million has been provided to extend the Living Libraries capital works program for another year, but the state’s recurrent funding has fallen well below 20%, leaving ratepayers to prop-up an increasingly popular library system.

Cr McArthur says council budgets are being placed under growing strain to respond to increased use of internet and wireless connections provided by libraries, as well as collections of CDs and DVDs used by the community.

He says local government has received $500,000 to help deliver Neighbourhood Safer Places (NSPs) in bushfire risk areas, but the funds won’t cover the costs of the state-imposed obligation on local government.

Cr McArthur says the maintenance of vegetation around the NSPs to meet radiant heat and defendable space criteria is of critical concern. He says the estimated cost of $40,000 per site in some rural areas is cost-prohibitive for many communities.

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Victorian budget to assist population growth in urban areas

Projects which Victoria’s Planning Minister, Justin Madden, says will help manage population growth and protect community lifestyles will be funded with a $72 million allocation from the 2010 State Budget.

Mr Madden says the budget package will deliver initiatives to encourage housing development close to job opportunities and projects in already built-up areas in Melbourne and regional Victoria.

He says the centerpieces of the package is the provision $10.4 million over four years to fund Central Activity Districts and Employment Corridors, and another $8.3 million over the same period to accelerate development in Activity Centres and “infill” sites within Melbourne.

Mr Madden says the Central Activity Districts, Employment Corridors and Activity Centres are strategies designed to direct commercial and residential development to appropriate areas. Other key budget funding initiatives are:

• $14 million over two years to revitalise suburban sports facilities and to encourage Victorians to join sports clubs;
• $9.5 million over five years for urban renewal in suburban Footscray;
• $4 million over two years to help sports clubs through the drought and to adapt to climate change;
• $4 million in grants for community infrastructure in growth areas; and
• $2.6 million for programs and community grants to preserve Victoria’s heritage.

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Experienced council CEO chosen as new ICLEI Oceania chief

The new CEO/Regional Director of ICLEI Oceania, Bill Forrest, brings 15 years of executive experience in local government to the sustainability organisation.

Mr Forrest, former Chief Executive Officer of Nillumbik Shire Council in Victoria, will take up his role in early May. He will replace Steve Gawler, who will return to his position as Director for ICLEI Oceania’s climate work in Indonesia.

Mr Forrest was selected ahead of candidates from around Australia and overseas. He says his ICLEI appointment will allow him to bring leadership skills and a passion for sustainability to a role that can really make a difference.

Mr Forrest says local government has an important role to play when it comes to sustainability and action on climate change. He says ICLEI has an equally important role in supporting councils to respond to ever-increasing challenges in service delivery and building community resilience.

While CEO of Nillumbik Shire, Mr Forrest led the council and community through the period following Victoria’s devastating Black Saturday bushfires in February 2009. The council was awarded a 2010 Premiers Sustainability Award for Local Government for its work on environmental and community recovery in the aftermath of the fires.

Mr Forrest has a Masters Degree in Urban Planning, a Bachelor of Social Work and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

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LGSA challenges performance of Joint Regional Planning Panels

Local government in New South Wales says a media statement by the State Planning Minister dealing with the turnaround times of assessment proposals by Joint Regional Planning Panels is nothing more than “spin”.

Minister, Tony Kelly, says the average total time for development applications valued over $5 million determined by the panels until the end of March was 114 days, far less than the 2008-2009 statewide average assessment time of 249 days.

The Local Government and Shires Associations have described the figures quoted by Mr Kelly as “self-serving exaggeration”.

The associations say the 249 days quoted by the Minister was the average gross determination time. They say when time taken for delays due to referrals to state agencies and for applicants to provide missing information was taken into account, councils were only responsible for 120 days of the process.

The associations say they are not surprised Mr Kelly’s department will hand back some of the planning powers taken from councils by the Joint Regional Planning Panels.

Genia McCaffery, President of the Local Government Association, says councils maintained from the beginning of the JRPP process that it was not simply a matter of councils being too political to handle larger-scale development applications.

Cr McCaffery says the panels took over a role that was generally handled well by councils, duplicated existing structures and added another layer of bureaucracy to the process.

Mr Kelly says planning powers will be returned to councils for a number of types of developments. These include council staff - who have an existing delegation from their council - to determine proposals which do not have any objections, along with those in agreed areas and precincts where detailed planning has already occurred.

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Minister admits Landcare funding increases are below projected levels

Federal Agriculture Minister, Tony Burke, has conceded that budget funding increases to the Landcare and Caring for our Country programs are not as high as projected last year.

The $36 million in funding to support Landcare community groups and volunteers represents a $1 million increase on last year’s funding. In the case of Caring for our Country, the 2010-11 allocation is up by $15 million to $423 million.

Mr Burke says even though the increases were not as high as anticipated they reflect the government’s support for Landcare and the 100,000 volunteers undertaking vital work in communities across the country. He says where possible, the reduction in the boost to funding for the programs will be accounted for within the Departments of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and Environment, Protection, Heritage and the Arts.

Mr Burke says funding for Landcare facilitators will not change with $8.4 million being invested in 2010-11. Funding for Community Action Grants will continue and regional base-level funding for resource management organisations will not change. He says another $138 million will be invested in 2010-11 for those groups.

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Working towards caretaker mode in South Australia

Councils in South Australia should be preparing to enter caretaker mode ahead of local government elections scheduled for later this year.

The elections will be held in October-November 2010 and councils have until June 21 to adopt a caretaker policy to meet legislative obligations under SA’s Local Government (Elections) Act 1999.

The policy covers the required conduct of council members and staff during an election period.

The South Australian Local Government Association has developed a model caretaker policy which can be accessed here by councils.

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Conferences and Events

Local Road Safety & Traffic Engineering Conference 2010

 

• To be held from 9-10 June in Sydney
  
• Website: www.halledit.com.au/traffic2010
  

Road safety is a very important issue as it is dealing with reducing road fatalities and injuries. While we have all seen the major road advertising campaigns and are aware of actions, such as the now compulsory wearing of seat belts and alcohol limits on drivers, a great deal of what has also been achieved at a local level has often gone largely unnoticed by many.

The 3rd Local Road Safety & Traffic Engineering Conference 2010 to be held on 9-10 June, Darling Harbour, NSW, focuses on road safety and traffic engineering from a local perspective for local and connecting roads, including pedestrian and cyclist safety. It includes local roads and traffic areas from residential streets, to shopping precincts to rural roads. This conference will see a gathering of engineers, road safety officers and others interested in improving road safety at a local level.

A variety of practical presentations will be made on the conference theme with particular emphasis on what can be achieved at a local level including what individual Local Government Councils are achieving with respect to these issues. This is a practitioner level conference and delegates will gain information that they can implement immediately.

One of our Keynote Presentations will be given by one of Australia’s most well known & respected road safety experts in Professor Mary Lydon. Mary will explore “Why road crashes happen & what can be done about it”. Gerard Waldron, Managing Director, ARRB Group will deliver a Keynote Presentation on Safe Systems & Local Roads - Road Safety Development, Planning & Action.

Other speakers at the conference include those from the Melton Shire Council, Sunshine Coast Regional Council, Moreton Bay Regional Council, Monash University Accident Research Centre, VicRoads, Queensland Department of Transport & Main Roads, GTA Consultants, NSW Centre for Road Safety, Roads & Traffic Authority of NSW, Australian Transport Safety Bureau, Royal Automobile Club of Victoria, GHD and Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia.

Extended panel sessions at the conference will also allow many other local issues to be raised, discussed and debated with many shared learnings available to delegates.

Anyone interested in speaking should contact the Convenor: Scott Matthews on 03 8534 5004, or scott.matthews@halledit.com.au

For more information, including registration, please see website www.halledit.com.au/traffic2010  or contact Denise McQueen, Ph: (03) 8534 5021 (direct) or (03) 8534 5000 (switch), denise.mcqueen@halledit.com.au

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AAPA RoadConstruction and Surfacing Health & Safety Conference

• To be held in Darling Harbour, NSW, on 7-8 June, 2010.
  
• Health and safety will once again be the focus of AAPA’s biennial conference on these topics.
  
• Organised by the Australian Asphalt Pavement Association, with the active support of the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia, Roading New Zealand, and Austroads.

This Conference recognises the importance of health and safety issues by all sectors of industry associated with road surfacing and road construction.

The 14th AAPA Road Construction and Surfacing Health & Safety Conference will see people at all levels of government and private industry gather to discuss challenges and solutions to improve the safety and health of workers and the public across all activities associated with road construction and surfacing. This includes handling materials ranging from handling hot bitumen to managing road worksite and traffic conditions. Issues relating to health and safety regulations and standards will also be discussed.

The Conference will bring current issues to the fore and provide updates, enhanced knowledge and the opportunity to learn from others' experiences. Presentations by a wide range of industry and government experts will be enhanced with discussion and panel sessions providing the opportunity for personal input, and practical outputs. The program will facilitate networking opportunities, and delegates will be strongly encouraged to participate frankly in the discussions.

Expert speakers from many areas will contribute to this learning event aimed at continual improvements in health and safety. The speaking program, which include invited key note speakers from Australia and Overseas, will be focus on practical outcomes relevant to field staff as well as supervisors and managers. Speakers include Ib Frandsen, Executive Director of the Association of Danish Asphalt Industries, and Member of Directors European Asphalt Pavement Association, who will provide a keynote presentation on Health and Safety Issues in Europe; Sharon Lomman, Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure who will provide a keynote presentation on the South Australian Roadworker Safety Campaign and Michael Rose , Manager Project Safety, VicRoads Major Projects Division, who will speak on Worksite Safety Innovation on recent VicRoads Major Projects

Topics include: Worksite safety, Worksite traffic management, Work zone speed management, Towards national OH&S regulations, Chain of responsibility and duty of care, Handling dangerous goods and new products relating to health and safety. Bitumen and asphalt materials will be a key focus.

The conference will be held in Darling Harbour, NSW, on 7-8 June, 2010. For more information, including registration, please see website  www.halledit.com.au/RoadHealthSafety2010 or contact Denise McQueen, Ph: (03) 8534 5021 (direct) or (03) 8534 5000 (switch), denise.mcqueen@halledit.com.au

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