Hello, and welcome to the Local Government News Roundup for 29th September 2021. I’m Chris Eddy.
On the Roundup today… regional Victorian councils at the centre of new vaccinated economy trials; a defamation case against a former mayor settles out of court; the much anticipated Central Coast public inquiry suspended amid technical issues; and the cost of deferring NSW council elections.
Just some of what’s ahead on the midweek update from the Roundup, which is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, an independent governance organisation supporting councils and councillors to achieve the highest standards of governance;
And by Hunt & Hunt Lawyers - providing advice to help Councils achieve the best for their communities.
Six Victorian council areas will be the first invited to participate in trials in business and events as part of the progressive reopening of the vaccinated economy.
The state government will conduct the trials over the next two weeks in the most highly vaccinated parts of the state to test systems and support ahead of the 70 percent full vaccination mark which is expected to be reached in late October.
The areas with high vaccination rates and low or no COVID-19 cases to be targeted for the trials include Bass Coast, Greater Bendigo, Pyrenees, Warrnambool, Buloke and East Gippsland.
The mayor of Warrnambool, Vickie Jellie has welcomed the opportunity to be part of the trial, which is expected to start from 11th October.
She said it is tremendous news for the economy and feels like a great reward for the effort that Warrnambool people have made over the past 18 months.
A defamation case against a former mayor of Mildura has settled out of court.
The ABC reports that the case was brought by MP Ali Cupper against former mayor Simon Clemence in relation to a Facebook post from October 2019, which was removed a few days later.
Ms Cupper was also a Mildura councillor before being elected to state parliament in 2018. She told the ABC the matter has been settled on confidential terms, and both parties said they are happy with the outcome.
Mr Clemence did not stand for re-election at last year’s Council elections.
The Councils of Melbourne's eastern region have announced their advocacy priorities in the lead up to the next Federal election.
The six councils in the regional grouping, including Knox, Manningham, Maroondah, Monash, Whitehorse and Yarra Ranges, have a population of nearly 1 million, accounting for 20 percent of metropolitan Melbourne.
Chair of the Eastern Region Group, Cr Kylie Spears from Maroondah City Council, said the group is advocating for a range of capital works and projects to support local communities and grow the local economy.
Priority issues for the region include employment pathways, mental health services, housing, renewable energy, and road and rail projects to reduce congestion on key roads.
An innovative new early years project will be tested in the Wimmera region of Victoria, with nearly $3 million to be provided over four years by the state government.
The By Five Early Years Innovation Hub will focus on the six local government areas of Horsham, Northern Grampians, Buloke, Yarriambiack, Hindmarsh and West Wimmera.
It will test new ideas and map a more streamlined system for children as they move from parent to child health services, child care and kinder.
The initiative was proposed by the Wimmera Southern Mallee Regional Partnership, in response to a locally identified need to improve early year’s service delivery across small and dispersed communities.
The public inquiry focussing on the financial management of Central Coast Council in New South Wales has been suspended due to technical issues.
The inquiry, which commenced on Monday, suffered a number of glitches and false starts before being adjourned due to problems reportedly caused by a technology upgrade last weekend.
Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock said the failure of the livestream is simply unacceptable, and she expects the Commissioner to rectify the issue as soon as possible.
She said it is paramount that members of the public can watch and listen to the hearings and hear the evidence.
Transcripts from the witness interviews conducted up until the suspension of the inquiry are available on the inquiry webpage - link in the show notes.
The Roundup continues in a moment with more news from around the country.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association.
Last call for Fast Track 2021, The Journey Continues - the second part of its highly regarded Councillor Leadership Program - online, this Friday 1st October.
The program will include a welcome and Q&A discussion with the Local Government Minister, the Hon. Shaun Leane, and three timely and topical moderated panel discussions.
Topics include the Council Term So Far; the Influence and Strategy Continuum, and When Conduct Disappoints - Individuals Working as a Team.
Registrations are open now on the VLGA website - vlga.org.au/events.
The cost of deferring NSW council elections until December this year has been put at $29 million by the NSW Electoral Commission.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that a further $37 million is required for COVID-19 risk measures.
All up, the elections will cost nearly $150 million, three times as much as the last round of Council elections.
The state government is understood to be considering a request from the commission for an additional $29 million, on top of the $57 million already allocated.
Thousands of extra personnel and hundreds of additional polling venues will be required to allow for the covid-safe conduct of the elections.
The New England region of New South Wales is projected to become one of the largest generators of renewable energy in Australia over the next ten years.
Armidale Regional Council and surrounding local government areas are the key stakeholders in development of the New England Renewable Energy Zone, with more than $13 billion to be invested across the region.
The Council has developed a renewable energy policy to shape and optimise development outcomes, and the community’s desire for the region to lead a zero emissions future.
A number of projects are already in the design, planning or construction phase.
The Chair of the Central NSW Joint Organisation, Cr John Medcalf, has strongly criticised the state government’s planning assumptions that are used to plan investment in infrastructure and services.
Cr Medcalf, who is also the Mayor of Lachlan Shire Council, said the assumptions that have been provided to councils in central NSW fail to take into account the regional housing and skills crisis, and the impacts of the pandemic.
He said the data suggests population decline in areas where unprecedented investment is occurring, and an increasing number of people are moving from capital cities to regional areas.
Cr Medcalf said the government is determining such services as schools, police numbers and hospital services on numbers that are wrong, and that it has to stop.
The peak body representing councils across the Murray Darling Basin is searching for a new chief executive.
The Murray Darling Association represents the interests of the more than 170 councils across the Murray-Darling Basin and works with four States and the Commonwealth.
The position requires a detailed knowledge of local government process and procedure, understanding of the role of State and Federal governments, as well as knowledge of Murray-Darling Basin.
Current CEO Emma Bradbury announced last year that she would not be seeking a new contract, and is staying in the role until a new CEO is appointed.
Nominations have opened for 4 positions on the board of Local Government Professionals Western Australia, for election from the membership.
Nominations can be made until 5pm on Tuesday 12th October; and candidates are asked to be available for a Meet the Candidates sessions on Wednesday 13th October via Zoom.
More details can be found via the link in this episode’s show notes.
Cr Kevin Greene has been re-elected as Mayor of Georges River at an extraordinary meeting of the Council this week. Cr Greene has been elected Mayor at every mayoral election of the Council since September 2017. Cr Stephen Agius has been re-elected as Deputy Mayor.
At Port Stephens Council, deputy mayor Paul Le Mottee has been reelected uncontested.
The Roundup continues in a moment with the international spotlight falling on South AFrica and the US..
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Now some stories of interest under our international spotlight….
In South Africa, ahead of local government elections in November, the Constitutional Court has given the okay to extension of the time to register candidates.
The African National Congress Party failed to meet the deadline for registered candidates in a number of municipalities, and was given an extension by the electoral commission.
The Associated Press reports that the extension of time was challenged by opposition party the Democratic Alliance. The appeal was dismissed by the Constitutional Court last week.
The new deadline has now passed this week, and all candidates are now getting ready for the elections which take place on 1st November.
In the US, the city of Decatur in metropolitan Atlanta has introduced a policy requiring local government employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly tests as a condition of their employment.
The Associated Press reports that Decatåur joins fellow metro Atlanta council Brookhaven in introducing the requirement, which mirrors a federal vaccine mandate enacted by President Joe Biden.
City employees have until 30th November to get vaccinated or submit to regular testing.
And that’s it for this edition of the roundup. Visit www.lgnewsroundup.com for more on each episode, including show notes, links to the stories referenced and extra features.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the home of VLGA Connect - an ever growing library of interviews, updates and panel discussions on YouTube and podcast
And by Hunt and Hunt Lawyers - providing advice to help Councils achieve the best for their communities.
Join me next time for more local government news. Until then, thanks for listening and bye for now.