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
A glaring omission and a disappointing clash
Today on the Local Government News Roundup:
Local government winners and losers from the Victorian State Budget;
More councils opt to move away from January 26 events;
The Federal Local Government Minister visits Victoria;
A new Lord Mayor at the City of Parramatta;
The council meeting interrupted for drug and alcohol testing… of councillors;
And a former mayor’s trial on charges of blackmail gets underway.
Victorian Local Governance Association
The VLGA is an independent organisation supporting councils and councillors in good governance.
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Links for stories referenced in the podcast can be found in the transcript, or by visiting the Roundup website.
Hi, this is Chris Eddy, coming to you from the land of the Wadawurrung People with the latest from the Local Government News Roundup.
On the podcast today:
Local government winners and losers from the Victorian State Budget;
More councils opt to move away from January 26 events;
The Federal Local Government Minister visits Victoria;
A new Lord Mayor at the City of Parramatta;
The council meeting interrupted for drug and alcohol testing… of councillors;
And a former mayor’s trial on charges of blackmail gets underway.
And there’s much more ahead in this latest update from the Local Government News Roundup.
Thanks for joining me for today’s podcast - brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association.
Here are some of the Victorian council related stories making news in recent days.
The Victorian State Budget has received a mixed reaction so far from the local government sector.
Advocacy group Regional Cities Victoria has welcomed some of the budget announcements, such as the investment in the regional rail network, ongoing flood recovery funding and outdoor recreation initiatives.
But the group is disappointed with the discontinuation of the Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund, and called on the government to explain how regional Victorians will now access funding for infrastructure and job-creating projects.
The RJIF was established by the Bracks Government more than two decades ago and provided councils and regional businesses with access to over $100M in grants funding each year.
The group has also raised concerns about a lack of information on plans for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, to be held across a number of regional Victorian centres.
The state government has said it is waiting on the federal government to commit funding for the event, with the latter saying the financial implications were not quantifiable at this time.
The Age this morning describes the lack of a games commitment as “the glaring omission” in the state budget.
Growth councils have lost out with a $40M reduction in the Growing Suburbs Fund, for which just $10M has been announced. Margaret Paul at the ABC reports that outer suburbs councils are not happy with the reduction to funding for projects like parks and community centres in growth areas.
Ballarat Council was quick to welcome commitments in the budget for its region, and thanked the government for honouring key election commitments.
They included a $50M investment in Ballarat Station for accessibility and safety, one of many exciting projects related to the legacy of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, according to Ballarat Mayor Des Hudson.
Two councils have made formal decisions about the way January 26 will be recognised.
Strathbogie Shire will no longer formally support January 26 celebrations, and Greater Geelong last night resolved to permanently cease referring to the day as Australia Day.
The ABC reports this morning that Greater Geelong will reschedule citizenship ceremonies to different dates and lobby the federal government about changing the date.
It also plans to hold First Nations people’s acknowledgement and cultural activities on January 26, including a truth-telling ceremony.
At Strathbogie, Mayor Laura Binks said the council’s decision does not exclude Australia Day committees from continuing to hold events on January 26; and the council is exploring other opportunities to appropriately recognise volunteers in the community.
Strathbogie Shire Council; ABC News
Another Geelong region council, Surf Coast Shire, has previously decided to cease activities on January 26 and to fly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island flags at half-mast on that date.
Last night’s meeting of Greater Geelong Council descended into chaos, according to a report from radio station Bay 93.9, when a large group of people tried to gain entry to the chamber to ask questions about library cutbacks.
Police and security guards are said to have blocked people from entering due to a full public gallery, while Mayor Trent Sullivan’s attempts to keep order inside the meeting were met with repeated catcalls and interjections.
The incident comes after the council and the libraries corporation reached agreement late last week to keep all branches open, but with reduced hours of operation.
The Federal Local Government Minister, Kristy McBain, has been in Victoria, visiting the City of Casey and speaking at the ALGWA national conference in Mornington Peninsula Shire.
In Casey, Minister McBain was taken on a tour of key locations, showcasing community assets and hearing about key advocacy priorities for which the Council is seeking federal government support.
CEO Glenn Patterson said the need for investment was greater than ever before, with a population of nearly 400,000 and more than 5,000 new families making Casey home each year.
Minister McBain was also among the high profile speakers on the program for the ALGWA conference at RACV Cape Schanck, which wrapped up on the weekend.
Other speakers included former federal minister Juie Bishop, Victorian Local Government Minister Melissa Horne, ALGA President Cr Linda Scott, and Chief Municipal Inspector Michael Stefanovic.
One third of the 180 delegates were from interstate, providing an opportunity to showcase the Mornington Peninsula.
Mornington Peninsula Shire Deputy Mayor Debra Mar said the event helped to foster new relationships and opportunity building within the local government sector.
There was some disappointment expressed that the event clashed with the MAV State Council, which was also held on Friday.
Bass Coast Councillor Leticia Laing said the clash meant a number of Victorian local government leaders were forced to either miss out on the peak conference for women in local government, or the peak lobby body for Councils.
She has called on the MAV to demonstrate solidarity for the peak organisation for women in the sector by making sure their state council event is held on a different day.
Source: City of Casey; ALGWA; Mornington Peninsula Shire Council; Leticia Laing LinkedIn
Melbourne’s Bayside City Council will digitise its beach parking permit system, after concerns were raised that potentially more than $1 million of permit abuse is occurring.
The Age reports on how 7500 lost, missing or stolen paper permits have been reissued in the last three years. It is believed that this is an indicator of attempts to get more than the allowed two stickers per household.
Under the new scheme, ratepayers will be invited to register for a digital permit, but it will still be possible to order a physical sticker.
The new digital permits will be trialled for 2 years commencing in September.
Source: The Age, 20-5-23; Bayside City Council
Now in today’s Victorian Briefs:
Casey City Council has warned its residents about fake parking infringement notices recently found on vehicles in Hallam.
The council says the notices are not authentic, and have not been issued by its Parking Compliance team. Officers are patrolling the area where the notices have been reported.
Mitchell Shire will advocate for removal of a level crossing in Wallan, with fears the crossing in Watson Street will become a major hold up for road users as train use increases.
The North Central Review reports that council will seek the prioritisation of the crossing’s removal with the Department of Transport and Planning.
Southern Grampians Shire has adopted its first ever rural land use strategy, identifying the best use of rural lands to benefit the local economy and communities.
The strategy will ensure sustainable food and fibre production remains a priority use, and encourage tourism, renewable energy and sustainable development of natural resources.
Southern Grampians Shire Council
A 24 hour cat containment will be introduced to Greater Bendigo council area from July next year, and the city will also change from an off-leash default to an on-leash default municipality.
The decision will extend an existing requirement for cats to be contained within their owners property from sunset to sunrise.
Meanwhile at Hepburn Shire, a dusk to dawn cat curfew will come into effect from July this year.
Greater Bendigo City Council; Hepburn Shire Council
Also making news this week is Hobsons Bay City Council, which has made a controversial decision to remove 160 recently planted trees along a bay trail, reportedly because residents have complained that they will obstruct their coastal views.
The Age reports that residents argued they weren’t consulted before the trees were planted, while a community survey showed 94% support for retaining the trees.
And Gannawarra Shire Council has started a process of consultation as it considers ceasing to be an approved aged and disability services provider.
The council is seeking input from clients, staff and volunteers, and is expected to make a final decision next month.
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Now for some of the stories making local government news from around Australia this week.
Natural disasters have impacted four out of every five councils in Australia since 2019.
A senate estimates committee hearing has this week heard that 80 per cent of the nation’s 540 local government areas have received some form of funding for relief and recovery in the last three years.
The Canberra Times reports that the situation is expected to get worse, with recovery funding predicted to double in future with even more wild weather events expected.
The hearing also heard that access to resources to respond to emergencies, particularly bushfires, is expected to become more difficult and southern as northern hemisphere fire seasons increasingly overlap.
Cr Sameer Pandey has been elected the new Lord Mayor of Parramatta for the remainder of the current term, which expires in September.
The election was required after Cr Donna Davis was elected to state parliament earlier this year. While Cr Davis has relinquished the lord mayoralty, she will continue as a councillor until elections next year.
Cr Pandey’s election to the lord mayoralty means a further election for Deputy Lord Mayor will be held next month.
He is the city’s first Lord Mayor of Indian origin - and in a whirlwind first week in the role, he’s been front and centre meeting up with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian PM Anthony Albanese at Sydney’s Olympic Park yesterday.
City of Parramatta; City of Parramatta 23-5-23
A council meeting at Kiama in NSW last week was interrupted so that four council members could be drug and alcohol tested.
According to the Illawarra Mercury, the councillors were randomly selected for the tests as part of a council policy adopted in 2019, but enacted at the council level for the first time last week.
Mayor Neil Reilly confirmed to the newspaper that he did not know the tests would be conducted or who would be tested. But he did confirm that all tests came back negative, allowing the council members to continue with the meeting.
Under the policy, the mayor and councillors are included as workers who are required to report to work in a fit state, unimpaired by any substance.
Source: Illawarra Mercury, 20-5-23
The trial of the former mayor of Bathurst Robert Bourke is underway in Orange.
The Central Western Daily reports that the court heard about blackmail allegations, suspicions of a police cover up, a shredded letter and a toxic council culture in opening remarks.
Mr Bourke has pleaded not guilty to the changes and denies any wrongdoing.
A jury of seven women and five men was empanelled on Monday.
Central Western Daily, 23-5-23
There’ll be more time to prepare submissions to Tasmania’s local government sector review, with the minister announcing an extension of time last week.
Nic Street said the timeframe for consultation on the third and final stage of the review will be extended by six weeks until the 2nd August.
The Local Government Review Board will also have an extra month to produce its final report - it is now due by the 31st October.
The additional time has been welcomed by the Tasmanian Local Government Association.
LGAT President and West Tamar Mayor Christina Holmdahl said the original timeframe was not sufficient for meaningful council participation.
At least one other mayor is also pleased - Clarence Mayor Brendon Blomeley told the Hobart Mercury that he had been pushing hard in the background for this outcome, which would allow the sector more time to better engage with ratepayers.
Source: Minister for Local Government, Tasmania; Hobart Mercury, 20-5-23
In more news out of Tasmania, the minister has recommended that council provided employee assistance programs be extended to include councillors.
The provision of mental health support and confidential counselling for councillors is a recommendation from a workplace health and safety survey of elected representatives, and is a response to increasing harassment of councillors - particularly online - in recent years.
The Launceston Examiner reports that the survey, conducted by the Local Government Association of Tasmania, has resulted in a range of proposals, including development of a framework for managing challenging behaviour from community members.
Source: The Examiner, 20-5-23
Two South Australian councils have made CEO appointment announcements in recent days.
At Adelaide Hills, the Mayor Dr Jan-Claire Wisdom announced that Greg Georgopoulis was its choice to replace Andrew Aitkin who stepped down last year after ten years in the role.
Mr Georgopoulis is currently the CEO of Kangaroo Island Council and has 14 years experience in the sector, including time at Prospect and Port Adelaide/Enfield councils.
And at Onkaparinga City, Phu Nguyen will step into the CEO position after 20 years experience in Victoria and NSW - most recently as Deputy CEO at Campbelltown City.
Mr Nguyen was previously the CFO at the City of Melbourne.
He takes up the role in July, relieving Julia Grant who has been Acting CEO since May last year.
Adelaide Hills Council; City of Onkaparinga
A Darwin City Councillor has resigned after three years in the role.
Paul Arnold says it was a tough decision to leave, and said being an elected member will continue to be a highlight of his professional life.
Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis and CEO Simone Saunders have paid tribute to Mr Arnold as a proactive and community focused councillor.
Details of a by-election process are yet to be advised.
Briefly:
Bellingen Shire Council has appointed a new General Manager.
Mark Griffieon, currently acting GM, is a former CEO of West Arnhem Shire Council and has 27 years local government experience across New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory and New Zealand.
His five year term will commence on 4th July.
Former GM Liz Jeremy resigned last November and has been on leave since that time.
Bellingen Shire Council 23-5-23; Bellingen Shire Council 28-11-22
The Deputy Mayor of Bathurst Regional Council says he won’t be resigning, despite calls for him to do so over a controversial Facebook post.
The Western Advocate says Cr Ben Fry has apologised for labelling a local display as “anti-vaxxer propaganda” and deleted the post, but not before it was screenshot and shared widely on social media. (Western Advocate, 20-3-23)
SA’s Holdfast Bay council says it will cut back its News Years Eve festivities unless it receives more state government funding.
Indaily reports that the popular $250,000 live music and fireworks events at Glenelg and Brighton will be curtailed to just fireworks if it doesn’t receive a requested $50,000 increase to a state government grant.
And Yass Valley Council will borrow as much as $50M to fund the refurbishment of a historic site that will include a new council chamber and administrative building.
Aboutregional.com.au reports that the council will offset the borrowings through the sale of surplus land and grants.
Now for today’s International Spotlight:
In Scotland, a council has accidentally published the personal details of 15,000 workers online, including their salaries and national insurance numbers.
South Lanarkshire Council was responding to a Freedom of Information request when it shared a spreadsheet containing the details on an FOI reporting website.
A Council spokesman told the BBC the leak was a result of human error, and that as soon as it was noticed, the information was removed.
All affected employees are being contacted by the council, and the trade union GMB has said it will assist any member that wishes to take legal action.
Some interesting stories coming out of last week’s council elections in Northern Ireland, including a profile of the country’s youngest ever elected political representative.
Kalkine Media tells the story of how 18 year old Lewis Boyle has been studying for exams that begin next week while campaigning as a candidate for the Alliance Party.
He describes a nail-biting count process that ultimately saw him elected, after finishing third on first preferences.
The young councillor will juggle his new responsibilities with university studies in business, history and…. Politics.
The results of a new global study into the impact of the pandemic on cycling and cyclist injuries have been released.
In 20 cities across the Americas, Europe and Australia that expanded cycling infrastructure, ridership increased dramatically while cyclist fatalities and serious injuries dropped.
The Associated Press reports details of the study, which showed that Montreal in Canada did more than any other city in North America to expand safe cycling in the pandemic.
In Europe, the leaders were London, Paris and Brussels.
Other success stories were Bogota in Colombia, and the US cities Washington DC and Portland, Oregon.
Sydney was the only Australian city on the list of cities studied, placing 13th with cycling growth of 124%.
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That’s the latest from the Roundup for the 24th May 2023.
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The Local Government News Roundup is recorded in the city of Greater Geelong, Victoria, on the land of the Wadawurrung People of the Kulin Nation.
I’ll be back soon with more of the latest local government news. Until next time, thanks for listening, and bye for now.
