Local Government News Roundup
Australia’s no.1 podcast for local government news and views, hosted by veteran media presenter and senior executive Chris Eddy. Brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association.
Local Government News Roundup
"Appalling prejudice - no place in our community, state or country"
On today's Local Government News Roundup:
A council calls on the state government to strengthen anti-discrimination laws, after disturbing weekend events;
Strathbogie Shire Council says it will no longer deliver school crossing supervision;
The WA council called on to sort out its ongoing governance issues or face intervention;
Some SA councils accused of failing to do enough planning work, while others are commended; and
A rural council’s plan to solve a wicked recycling problem and create jobs at the same time.
Victorian Local Governance Association
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Hi, this is Chris Eddy, with the latest from the Local Government News Roundup.
On the podcast today:
A council calls on the state government to strengthen anti-discrimination laws, after disturbing weekend events;
Strathbogie Shire Council says it will no longer deliver school crossing supervision;
The WA council called on to sort out its ongoing governance issues or face intervention;
Some SA councils accused of failing to do enough planning work, while others are commended;
A rural council’s plan to solve a wicked recycling problem and create jobs at the same time;
All that and more ahead in the latest update from the Local Government News Roundup which starts now.
Thanks for joining me for today’s podcast - brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association.
Glen Eira City Council has called on the state government to strengthen its anti-discrimination laws, in the wake of displays of racism, intolerance and hatred from neo-Nazis outside the Victorian Parliament.
Mayor Jim Magee read a statement on behalf of all councillors at this week’s Council meeting, describing their shock at the appalling prejudice which they say has no place in our community, state or country.
He said the council rejects racism and prejudice in all its forms, and that the Nazi salute must be banned immediately, and condemned for what it represents.
Last year, Glen Eira became the first Victorian council to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-semitism, and it hosts a reporting racism tool on its website.
The council area is home to the largest Jewish population in Australia.
Source: Glen Eira City Council
Strathbogie Shire Council is exiting the school crossing supervision program, which it says is costing it $50K per year, despite it being a state government responsibility.
Mayor Laura Binks said it is not fair for its ratepayers to pay what amounts to 62 percent of the program costs.
Strathbogie has been part of an advocacy campaign led by the city of Monash and involving a further 27 councils, seeking restoration of funding for the service.
While the council sees the safety of children walking to and from school as non-negotiable, Mayor Binks says exiting the service is the only way to get the attention of the department.
The council says a promised review of the program in 2016 has not occurred, and there has been no innovation or review since the program’s inception in 1975.
Source: Strathbogie Shire Council
Moira Shire Council says it has taken immediate action on discovery of asbestos fragments at Yarrawonga Transfer Station.
Small fragments of bonded asbestos were found in soil during site inspections.
The council says there has been no risk to those accessing the transfer station, and there is no risk to staff or the community. It is arranging for licensed professionals to remove the hazardous waste.
The council recently came in for criticism in a Commission of Inquiry report about its conduct regarding the removal of asbestos. A referral to IBAC in relation to that matter was just one of the outcomes of the Commission of Inquiry, including the dismissal of the elected council.
Source: Moira Shire Council
The Victorian Government has appointed a new Public Sector Commissioner.
Brigid Monagle, who is currently acting Secretary of the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, will take up the position from early April.
She will take over from Greg Wilson, who has served as Acting Commissioner since October after Adam Fennessy left to head up the Australia and New Zealand School of Government.
Source: Victorian Government
Now in today’s Victorian Briefs:
26 delegates from 17 countries will descend on Geelong next week for a UNESCO City of Design meeting.
Geelong is the only Australian city designated as a City of Design under the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, and one of 43 in the world.
Representatives from Japan, Indonesia, Belgium, Lithuania and others will be in the city for the five day meeting, and there will be three public panel sessions live streamed for free.
Source: City of Greater Geelong
A new strategy will guide the development of regional trails in the north of Melbourne, as part of a joint collaboration between Whittlesea, Banyule, Hume, Merri-bek, Darebin and Nillumbik Councils.
The strategy identifies priority projects for each of the local government areas, and top priorities for the region overall.
The Northern Council Alliance plans to advocate to the state for funding to deliver the priorities over a 10 year period.
Source: Whittlesea City Council
Macedon Ranges Shire Council has claimed a silver award at the Australian Tourism Awards.
The recognition in the Festivals and Events category was for the Macedon Ranges Autumn Festival, which had previously won the Victorian award late last year.
Source: Macedon Ranges Shire Council
And a new collaborative charter has been agreed between Mildura Rural City Council and Wentworth Shire Council, which will lead to councillors on both sides of the Murray River in Sunraysia working more closely together.
Mildura Mayor Liam Wood said the Mildura and Wentworth regions share many similarities, disputed being in two different states and separated by a river.
The combined councillor group will meet in coming months to work on areas where collaboration can produce better outcomes for their communities.
Source: Mildura Rural City Council
Other Council stories making news this week include an ABC report on Ballarat City Council’s consideration of a seven storey office and apartment building proposed for the historic Bakery Hill precinct.
Some residents are concerned about the scale of the proposal and the precedent it would set, while Mayor Des Hudson says it will be a challenge to meet a growing need for housing without exploring high-rise options.
Source: ABC News
Intro:
Mattresses - from a recycling perspective, they present a wicked problem - they’re big and bulky, and increasingly expensive to deal with - hence, they often become an illegal dumping problem.
One rural council is embarking on an ambitious project with the aim of solving the problem while creating employment opportunities, with the help of the state government's Circular Economy Councils Fund.
(interview)
Outro:
Ron Gibbs, Senior Waste Management Officer at Swan Hill Rural City Council telling us about the mattress recycling project that received funding last year in the Circular Economy Councils Fund.
A new $2 million funding round is open for applications now, with a deadline for submission of 31st March.
It’s the third round of funding for the program which has so far distributed $3.8M to more than 50 projects around the state, creating 60 jobs and preventing more than 55,000 tonnes of waste going to landfill… so far.
Perhaps your council’s project will feature in the next round. Find out more at sustainability.vic.gov.au - there’s a link in the show notes - and on our next episode we’ll hear about another notable council project being delivered with support from the fund.
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Now for some of the stories making local government news from around Australia this week.
The Western Australian government has asked the City of Melville to resolve a number of ongoing governance issues.
The issues are outlined in a letter to the city from the Department of Local Government.
The department’s concerns relate to the way in which council member behavioural complaints are dealt with; the impact of inappropriate questioning of staff by council members; and behaviour between council members and towards staff.
A number of other matters have also been raised, including the involvement of council members in operational matters, and the increasing cost of legal services.
The letter, signed by acting Executive Director of Local Government Mustafa Yildiz, says the department is concerned that the issues are adversely impacting the relationships between council members and administration staff, leading to further dysfunction and council decision making that will not likely be in the best interests of the community.
The department is seeking a response by the 28th April, including an approach and strategy for prioritising and improving governance practices at the city. It says a failure to do so would result in the department considering all necessary actions to prevent further Council dysfunction.
The city has issued a statement confirming receipt of the letter, and that it will work collaboratively with the department on addressing the concerns. It says the city and the council are working to better understand the Department’s concerns and have requested a briefing to support this process.
It has also set up a dedicated web page with the latest information on the process.
Source: City of Melville media release; City of Melville dedicated webpage
South Australian councils have been sent a letter from the state’s planning minister, strongly encouraging some of them to do more planning for future growth.
Indaily.com.au has the story on how the minister Nick Champion believes some council areas are at risk of failing to meet their potential for well planned communities, while he has commended others on their planning work.
It’s understood he wants 45 councils to be more proactive in relation to rezonings, local heritage investigations, and managing car parking issues.
The minister has rejected a view held by some councils that a new planning code limits their role and influence.
However, the state’s Local Government Association said the new code had stripped councils of their powers, and that many community concerns were because of poor state-based decisions.
It wants the state government to work with the local government sector as a partner to address some of the key concerns relating to infill development and heritage.
Meanwhile, an expert panel review of the state’s planning system is due to be given to the minister before Easter, and it’s expected to contain a number of recommendations for reform.
Source: Indaily.com.au
At Kempsey Shire in NSW, the council has adopted a new structure which will see the creation of a new directorate called Utilities.
General Manager Craig Milburn recommended the new structure, highlighting the need for additional executive leadership to deliver a significant capital program.
The council’s Water and Sewer program involves $270M of projects over the next five years, and over $300M forecast in capital expenditure across water and waste in that time.
A period of internal consultation will occur now, with the aim of having a new Director to oversee the new directorate by July.
Source: Kempsey Shire Council
In Lithgow, community members are being encouraged to make a submission to an inquiry into bank closures in regional Australia.
Lithgow Mayor Maree Statham says regional people are impacted the most as the banking industry takes extraordinary profits and provides a lower level of service.
She says when people are forced to leave their town to do their banking it reduces money circulating in those smaller communities, putting other local businesses at risk.
Mayor Statham is encouraging her community to have a say by making a submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry by the closing date of Friday 31st March.
Source: Lithgow City Council
A decision on an inappropriate conduct matter at Bundaberg Regional Council has been deferred to the next Council meeting.
The Bundaberg NewsMail has reported how the council went into a confidential session this week to discuss what it describes as a mysterious matter that materialised in recent days.
It says at least four councillors declared conflicts of interest in the matter.
Source: Bundaberg NewsMail, 21-3-23
In WA, the Canning City Council has sent an advertising contract back to tender, rejecting a proposal to ban fast food, alcohol and anything that might be deemed offensive from being promoted on bus shelters.
PerthNow reports the council was considering a recommendation to award a contract for advertising on a range of council infrastructure, including bus shelters and street furniture.
A majority of the council was concerned about a range of advertising restrictions stipulated in the deal, and voted to restart the tender process.
They’ve resolved that the new agreement be in line with state and federal laws, rather than place restrictions on advertising activities that are not illegal.
The Cancer Council WA, which presented health guidance in support of the proposal, is disappointed with the decision. Its spokesperson said the council sent a message that health comes second to profits.
Source: PerthNow
The Mayor of Queensland’s Livingstone Shire wants the council to consider a change of name.
Mayor Andy Ireland says that in his engagements with federal ministers and others, he is invariably asked where Livingstone is - which he reckons is a problem because the name is not linked to any geographical reference point.
He has received the support of his colleagues for a council report to be brought back within three months, setting out potential new names, the costs and benefits, and the process that would need to be undertaken.
His notice of motion also calls for community engagement to be conducted once those issues have been researched.
Source: Livingstone Shire Council
Briefly:
The NSW state election is this weekend, and the state’s peak council body LGNSW has compiled a list of how the parties have responded to its election priorities.
LGNSW President Darriea Turley said they look forward to working with whichever party or parties form government after March 25, and holding them to account to ensure they fulfil their commitments to the local government sector and the communities we represent.
Source: LGNSW
A new $30M basketball stadium will be built in Newcastle, and will be one of the largest in Australia.
The regional level, indoor facility will be funded by the NSW government on a crown land site managed by the city of Newcastle
Source: City of Newcastle
Livingstone Shire Council has farewelled a long-standing councillor after 10 years of service.
Nigel Hutton was the youngest councillor ever elected in the shire. He has attended his last Council meeting, after giving notice of his resignation in January
Source: Livingstone Shire Council
The City of Ipswich says its reputation as the home of country music in Queensland has been solidified, after 23,000 people attended the CMC Rocks Qld festival last weekend.
Mayor Teresa Harding said the event attracted people from across Australia and abroad, and estimated to have contributed $11M to the Ipswich economy.
Source: Ipswich City Council
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Now for today’s International Spotlight:
Firstly, across to New Zealand, where Auckland Council has made headlines this week over a decision to quit the Local Government New Zealand peak body on the casting vote of its mayor.
Mayor Wayne Brown proposed the cut, as part of a bid to slash costs. He said it would save around $640,000 per year.
In using his casting vote to break a 10:10 deadlock, he also said drinking behaviour at conferences made him question the value of the membership.
The New Zealand Herald reports Mayor Brown as saying that LGNZ needed Auckland, more than Auckland needed the organisation that is based in Wellington.
Source: New Zealand Herald
In the US state of Texas, local elected officials are concerned about a proposed state bill that would prevent local municipalities from implementing or enforcing rules and policies in areas already regulated by the state.
The areas affected include agriculture, finance and labour.
The author of the bill, Rep. Dustin Burrows told Texas Public Radio it was needed to respond to an explosion of local ordinances that add regulations, creating inconsistency.
He says local governments will still be able to respond to emergencies.
The bill also allows anyone threatened by an ordinance to sue a local government.
While some support the move for a consistent set of regulations, others are calling the bill undemocratic, setting a dangerous precedent allowing the state to interfere with local democracy.
The legislation is yet to be voted on.
Source: TexasPublic Radio
To Pennsylvania now, where a city manager has been arrested this week on fraud and theft charges.
John Suplizio, long time city manager of DuBois, is accused of stealing over $600,000 from city accounts, and from another organisation for which he has been executive director.
According to local station ABC23, it is alleged that Mr Suplizio used the stolen funds for personal bills, political donations, and gambling.
Investigators alleged the activity occurred over at least a seven year period.
The Council has responded, reserving comment on the allegations, but saying it will remain vigilant in its oversight of City funds and its employees.
Source: ABC23
And in Florida, a mayor has quit his position in the middle of a council meeting, to the shock of all those present.
Frank Hibbard, who was the mayor of the city of Clearwater, surprised everyone when he announced he felt he was no longer the right leader for the council, and walked out of the meeting.
He had held the mayoralty for a total of around ten years since 2005, and commence his current term in March 2020.
Mr Hibbard later told local media he was concerned about the Council’s reckless spending, and that resigning was the best for his own health and family.
The four remaining council members took a 10 minute recess before getting on with the business on its agenda.
Source: USA Today
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That’s the latest from the Roundup for the 24th March 2023.
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I’ll be back soon with more of the latest local government news. Until next time, thanks for listening, and bye for now.
