Hello and welcome to the Local Government News Roundup. I’m Chris Eddy, and this is episode 8, recorded 31st March 2021.
Coming up:
A win for Mornington Peninsula in the fight against a controversial gas line proposal; new smart city projects from Geelong and Yarra; the first 5 star green star train station in Melbourne; and Blue Mountains Council safe from dismissal.
And lots more from around the world of local government across Australia and internationally.
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.
As the new Gender Equality Act comes into effect in Victoria, look out in the coming days for a special VLGA Connect interview with the Public Sector Gender Equality Commissioner Dr Niki Vincent.
Firstly to our Victorian roundup.
Victoria’s Planning Minister, Richard Wynne, has this week rejected a controversial proposal to establish a gas import terminal at Crib Point in Western Port on environmental grounds. The Minister said the project would have unacceptable effects on what is a Ramsar listed wetland of international significance.
Mornington Peninsula Shire has welcomed the decision and says the community is overjoyed with the outcome. The Council has been actively opposing the project on the basis of the threat to the environment and amenity of Western Port.
The Minister’s decision must now be considered by other decision makers, including the EPA, Aboriginal Victoria, and the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change. The Commonwealth Minister for the Environment has also been provided with the Minister’s assessment.
The City of Greater Geelong has adopted a Smart City Strategic Framework, a first for the region, with a four-year action plan to harness emerging technology for the improvement of liveability in the city.
The documents were on public exhibition during December and January, and include seven principles shaped by community engagement, that will guide the Council’s decision making, operations, and programs.
Actions include expanding the network of internet-connect things, the use of pedestrian, soil, climate, and parking sensors to gather data, and the expansion of the free public WIFI network.
The City of Yarra has installed three new smart benches in public spaces for people to charge devices or connect to free WiFi. In what is believed to be a first for inner-city Melbourne, the benches are powered by 100% renewable solar energy.
The benches also feature built-in environmental sensors to capture data about air quality, temperature, air pressure, and noise levels, which Yarra Mayor Gabrielle de Vietri says could be used to inform important planning decisions, particularly in relation to taking action against the climate emergency.
For more details and the location of the three smart benches, there’s a link in this episode’s show notes.
A new train station in metropolitan Melbourne has become the first in Australia to be awarded a 5 star Green Star As Built rating from the Green Building Council of Australia.
Reservoir Station, completed in July last year by the Level Crossing Removal Project, was designed using guidelines that promote the creation of station buildings that are healthy, liveable, productive, resilient and sustainable.
The station boasts sustainability outcomes include 41 per cent reduced electricity demand in peak times, 92 per cent reduction in water usage, and 100 per cent use of responsibly sourced steel.
Colac Otway Shire Council has secured almost 4.5 hectares of the former Colac High School site for future community use. The Council has agreed to purchase two hectares in addition to a 2.5 hectare parcel of land which will be transferred to the Council from the Department of Education and Training as an open space contribution.
The mayor Kate Hanson said the Council will fund the purchase, valued at $190,000, from its public open space reserve. She said it will allow the Council to provide recreational space and potential sporting facilities in an area where future residential growth is expected to occur.
A new marketing and branding campaign, called Move to More, has been launched to sell the benefits of living in regional areas. The campaign will promote a lifestyle opportunity with more space, more career opportunities, improved quality of life, and better value real estate options.
The campaign aims to capitalise on research that suggests one in five people living in a capital city is contemplating a move to regional Australia. You can find out more about the campaign at movetomore.com.au
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association. On the 21st April, the VLGA Local Government Working Group on Gambling will host as a guest speaker, the Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, the Hon Melissa Horne.
And the VLGA Governance Advisory Network meeting for Government Officers will be held via video conference on Friday 16th April. For more details on these and other events, keep watch on the Events page on the VLGA website at vlga.org.au
To interstate news now:
The final report following a public inquiry into asbestos management and governance at Blue Mountains City Council has been tabled by the NSW Government, which has accepted the inquiry’s recommendations. The public inquiry found that failings in asbestos management prior to mid-2017 have since been remedied, and there is no basis for the Council’s dismissal.
A toolkit developed by Blue Mountains City Council will be distributed to all councils in New South Wales to assist with ongoing asbestos management. The public inquiry was ordered by the former local government minister and was delayed, partly due to COVID-19.
Meanwhile, in more good news for Blue Mountains Council, it has just been named the most animal-friendly council in Australia by the Animal Justice Party. The award is in recognition for being a strong advocate for animals, through such steps as a ban on imported fur and other exotic animal skins on Council land; preventing animal circuses on council land, and banning the use of 1080 in Council operations.
Penrith City Council is highlighting the need for an evacuation route in the event of emergencies, like the current flood event, and is calling on the government to prioritise construction of the 22km Castlereagh Corridor.
The Mayor, Karen McKeown, says the corridor has sat idle for over half a century despite being 90% government-owned. She says it is a prime piece of untapped land that could have been used to evacuate thousands of people if it had been developed.
The corridor has been designated high priority by Infrastructure Australia, and Penrith Council is seeking a commitment from the government to develop a business case as a matter of priority.
The closing date for nominations for the NSW Local Government Excellence awards has been extended through to 16th April. The awards are run by LG Professionals NSW and celebrate outstanding achievements, innovation and continuous improvement in the sector.
There are 12 award categories, including community partnerships, assets and infrastructure, disaster recovery and special projects. The awards are open to people who work in a NSW Council, joint organisations, regional organisations of Councils and collaborating Councils.
The winners will be announced on 3rd June.
Northern Beaches Council in NSW is seeking community feedback on a proposal to install electric vehicle charging stations in key locations in the area. It has a draft plan that canvasses different business models for increasing the number of EV charging stations.
The Council will also investigate transitioning to a fleet of electric vehicles by 2023 and explore other technologies such as hydrogen electric.
Northern Beaches Council was the first LGA in NSW to partner with a power utility to trial a community battery to store excess solar power generated from consumers’ home installations.
Tweed Shire Council in NSW has issued a safety warning following from the theft of four Council-owned water meters on the weekend. The meters were stolen from commercial properties in Tweed Heads South, resembling a 2014 spate of thefts where 17 meters went missing over the course of a week.
The Council says that cutting the pipes that attached to the meters carries a risk of electrocution that could result in serious injury or even death. Council officers are assisting Police with the investigation of the thefts.
South Australian Councils that manage regional airports now have access to an economic development master plan to assist in improving the financial sustainability of their airports.
The University of Adelaide has produced the plan, with funding from the Local Government Research and Development Scheme, and expert advice from Hudson and Howells consultants.
Kingscote Airport in Kangaroo Island was used as a case study to develop a regional airport master plan.
To Western Australia, where the City of Fremantle will explore the introduction of a ‘Fremantle Card’ that would enable ratepayers to access discounts on city services and facilities.
Cr Hannah Fitzhardinge proposed the idea as a way of acknowledging the contribution of ratepayers towards supporting the many services offered by the city.
The Council resolved that the CEO research how and where such a card could be used, along with associated costs and benefits.
And finally, some news from overseas.
The UK Government has announced an injection of 165 million pounds in support of the most vulnerable families in society. It is the next phase of a program that has supported over 400,000 families to date - reducing the number of children going into care by a third and the number of adults going to prison by a quarter.
The funding includes 7.9 million pounds to improve how local councils use data to support families, including by providing key workers with the information that they need.
The program began in 2012 as the Troubled Families program, and will now be renamed the Supporting Families program.
Still in the UK, where new plans are under consideration to force tobacco companies to pay for cigarette litter in a bid to protect the environment and save local councils money.
Ministers are looking at a regulated producer responsibility scheme to require the companies to pay for the full disposal costs of tobacco waste products. Fresh evidence shows that UK local authorities spend around 40 million pounds each year cleaning up littered cigarette buts. Smoking-related litter makes up 68% of all littered items, making it the most prevalent form of litter in England.
And in Canada, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities has welcomed an announcement of a doubling of funding to councils from the federal Gas Tax Fund - bringing the amount to $2.2 billion, and to be renamed the Canada Community Building Fund.
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 now access episodes and related information on the web at www.lgnewsroundup.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.