Hello and welcome to the Local Government News Roundup midweek edition for 11th March 2021. I’m Chris Eddy.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, home of the VLGA Connect series of local government focussed interviews and podcasts.
Making news in the world of local government this week.
The Federal Opposition Leader, Anthony Albanese has today committed a future Federal Labor government to giving local government a voice in the National Cabinet process, bringing a focus on urban policy to the national stage.
It is one of six measures announced as part of a cities policy that would see City Deals transformed in partnerships, a new national urban policy framework ,and a revitalisation of CBDs.
The Australian Local Government Association was once a member of COAG, until it was replaced by National Cabinet last year, and ALGA President Cr Linda Scott told Local Government News Roundup that that decision has had real consequences for the local government sector.
Cr Scott reiterated calls for the Prime Minister to match the commitment to have local government at the National Cabinet table.
The NSW Government has announced proposed changes to local government regulations aimed at increasing diversity including female representation in the sector.
Under the proposal, councillors with carer and work responsibilities will be allowed to attend council meetings virtually under certain circumstances, and guidelines will be strengthened to include financial support provisions for councillors with care responsibilities.
Local Government Minister Shelly Hancock said the moves are part of a broader plan to encourage a more diverse local government sector at council elections this September.
Submissions are invited on a consultation paper on the use of remote meetings by 3rd May.
A Victorian Council will proceed to an arbitration process with one of its own councillors in relation to contentious social media posts criticising Council decisions.
The Mayor of Frankston City Council, Cr Kris Bolam, told a recent Council meeting that multiple alleged acts of misconduct on the part of Cr Steven Hughes have led to a Council decision to initiate arbitration proceedings under the Local Government Act 2020.
Cr Bolam told the Frankston Times that the timeline and costs of the arbitration process were not yet known.
The motion to take the matter to an arbitration process was supported by 7 councillors, with Cr Hughes and his son, Cr Liam Hughes voting against it.
Local Government Professionals Australia is pushing for a gender balance in local government roles of 40 per cent women, 40 per cent men and 20 per cent any gender, by 2025.
The ambitious target was announced on International Women’s Day by LGPA President Victoria MacKirdy.
The announcement was accompanied by the publishing of a serious of frank interviews with senior executives telling their own personal stories about the progress of gender equity in the local government sector.
A new toolkit will be released to assist councils to reach a target in their own senior leadership teams and provide opportunities for emerging leaders.
The Victorian Local Governance Association is partnering with LGIU Australia and LGPro to present a Global Executive Panel Forum on Thursday 18th March at 7.00pm. A panel of senior executives from Australia and England will explore how local governments are finding innovative ways to deliver improved community wellbeing outcomes against a backdrop of the pandemic and a challenging economic climate. It’s free for VLGA, LGPro and LGIU Australia members, and just $20 for non-members. Register now at vlga.org.au/events.
In NSW, a special annual award and scholarship honouring women in local government will be named after the late Lilliane Brady OAM to recognise her extraordinary life and career as NSW’s longest serving female mayor. Lilliane’s outstanding contribution to the community of Cobar included 40 years on Council and two decades as Mayor. Nominations for the awards will open soon.
Now for a thing that caught my eye this week:
Cities along the Mississippi River in the US are taking part in the global system, Marine Debris Tracker, to determine where plastic pollution comes from and how it ends up in waterways.
The system uses a mobile app to allow citizens to log the types and locations of litter anywhere in the world. It’s estimated that 8 million tons of plastic flow into the world’s oceans each year, often causing death or severe injury for marine life.
Cities participating in the initiative include Baton Rouge Louisiana, St Louis and St Paul, Minnesota.
I decided to see how many Australian communities are using this global system, and discovered… well, not too many. Kudos to the communities of Karratha and Wickham in Western Australian, where 69 items of debris have been logged in the last month. There have also been items logged since the start of the year in Randwick and Coogee in Sydney; and Jurien Bay on the West Australian coast between Perth and Geraldton.
If you’d like to know more about this very useful tool, I’ve included a link in the show notes.
And that’s your weekly wrap of local government news from Australia and abroad. Links to all of the stories referenced can be found in the podcast notes.
The Local Government News Roundup will now come to you twice a week, with thanks to the Victorian Local Governance Association. Subscribe to the VLGA Connect series of interviews and panel discussions on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
Until next time, thanks for listening.