Hello and welcome to the Local Government News Roundup. I’m Chris Eddy, and this is episode 6, recorded 24th March 2021.
Coming up: -
Victoria’s new Chief Municipal Inspector announced; a VAGO report on road network management finds room for improvement; the Deputy Prime Minister in Wangaratta; CEO and General Manager news; and items of interest from interstate and overseas.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, partnering with Reconciliation Victoria to present the 8th year of the HART Awards - Helping Achieve Reconciliation Together. More details later in the program.
The Victorian Government has announced the appointment of a new Chief Municipal Inspector. Michael Stefanovic AM brings to the role 35 years of experience investigating fraud, corruption and misconduct in Australia and abroad. He began his career with Victoria Police and most recently has been the Director of Compliance Operations with Covid-19 Quarantine Victoria.
The Chief Municipal Inspector is responsible for monitoring and investigating complaints about council operations and elections, and for the prosecution of anyone in breach of the Local Government Act.
Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes said, “Mr Stefanovic has investigated corruption and misconduct in some of the world’s toughest conditions, and we have every confidence he will uphold our councils to the high standards we expect.”
A new report from the Victorian Auditor-General has found that Councils in the state are unable to determine if they are achieving value for money in maintaining their road networks because they lack detailed cost data to analyse and benchmark performance.
VAGO audited five councils across a spread of types and sizes and conducted a sector wide questionnaire to collect road maintenance data. All 79 councils in the state participated.
Ten recommendations have been made to all councils around improving information using for road maintenance planning, the collection of accurate performance data, and assessment of performance on road management plans.
Coming up in the international roundup, I’ll tell you about a very cool tool just released for mapping the condition of the road network in some of the USA’s major cities.
The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission will resume public hearings into allegations of serious corrupt conduct in the public transport sector in Victoria from 29th March.
The allegations being examined by Operation Esperance relate to tendering, procurement and management of major contracts within V/Line and Metro.
IBAC will call additional witnesses to further examine issues raised in the first round of hearings which were held over six days last October and November.
The Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack visited the Rural City of Wangaratta last week, and along with state Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes, opened two transformational projects for the region.
The Wangaratta Sports and Aquatic Centre upgrade features state of the art aquatic facilities, including a 50m heat FINA standard outdoor pool. The project was jointly funded by the federal and state government, the Wangaratta Swimming Club and the Council.
The Wangaratta Railway Precinct Enhancement Project has already attracted millions of dollars in private investment and is providing a welcoming gateway to visitors arriving in the city by rail. That project is funded by the Victorian Government, NorthEast Water and the Council.
Twenty-two Victorian Councils will share in $5 million funding for continued and expanded outdoor dining areas and pocket parks this Autumn.
Minister for Local Government Shaun Leane announced the funding last week, saying the expansion will allow popular programs to continue across the state, giving our world-class hospitality industry a much-needed boost.
Of the 22 Councils to receive funding, 13 are metropolitan, 5 interface or peri-urban, and 4 rural. A full list is available on the Local Government Victoria website.
Knox City Council CEO Tony Doyle has announced his intention to step down when his current contract expires in early July. Mr Doyle told staff that he felt the organisation would be best served by a new CEO who could make a longer term commitment to the new Council’s goals and aspirations.
Mr Doyle’s five-year term will conclude on 3rd July, and the Council will commence a recruitment process in the next few weeks.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, which for the 8th year is partnering with Reconciliation Victoria to present the HART Awards - recognising Victorian initiatives and champions that contribute positively to local reconciliation outcomes.
Nominations from local governments and community groups are invited in three categories - School and Early Years, Community and Local Government. Nominated projects should demonstrate how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island and non-Aboriginal people are working together to strengthen relationships, respect and understanding while demonstrating a commitment to Aboriginal self-determination.
Nominations close soon via vlga.org.au where you can also find out more about the HART awards - Helping Achieve Reconciliation Together.
Now in our interstate roundup:
The City of Perth is seeking to improve safety in parts of the city through a new program to improve lighting in laneways and other locations by installing permanent light artwork fixtures.
Seven artworks will be commissioned as part of the Light it Up program, one for each neighbourhood precinct, and residents, business owners and visitors are being asked for feedback on the identified locations.
The artworks are expected to be installed in October this year.
To New South Wales, and in response to the devastating floods of recent days, a specialist support group to coordinate assistance among councils has been reactivated. The group was used effectively to connect councils with offers of help from other councils during the 2019-20 bushfire emergency.
The minister for local government Shelley Hancock confirmed that 34 local government areas have now been declared natural disaster areas, and she called on non-affected councils to come forward with offers of assistance, and for flood affected councils to register their needs.
and nominations are open for the Ministers’ Awards for Women in Local Government - celebrating the contributions of inspirational women in NSW Councils. This is the 14th year of the awards, with categories including Employment Diversity, Elected Representative, and Young Achievers.
The Minister will also select a recipient for the Lilliane Brady OAM Award, recognising the late Cobar councilor who was the longest-serving female mayor in the state’s history - and the first recipient of the Minister’s Award in 2020.
There will be a metropolitan and regional/rural recipient for each award. Nominations close on 30th April.
Warren Shire Council in NSW has a new General Manager. Gary Woodman took up the role last week. Mr Woodman was the Manager Engineering Services at Warren until 2002, and more recently was General Manager of Cobar Shire Council for six years.
Meanwhile, the General Manager of Huon Valley Council in Tasmania has reportedly resigned after 4 years in the job. Multiple news outlets, including the Tasmanian Times, are reporting that Mr Emilio Reale has given notice with the intention of returning to a director level role at Glenorchy City Council.
The ABC has established a pop-up newsroom in Liverpool for one month from this week. Liverpool Mayor, Wendy Waller, welcomed the move, saying it would help the ABC and its audience better understand that Liverpool is a wonderful community of diverse backgrounds, viewpoints and experience. The newsroom will operate from a central operations room being provided by Liverpool Council.
Work is about to commence on the restoration of the rail corridor in the centre of Byron Bay, New South Wales. The project is part of a program of works that will see an unprecedented $40 million invested in infrastructure in the town. The works will restore access for the community to currently unused, inaccessible areas of the town. Construction on the rail corridor will run from late March until the end of June.
To our international news roundup now:
And in the UK, the Government has announced a 56 million pound Welcome Back Fund to help councils prepare for the return of people to high streets and seaside towns in the coming Summer season.
The funding will enable the employment of extra staff to keep festivals events covid-safe, and for hospitality venues to use their land to enable safe meeting spaces including erecting marquees in pub gardens for the summer.
Seventy Councils will also receive hands-on support and advice on adapting high streets to meet changing consumer demands.
The UK Local Government Association has responded to the funding announcement, saying they are pleased it is a more flexible fund and that Councils can make decisions on how it is used locally to provide maximum impact.
In New Zealand, the government has announced a $3.8 billion fund to accelerate housing supply, with more New Zealanders able to access first home grants and loans. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the package included both urgent and long-term measures to increase housing supply, relieve pressure on the market and make it easier for first-home buyers.
Local Government New Zealand has welcomed the announcement, describing it as well-rounded, and saying it is a necessary intervention to cool the out-of-control housing market while longer-term, more sustainable policy fixes are put in place.
And finally, as promised - on the topic of maintaining road networks, in the USA a company called Roadbotics has released a new interactive mapping tool with condition assessments, ratings, and high definition imagery for 20 major metropolitan cities. You can click on the map to see an overall network score and access interactive maps for cities like Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. With the HD imagery, you can virtually drive down any road to see its rating and related information. The company says the tool could help solve major infrastructure issues challenging cities across the country. You’ll find a link to the site in our show notes.
And that’s your local government news roundup for this time around. Links to all of the stories referenced can be found in the show notes. You can send feedback and news stories to lgweeklynews@gmail.com.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by 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.