Hello and welcome to the Local Government News Roundup. I’m Chris Eddy, and this is the bulletin for 28th April 2021.
Coming up in this bulletin:
The loss of jobs from a phase out of native timber logging quantified;
The launch of a campaign to Fix the Calder;
A new addition to a popular regional Victorian tourist attraction;
A CEO’s suspension lifted, and a public inquiry into financial management at a NSW Council.
Plus we look at how the new Drought Resilience Hub will work from a Gippsland perspective.
And lots more from around the big wide world of local government.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, your go-to organisation for governance news, knowledge and training.
Here are some of the stories making news in Victorian local government this week:
A new report commissioned by Wellington and East Gippsland Shire Council reveals the loss of more than 1100 jobs if native forest logging was to cease in both shires. The number includes direct and indirect jobs, ranging from forestry contractors to transport company workers, and employees in shops that cater to timber workers.
Wellington Mayor, and Chair of the Native Timber Taskforce, Cr Garry Stephens, is highlighting the potentially devastating impact on local communities, and has called on the state government to share the basis on which its decision to phase out native timber logging was made. The government announced the phase out in late 2019 with a plan to cease logging by 2030. The councils and taskforce are seeking more detail on the plan to transition to hardwood plantations, and on job creation schemes to minimise the impact on affected communities.
A campaign to fix the Calder Freeway has been launched by Brimbank City Council, calling on the state and federal governments to commit to immediate and urgent upgrades along the Calder Corridor between the Western Ring Road and Sunbury.
The Council says the freeway is one of Victoria’s most dangerous roads. Between 2015 and 2019, there were four fatalities, and over a hundred injuries from 81 crashes on the stretch of road. The Federal Government has announced $50M towards upgrades on the freeway, but the Council says much more is needed from both levels of government.
The popular Wimmera Mallee silo art trail will soon be joined by the first contribution from Hindmarsh Shire. Artwork has begun on the Albacutya Silo, 10km north of Rainbow, which will create a tourism route link between the silos in Yarriambiack and the West Wimmera.
Melbourne artist Kit Bennett has developed a design that celebrates women and family on farms, and will take about three to four weeks to complete the work, which can be seen from a dedicated viewing area nearby. The silo art trail began in 2016 as a partnership between Yarriambiack Shire and mural art company Juddy Roller. Sites have since been added in Buloke and West Wimmera Shires.
Meanwhile in Horsham, two new public artworks will be launched next month in the town centre. The artworks celebrate the local landscape, and flora and fauna through murals in prominent locations by local artists. The launch event on 11th May will feature a 500m walk between the two new artwork sites, and including visits to a number of public artworks from previous Council commissions.
In Greater Shepparton, a new road making trial is underway, with recycled glass and reclaimed asphalt pavement being incorporated into the renewal of a part of a busy road. Kialla Lakes Drive has usage of over 7,000 vehicles per day, making it a good test case for the new trial method. The equivalent of 352,000 recycled glass bottles is being used in the recycled asphalt product. The use of the recycled material adds no additional cost to the project, and diverts a significant amount of waste products from landfill.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association .
The VLGA is the peak governance organisation for the local government sector, bringing you local, national and global thought leaders in conversation and panel sessions, online via VLGA Connect, and in-person at regular member events.
The VLGA’s signature forum, Leading the Agenda, is back for 2021, with a focus on demystifying audit committees and answering those questions you always wanted to ask.
Find out more about Leading the Agenda and other upcoming VLGA events at www.vlga.org.au/events. You’ll find a link in this episode’s show notes.
Still to come, the national roundup, including a CEO reinstated from suspension; the NSW Council to be subject to a public inquiry, and the financial health of Queensland Councils under the microscope.
A new Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub will be established at Dookie in northern Victoria, to design and deliver innovative programs and practices to boost drought resilience and agricultural productivity. The 3 year, $30 million project includes $8million from the Federal Government, and $22 million from Hub members. While based at the University of Melbourne’s Dookie campus, the hub will feature five nodes around the state. A Gippsland node will be led by Food and Fibre Gippsland, whose CEO Nicola Pero told what it means to be a node leader.
(Nicola Pero)
What outcomes are you expecting to come from this project?
(Nicola Pero)
So what is local government’s role in the drought resilience hub project? CEO of Bass Coast Shire, Ali Wastie:
(Ali Wastie)
For more of my interview with Nicola Pero and Ali Wastie about the Drought Resilience Hu, you can access a Roundup Extra feature on the website - www.lgnewsroundup.com. We’ll hear more from Ali Wastie about the new One Gippsland advocacy body on an upcoming episode of the roundup.
Now to some stories making news in local government around Australia.
A public inquiry will be held to investigate the financial management and ability to serve the community of Central Coast Council in New South Wales. Minister for Local Government Shelly Hancock announced the inquiry this week, and the appointment of Roslyn McCulloch as Commissioner to undertake the inquiry.
The move follows the release of the final report from interim administrator Dick Persson. The Council will remain suspended while the inquiry takes its course, and the scheduled Council election for this September will now be postponed until late 2022. Dick Persson will step down as interim administrator next month, to be replaced by Rik Hart who is currently interim general manager of the council.
Kalgoorlie-Boulder council in Western Australia has reinstated its CEO John Walker, after the conclusion of a workplace investigation. The ABC reported that the Council considered an investigative report before voting to lift Mr Walker’s month-long suspension with immediate effect.
Queensland’s Auditor General, Brendan Worrall, has released the annual financial audit report for local government in the state, with some sobering observations for the financial health of the sector. Mr Worrall’s report finds that the financial performance of Councils continued to deteriorate in 2020, due to lower revenue and reduced patronage as a result of the pandemic.
70 per cent of councils spent more than they earned during the year, which is 25% worse than the previous year. 25 councils are at a high risk of not being financially sustainable, an increase of four on the previous year - representing one third of the Queensland sector.
The report also found that while councils have made progress improving internal controls, there was an increase in the number of significant weaknesses arising from changes in the working environment. Another observation was 16 councils do not have an audit committee, and 10 of those don’t have an active internal audit function.
The Heritage Council of New South Wales has opened applications for positions on a number of committees and panels, including the State Heritage Register Committee, the Approvals Committee, Heritage Advisory Panel and Technical Advisory Panel.
Applications are sought from people with a broad knowledge and skill set, and a passion for heritage, including Aboriginal cultural heritage outcomes. Relevant professional experience includes local government, planning, building and development, disaster preparedness, and climate change. Applications close at midnight on Sunday 2 May.
Now to some items of interest from beyond Australia:
The recently announced review of local government in New Zealand has been welcomed by the peak body, Local Government New Zealand, which says it is a historic opportunity to set communities up for success now and in the future.
LGNZ President Stuart Crosby says the Future for Local Government Initiative is a chance to reimagine the roles, responsibilities and resources of councils so that they can meet community expectations which have evolved massively over the last 30 years. He says deep engagement with all communities, not just local government, will be important, and LGNZ is encouraging all New Zealanders to engage with the process.
In the US state of Nebraska, the Associated Press reports an attempt to cap property tax increases at 3% has failed, with allies of local government blocking legislation that would have applied to school districts, counties, community colleges and other local governments. Opponents of the proposal described it as an attack on local control.
Supporters say a property tax crisis is coming if the state doesn’t act to curb sharp rises imposed on farmers and homeowners due to soaring land values. Examples of increases as high as 23% per year have been cited in the arguments in favour of stronger controls, while opponents say the bill would remove local government’s flexibility to fix roads, protect the public and build and maintain schools.
And from Scotland, and Glasgow City Council has become the first UK council to sign the circular cities declaration, committing it to raising awareness of the benefits of the circular economy. The commitment means Glasgow will encourage the reuse, repair and recycle and manufacture of goods that would otherwise have gone to landfill or incineration.
The circular cities network now comprises 40 cities across Europe, including Paris, Helsinki, Malmo, Copenhagen, Prague and Florence.
And that’s it for another roundup. You’ll find links to all of the stories referenced in today’s program in the show notes.
You can access episodes and related information on the web at www.lgnewsroundup.com, or you can subscribe to the show with your preferred podcast provider.
If you like the program or find it useful, please consider leaving a rating or a review. Thank you to those who have done so already - it is greatly appreciated.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, your go-to organisation for governance news, knowledge and training. Subscribe to the VLGA Connect series of interviews and panel discussions on YouTube or your preferred podcast app.
That’s the program for today. Until next time, thanks for listening.