General News

1.  National waste policy to clarify councils' waste responsibilities

The local government sector is to provide input into the development of a uniform national policy for waste management., which will seek to clarify the waste responsibilities of each tier of government.

State and federal environment ministers at the Environment Protection and Heritage Council’s recent meeting agreed to develop a national waste policy in order to provide a coherent and environmentally responsible framework for tackling waste on an Australia-wide basis.

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2.  Ministers to consider extending packaging covenant

A meeting of state and federal environment ministers has decided to consider extending the operation of the National Packaging Covenant beyond its present expiry date in 2010.

The Environment Protection and Heritage Council considered a review of the covenant when it met in early November. The present covenant, which commenced operating in mid 2005 and is scheduled to operate until June 2010, has set a national target of 65% of all packaging being recycled by 2010. During its operation, the covenant has also distributed millions of dollars to local governments to improve their kerbside recycling systems.

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3.  Top Jobs - New CEO for City of Albany

The newly appointed CEO of the City of Albany, Paul Richards, has spent most of his working life in the police force in the United Kingdom.

Mr Richards, who holds an MBA from Birmingham University, had a 20-year police career in the UK before arriving in Western Australia in 2006. He was head of the WA Police State Intelligence Division until earlier this year when he took up the post of CEO of the Shire of Ravensthorpe. Mr Richards will start work as Albany's CEO on December 1.

Other senior positions currently on offer among Australian local governments include: Manager of Works and Services for the Shire of Manjimup in Western Australia; Manager Operations for Burdekin Shire Council in Queensland; Senior Strategic Planner for Lismore City Council in New South Wales; Team Leader-City Maintenance for the City of Burnside in South Australia; and Senior Coordinator Organisation Development for Wellington Shire Council in Victoria.

More information about these positions is available on the website of LG Jobs, the specialist email and web-based service that assists councils to locate administrative, executive and engineering personnel, available at www.lgjobs.com.au.

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4.  Forum set to strengthen ties between Canberra and councils

Mayors from councils around Australia will attend the inaugural meeting of the Australian Council of Local Government, to be held next Tuesday in Canberra.

Federal Local Government Minister, Anthony Albanese, says the newly-formed ACLG will provide a forum to help strengthen the nation-building partnership between the Commonwealth and local governments.

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5.  National program to help councils improve community wellbeing

A new national program to help local governments address community health, wellbeing and social sustainability issues is expected to be rolled out to councils in 2009.

The Cities for Safe and Healthy Communities program is being developed by ICLEI Oceania, the National Local Government Drug and Alcohol Advisory Committee and the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors.

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6.  Unique regional infrastructure fund weathering economic downturn

The global financial crisis has yet to impact the operations of a unique fund established to invest tens of millions of dollars of superannuation monies into regional councils’ infrastructure projects.

The ‘Regional Infrastructure Fund’ was originally established by superannuation funds manager Perpetual Ltd and began operating in early 2007. The fund was in mid-2008 acquired by specialist infrastructure manager, Palisade Investment Partners Limited.

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7.  Review of developer levies included in NSW mini-budget

Developer levies used by councils to help fund community infrastructure projects are to be reviewed by the New South Wales Government.

The review was announced by NSW Treasurer, Eric Roozendaal, when he delivered the state’s mini-budget in Parliament on November 11.

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8.  Report finds little change in nation's planning performance

An annual analysis by the Planning Institute of Australia of the urban planning performance of each state and territory has identified a marginal down-turn in the nation's overall planning performance.

The institute's annual 'Planning Report Card', whose results were derived from a national survey of planning professionals, assigned a national score of 'C-minus' to the country's overall planning performance this year, compared with a 'C' in 2007.

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9.  New independent body to oversee Mildura's economic development

Mildura Rural City Council is revamping the way in which economic development is undertaken in its region by approving the establishment of a new incorporated association which will operate independently of the council.

The association, which has not yet been named, will replace the Sunraysia Mallee Economic Development Board - a board originally established by the council. The board is due to be disbanded at the end of November.

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10.  National Awards for Local Government to be presented next week

The winners of the 2008 National Awards for Local Government will be awarded in Canberra on November 17.

The awards will be made at an official welcoming function for delegates attending the inaugural meeting of the Australian Council of Local Government.

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11.  The challenges of being a new CEO analysed in Council Manager

An analysis of how new local government CEOs can best address the challenges of heading up a council administration for the first time is featured in the next edition of Council Manager magazine.

The magazine's soon-to-be-published November/December edition also contains an article describing Glen Eira's leading HR practices and its successful efforts to become an employer of choice, while another article will detail how Bankstown Council has implemented a comprehensive risk management framework.

Other articles in the magazine’s November/December edition will include an examination of Manningham City Council’s development of an integrated management system that helps the organisation pursue continuous improvement through the system’s ability to be easily updated to reflect changes in best practice.

Published by Hallmark Editions, which also produces LG News and Councillor Magazine, Council Manager is a quarterly magazine that provides senior management of local governments across Australia with a rich stream of case studies about leading-edge council management practices that managers can use to benchmark their own council’s performance.

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

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12.  NSW Government waste services company could be sold to private sector

The New South Wales Government is to consider seeking a private-sector buyer for the government-owned waste collection and disposal company, WSN Environmental Solutions.

NSW Treasurer, Eric Roozendaal, announced the State Government is considering the possible sale or lease of WSN Environmental Solutions when he recently handed down a mini-budget designed to shore up the state’s financial position.

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13.  Key role for councils in Adelaide planning strategy

Twenty-eight South Australian councils are working with the Rann Government to develop a 30-year planning strategy for Greater Adelaide.

The strategy will determine where and how Adelaide and its immediate country surrounds will develop.

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14.  New funding available for NSW country councils

All New South Wales councils outside Sydney will be able to apply for funding under an $85 million State Government package designed to strengthen and sustain country communities.

The package includes a $52 million fund designed to help finance community infrastructure such as roads, bridges and pipelines.

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15.  Call for Papers - NSW Sustainable Develoment Conference

The NSW Sustainable Development Conference is being held on April 1 & 2, 2009 in Sydney.

The NSW Sustainable Development Conference 2009 will bring together decision-makers from the private and public sectors, industry leaders, local government, scientists, conservationists and others to discuss the current and future directions and frameworks for sustainability in NSW, and how it will affect NSW state and local government, business and the community.

The Conference will provide an opportunity to examine progress towards sustainable objectives in a range of key areas such as: NSW policy and progress, water, waste and resource recovery, energy efficiency, climate change response and planning and urban design.

The Conference will also feature best practice case studies in sustainable development, including supporting workplaces to become more sustainable, addressing challenges of sustainability, and provide advice on how state and local government and business can achieve their sustainable development goals in a cost-effective manner.

You and your organisation are invited to submit a synopsis of a paper that you would like to have considered for presentation at the conference in the themes outlined above.

Synopses of approximately 100-150 words to be submitted by 10th November 2008, together with a Presentation Title and several descriptive bullet points to:

Emma Stirling
Conference Director
Tel: (03) 8534 5017
Email: emma.stirling@halledit.com.au

Further information about the conference is available at www.halledit.com.au/nswsdc.

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16.  Survey shows Vic councils increasingly focused on the environment

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions has been rated as the top environmental priority for Victorian councils in 2008, according to a state-wide survey of municipalities that has also revealed a range of benchmarks for local government environmental management functions.

The Municipal Association of Victoria’s 2008 Local Government Environment Management Survey shows that councils are becoming more engaged in environmental issues, and that community expectations and an organisational understanding of the need to take environmental action are the main drivers for council action in the environment field.

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17.  Paul Bell prepares to leave the ALGA presidency

By this time next week, Paul Bell will have ended his tenure as President of the Australian Local Government Association.

Cr Bell is coming to the end of his second term as President of the ALGA – he will step down from the post at the association’s annual general meeting in Canberra on November 19.

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18.  Council of Mayors (SEQ) appoints former Senator as executive director

A former Senator, John Cherry, has been appointed the new Executive Director of the Council of Mayors South East Queensland.

Mr Cherry was a Senator for Queensland from 2001 to 2005 and then became the CEO of the Farmers Federation. He succeeds John Black as Executive Director of the Council of Majors (SEQ) - Mr Black is the inaugural CEO of the new local government-owned SEQ Water and Waste Water Company.

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19.  Local government association to help NSW councils become carbon neutral

Councils across New South Wales are set to gain assistance from the state’s local government association to help them become carbon neutral in their operations.

A proposal that the NSW Local Government Association “assist and encourage” local governments across the state to achieve carbon neutrality in their operations and service delivery by December 2010 was adopted by the association at its recent annual conference in Broken Hill.

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20.  Landfill waste disposal levy to be increased in NSW

The New South Wales Government will move to apply its levy on waste disposal to landfills to a greater number of councils, and will increase the levy payment for councils in the greater Sydney region.

The State Government announced the changes to the Waste and Environment Levy program as part of its November mini-budget. The changes to the program are to come into effect on July 1, 2009.

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21.  Casey’s 'drought proof' sport and leisure precinct attracts council interest

The City of Casey’s work to establish what the council has dubbed Australia’s first “drought-proof” sport and leisure precinct has attracted interest from councils across the country.

The Melbourne council has included innovative water-saving and sustainable design features in both the $37 million Cranbourne Aquatic & Leisure Centre (CALC), which is due to open in mid-2009, and the 70-hectare Casey Fields sport and recreation site.

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22.  Melton residents can access council meetings online

Melton Shire in Melbourne’s north-west has started audio streaming its monthly council meetings so that ratepayers can hear the proceedings as they occur.

The meetings are being broadcast live on the Internet and are also available for download the following day. The first meeting to be podcast was held on October 20.

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23.  Moyne reaches emissions reduction target with two years to spare

Moyne Shire Council has undertaken a range of energy and carbon emission saving actions to reach its target to cut the organisation’s greenhouse gas emissions by 20% two years ahead of schedule.

The regional Victorian council’s 2005 Environmental Sustainability Strategy set a goal to by 2010 cut the council’s corporate emissions by 20% compared to 2002 levels, but the council reached this target in the last financial year. In 2002 the council produced about 7565 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

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24.  LG Jobs reaches thousands of council managers

More than 100 positions are offered on LGJobs each week.

Each issue of the weekly LGJobs email service reaches more than 13,200 middle and senior managers within every council in Australia. It is a fast, effective way for councils to advertise their higher level positions, and get quick results at an inexpensive cost. The cost for an advertisement is only $180 plus GST. Please go to www.lgjobs.com.au to see this week’s listings.

Positions are advertised in the weekly email document sent directly to the desktop of potential applicants, every Friday, as well as being placed on our website which has more than 9,000 hits per day. All positions are advertised on the website until the closing date.

If you want to to utilize this unique service, please email copy to blake.duggin@halledit.com.au or telephone (03) 8534 5012 and we will be able to include it in the next edition.

LGJobs is produced by people committed to Local Government. The Local Government Team at Hallmark Editions produce LG Jobs and LG News, as well as Councillor magazine, Council Manager magazine and Public Works Engineering Journal. Hallmark Editions is a financial supporter of a number of important local government initiatives by the ALGA and state local government associations.

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Products and Services

25.  LG Valuation Services Pty Ltd. (Part of the HMC Property Group)

LG Valuation Services Pty Ltd.
Local Government property valuations specialists
(Part of the HMC Property Group)

LG Valuations are the leading provider of statutory and municipal valuations for Local Government in Australia. Our primary services include complete Council revaluations and also revaluations of Councils non-current assets for financial reporting purposes. We also provide advice to councils on

• purchase and disposal of real estate assets including acquisitions
• implications of planning amendments
• valuations of subdivisions for 5% open space contributions
• general property and market advice.

Our Firm has a commitment to providing excellent customer and stakeholder service and operate under the simple objective of providing accurate valuations, delivered on time for the benefit of our contracted Councils. We also continue to introduce innovations in the use of new technology to facilitate quality outcomes for the clients that we represent.

We have offices and staff located in Melbourne, Hobart, Launceston, Shepparton, Kyabram, Wangaratta and Echuca and are the current incumbent contract valuer for over 25 municipalities in Victoria and Tasmania.

Our company is committed to servicing the needs of our clients over a very large geographical area comprising Victoria, Tasmania and southern New South Wales.

We have developed extensive planning, operational, project management and reporting systems to ensure our performance objectives are met. Our benchmarks are integrity, quality, and consistency supported by cutting edge electronic data processing and communication systems.

Please visit our website and click on the LG Valuations link to find out more. If you have any questions or would like a quotation for any of our range of services contact our Office Manager, Michael Villani on (03) 58512200 or via email at info@hmval.com.au.

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26.  Tracking, validating and managing insurance and compliance certificates can be time consuming and costly

Tracking, validating and managing insurance and compliance certificates can be time consuming and costly. In the current financial climate it is becoming necessary for clients to look for ways to utilise their staff resources in a more efficient way.

Day to day management of your compliance certificates is something that doesn’t have to waste your staff’s valuable time. Outsourcing to an experienced partner and having the ability to access your contractor certificates easily online is a great asset.

Having a professional certificate tracking team at your disposal guarantees that all your contractors are up to date and compliant with your specifications, giving you time to take charge of other more pressing matters.

Ebix BPO has a software system that stores information gathered and recorded by an expert certificate tracking and compliance team (e.g. certificate images, reports, coverage information, transaction history) and is accessible securely via any web browser. 

The system is easy-to-use and there is no need to be an insurance expert to use the Ebix BPO system effectively. 

Your staff will quickly become comfortable with the simple and easy-to-navigate system design, meaning they spend less time tracking down contractors and only minimal time reviewing reports.

With outsourcing services becoming more and more common within councils as operations expand, this system is the answer for any council looking to save time and money.

If you would like to have Ebix BPO give you a live demonstration of their software or for more information please visit their website, www.ebix.com.au/corporate/ebixbpo,

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27.  Annual Survey of Local Government Fees and Charges now Open

Prior surveys have helped Councils –

• Identify new services developed by Councils
• Expand fees & charges
• Control an important revenue source
• Avoid community sensitivity to price increases

Participation in the 2009 survey will help Councils develop a more informed approach to applying discretionary fees and charges. Survey results mean Councils can identify new services, adjust prices in line with regional, state or national trends and expand income.

The survey, supported by the Municipal Association of Victoria, already includes data from over 50 councils from Victoria, NSW and other states. There are now nearly 700 price points (or service items) against which the survey seeks to match each Council. Results available in December.

Annual LGPrice surveys have been conducted since 2005. The first survey was of Victorian Councils but since then Councils from South Australia, Tasmania and NSW have joined in. The data format has been modified to keep track of changes in food regulation and building approvals. It is being expanded every year.

The cost of subscription is -

• Survey and Results Workshop in Melbourne (three attendees per Council); Metropolitan and Regional Councils - $2,200 (plus GST); Rural Councils - $1,400 (plus GST)
• Survey with no Results Workshop; Metropolitan and Regional Councils - $1,950 (plus GST); Rural Councils - $1,200 (plus GST)
• Discount for Councils who subscribed last year; $200.

Subscribe by email (lgprice@worksmiths.com.au) or phone (0417 572 093).

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Conferences & Events

28.  NSW Sustainable Development Conference

The NSW Sustainable Development Conference is being held on April 1 & 2, 2009 in Sydney.

The NSW Sustainable Development Conference 2009 will bring together decision-makers from the private and public sectors, industry leaders, local government, scientists, conservationists and others to discuss the current and future directions and frameworks for sustainability in NSW, and how it will affect NSW state and local government, business and the community.

The Conference will provide an opportunity to examine progress towards sustainable objectives in a range of key areas such as: NSW policy and progress, water, waste and resource recovery, energy efficiency, climate change response and planning and urban design.

The Conference will also feature best practice case studies in sustainable development, including supporting workplaces to become more sustainable, addressing challenges of sustainability, and provide advice on how state and local government and business can achieve their sustainable development goals in a cost-effective manner.

For further information, and to register interest in the Conference, please go to www.halledit.com.au/nswsdc

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29.  Best practice in Local Government OH&S strategies

• November 19 - 20, Dockside Convention Centre, Sydney
• Visit www.halledit.com.au/lgohs08

The Local Government Occupational Health and Safety Conference 2008 will deliver important insights into occupational health and safety strategies being adopted by local governments across the nation. It will focus on leading examples of councils’ strategies to increase the health and safety of their staff, and reduce the cost of occupational health and safety. The conference will also provide information on emerging legal issues in Occupational Health and Safety including occupational stress and workplace bullying.

Presentations at the Local Government Occupational Health & Safety Conference will include insights into the following topics:
• Emerging governance and legal issues in relation to OH&S
• Embracing OH&S and promoting a culture of safety
• Comparing AS/NZ 4801 to National Self-Insurer OHS Audit Tool
• Effective integration of OH&S in management systems
• Managing OHS for an ageing workforce
• Whole-of-organisation health and well-being programs
• Stress reduction initiatives
• Activity-specific OH&S
• Mitigating specific risks
• Externally monitored systemic approaches to OHS
• Strategic contractor management

Over 25 speakers will be presenting at the conference, including: Sue Pilkington, President, Victorian Division, Safety Institute of Australia; Gabrielle Carlton, National Safety Council of Australia; Andrew Newton, Chief Executive Officer, Glen Eira City Council; Janice Walsh, Group Manager, City Works Unit, Newcastle Council; Bernie Cronin, Director, Wyndham Services, Wyndham City Council; Scott Wilcox, Workplace Health and Safety Coordinator, Hobart City Council and Jill McCorkell,  Occupational Health and Safety Officer, Wollongong City Council.

For the full agenda and conference registration details, please go to www.halledit.com.au/lgohs08 or for further information contact Denise McQueen on (03) 8534 5021 or email denise.mcqueen@halledit.com.au

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30.  Australian Road Engineering & Maintenance Conference 2009

• February 17 - 18, 2009
• The Sebel Albert Park, Melbourne

The 4th Australian Road Engineering & Maintenance Conference 2009 will see senior managers and leading practitioners and consultants in the road and pavements sector present up-to-the-minute, highly relevant and practical information to assist road managers and engineers to perform their roles in an increasingly complex road environment.

The conference program is very flexible with a choice of a speaking stream or workshops on each day. Delegates may freely swap between both streams.
Sustainable Practices and the Environment will feature strongly on the program. The conference will feature case studies and discussion about topics including major roads, local roads, traffic areas, residential streets, rural roads, footpaths and road reserves.

Key conference topics are:

• Achieving Sustainability on Road Infrastructure Projects.
• Road Practices for a Sustainable Future.
• Road Maintenance.
• Road Project Case Studies.
• Pavements and Good Paving Practices.
• Working Under Traffic.
• Bituminous Surfacings Workshop.
• Landscape Workshop (Landscape architects/outdoor staff).

For further infromation about this event, including how to register to attend, visit www.halledit.com.au/roads09 or contact Denise McQueen at Hallmark Conferences + Events by phoning (03) 8534 5021 or email denise.mcqueen@halledit.com.au.

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