Hello, thanks for downloading the Local Government News Roundup. I’m Chris Eddy, and this is the bulletin for 5th May 2021.
Coming up in this bulletin:
A transformational plan unveiled for the north bank of the Yarra River;
Winners announced in the MAV Technology Awards for 2021;
Mildura council appoints an interim CEO;
Australia’s longest road tunnel announced but not welcomed by all;
A local mayor found guilty of misconduct,
And a preview of my in-depth conversation with the Federal Minister for 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:
- An ambitious plan to transform the northern bank of the Yarra River was considered this week by Melbourne City Council. The Greenline project has been described as Melbourne’s version of New York’s high line park. A 4 km linear park would run from Birrarung Marr to the Bolte Bridge. It is expected to cost in the order of $300 million, and generate more than $1 billion in economic activity, and create 1,000 jobs. Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the Greenline would deliver one of the biggest transformations of Melbourne city since the Southbank Promenade and Federation Square projects. Funding contributions will be sought from other levels of government and the private sector.
- A new report has found that the majority of Victorian councils are procuring products containing recycled content, but there are barriers to increasing procurement further. The report from the Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Group found that a lack of specifications and knowledge of projects, and the exclusion of recycled product clauses in tender criteria were major barriers to be addressed. A range of recommendations has been made including provision of more information, increasing council confidence, and requiring the procurement of these products in tender specification and evaluation criteria. The report was based on a sector-wide survey that attracted 119 council respondents.
- Reconciliation Victoria and the VLGA have announced the finalists for this year’s HART awards, which recognise Victorian partnerships and initiatives that contribute to local reconciliation outcomes. 19 outstanding nominations have made the finalists list in the three categories of Community, Schools and Early Years, and Local Government. The Councils in the running for the local government award are Ballarat, Banyule, Brimbank, Glen Eira, Hepburn and Mildura. The winners will be announced on Friday 4th June.
- Mildura Rural City Council has appointed Phil Shanahan as its interim CEO, to take over from Sarah Philpott who leaves the Council on 28th May to take up the chief executive role at Mt Gambier in South Australia. Mr Shanahan is a veteran of more than 30 years in state and local government, including terms as CEO of Portland, Broadmeadows, Maribyrnong and Darebin councils. He will commence on the 25th May and remain in the position until August, by which time the Council expects to have appointed a new permanent CEO.
- The Minister for Suburban Development, Shaun Leane, is calling for nominations for new members for metropolitan partnerships across Melbourne. Multiple vacancies exist on each of the six partnerships in the west, south, north, east, inner metro and inner south-east. The partnerships are seeking leaders in local business and community to help identify and explore local priorities and opportunities. Appointments are for a four year term, commencing 1 July this year. Details on how to apply can be found at www.getonboard.vic.gov.au.
- The MAV Technology Awards for Excellence were announced last week, with Councils from around the country sharing the accolades. The major award for Australian Achievement of the Year went to the City of Darwin. Their myDarwin Support Local program will now be Australia’s nomination in the International Awards for Excellence to be announced in Florida in November. Other winners last week included the City of Sydney and City of Casey, and the Shire of Yarriambiack which was recognised for the Victorian Achievement of the Year.
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.
Through a funding agreement with Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, the VLGA has a position available to lead a specific project working with the local government sector. Applications are closing soon. Visit www.vlga.org.au to find out more.
Still to come, the national roundup, including plans for Australia’s longest road tunnel; a local mayor found to have committed misconduct; and a new trial of an electric waste collection truck in Adelaide.
But first, a look at a new VLGA Connect episode available this week, in which I speak with the Federal Minister for Local Government, the Hon Mark Coulton about a range of current issues of relevance to the sector across Australia. In particular, we spoke about how to ensure that local government has a voice in the important discussions about issues that affect local communities.
Check out episode 165 of VLGA Connect for more of my conversation with the Minister, available to watch on YouTube or as a podcast on your preferred podcast listening app.
Now to some stories making news in local government around Australia.
- The NSW State Government has announced an 11km tunnel as part of the Great Western Highway upgrade, but not everyone is welcoming it. The Blue Mountains City Council is concerned that the proposed $8 billion tunnel between Blackheath and Mount Victoria will attract new and bigger trucks to the towns and villages in its area, negatively impacting road safety and quality of life for its residents. The Council has an existing formal position opposing construction on the highway upgrade without comprehensive analysis, with a preference for increasing freight by rail. The road tunnel would be Australia’s longest, and the NSW Government says it would transform the state by better connecting the Central West to the East Coast. Investigations are underway, with the full Great Western Highway Upgrade expected to be completed within 8 to 10 years.
- The City of Canada Bay has a new interim general manager. Kelly Loveridge, the Council’s Director of City Services and Assets has been appointed to the position while a recruitment process is undertaken for a permanent GM to replace Peter Gainsford, who is now General Manager of the Inner West Council.
- The South Australian Ombudsman has found a local mayor committed misconduct in public administration. The ABC has reported that Cr Richard Sage, the Mayor of the District Council of Grant, was the subject of complaints referred to the Ombudsman, who then conducted an investigation into four matters of misconduct. The ombudsman, Wayne Lines, found that Cr Sage breached the Local Government Act Code of Conduct by refusing to comply with the council’s Charter of Agreed Behaviours. He also found the mayor had committed misconduct by attending and chairing a special meeting to discuss his alleged breaches of the charter. The Ombudsman recommended Cr Sage undertake conflict of interest training and make a public apology.
- The Western Australian government has announced an extension of financial hardship measures introduced last year to protect ratepayers hardest hit by the pandemic. The new powers meant interest would not be charged on overdue rates for residential and small business ratepayers experiencing financial hardship. The measures will be extended into the 2021/22 fix financial year.
- A trial of an electric waste collection truck has commenced in South Australia, through a joint council waste initiative between the cities of Adelaide, Port Adelaide Enfield, Charles Sturt, Marion and Cleanaway. The trial is to test feasibility of the electric vehicle under actual operating conditions, and to help determine how a transition to electric trucks could occur. The truck is expected to run for 120 kilometres on one charge of 10 hours overnight. Cleanaway has a $100 million contract with the four councils to service 168,000 Adelaide households.
- The members of the District Council of Tumby Bay in South Australia have been stood aside, by operation of a section of the Local Government act 1999. The issue arose when the new CEO Rebecca Hayes found a serious administrative error, by which no ordinary interest returns had been lodged for 2019 return period. Application has been made to the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to restore the council members to office, which is hoped to have occurred by next Tuesday’s council meeting.
Now to some items of interest from beyond Australia:
- Local council elections take place in many parts of England this week, with approximately 28 million people able to vote for more than 4,600 positions on 143 councils. In our last bulletin, I reported on the situation in the UK where the High Court ruled that councils would have to return to in person meetings from this week with the expiry of primary legislation allowing virtual meetings. The Local Government Association UK has expressed disappointment in the judgement. It says that councils will now have to use very large external venues to hold legally required meetings within 21 days of this week's local government elections.
- In Santa Clarita, California, the city government has embraced the use of ultraviolet light, UV-C to minimise the spread of COVID 19 in city-owned buildings. The technology is part of new systems being installed this year, and existing systems are being retrofitted. By the end of year, 21 city buildings will have the technology. UV-C is a key industry in Santa Clarita, with a number of local businesses specialising in designing and deploying the technology. The local mayor is a big supporter and wants people to have confidence that their city’s buildings are safe, knowing that the air flow is as clean as possible.
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.
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There’s a new Roundup Extra feature available on the website, in which I speak with Ali Wastie, the CEO of Bass Coast Shire about the formation of One Gippsland - a relatively new advocacy alliance working to promote the needs of the Gippsland region at all levels of 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. 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.