On the Roundup today… vaccination requirements announced to access Council facilities in the City of Melbourne; rural Victorian Councils celebrate major grant funding announcements; a new study quantifies the housing crisis in western Queensland; the countdown to Western Australia council elections enters its final week, and more senior executive appointment news.
Just some of what’s ahead on 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.
Links:
City of Melbourne vaccination requirements
Maribyrnong CEO appointment
Michel Masson stepping down at Infrastructure Victoria
Corangamite Shire welcomes funding for Port Campbell town centre
Indigo Shire celebrates funding for Rutherglen trail project
Geelong launches women-only street art project
Vic Tennis Awards shortlist local government category
Vic Rural Councils funding program opens
Community sports infrastructure loans scheme
W Qld housing study released
Blue Mountains mayor criticises COVID-19 restriction inconsistencies
Ipswich Council considers CEO shortlist
City of Swan welcomes Bullsbrook water solution
WA council elections this week; Extraordinary elections scheduled
Support the Roundup and get access to special episodes and regular breaking news updates by becoming a subscriber for around $5 per month. ($3 USD) Click here to subscribe now.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government; with support from Davidson, the nationally recognised executive recruitment and business advisory service; and from Ventia, making infrastructure work sustainably for our communities.
Links for stories referenced in the podcast can be found in the transcript, or by visiting the Roundup website.
On the Roundup today… vaccination requirements announced to access Council facilities in the City of Melbourne; rural Victorian Councils celebrate major grant funding announcements; a new study quantifies the housing crisis in western Queensland; the countdown to Western Australia council elections enters its final week, and more senior executive appointment news.
Just some of what’s ahead on 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.
Links:
City of Melbourne vaccination requirements
Maribyrnong CEO appointment
Michel Masson stepping down at Infrastructure Victoria
Corangamite Shire welcomes funding for Port Campbell town centre
Indigo Shire celebrates funding for Rutherglen trail project
Geelong launches women-only street art project
Vic Tennis Awards shortlist local government category
Vic Rural Councils funding program opens
Community sports infrastructure loans scheme
W Qld housing study released
Blue Mountains mayor criticises COVID-19 restriction inconsistencies
Ipswich Council considers CEO shortlist
City of Swan welcomes Bullsbrook water solution
WA council elections this week; Extraordinary elections scheduled
Support the Roundup and get access to special episodes and regular breaking news updates by becoming a subscriber for around $5 per month. ($3 USD) Click here to subscribe now.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government; with support from Davidson, the nationally recognised executive recruitment and business advisory service; and from Ventia, making infrastructure work sustainably for our communities.
Links for stories referenced in the podcast can be found in the transcript, or by visiting the Roundup website.
Hello, and welcome to the Local Government News Roundup for 10th October 2021. I’m Chris Eddy.
On the Roundup today… vaccination requirements announced to access Council facilities in the City of Melbourne; rural Victorian Councils celebrate major grant funding announcements; a new study quantifies the housing crisis in western Queensland; the countdown to Western Australia council elections enters its final week, and more senior executive appointment news.
Just some of what’s ahead on 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.
From Friday 5th November, the City of Melbourne will require all staff, contractors and visitors attending its facilities to be fully vaccinated.
CEO Justin Hanney announced this week that vaccination will be required to enter any City of Melbourne site, including libraries, recreation centres, community facilities and administration officers, including the Town Hall.
The announcement comes after Bass Coast Shire Council became the first local government in Victoria to classify its entire workforce as essential, and require full vaccination to maintain ongoing employment.
For more on the legal implications of these actions, watch or listen to the latest edition of VLGA Connect Governance Update, with special guest Richard Scougall from Hunt and Hunt Lawyers.
https://www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au/News/New-Chief-Executive-Officer-appointed
Maribyrnong City Council has announced the appointment of Celia Haddock as its new CEO. Ms Haddock has been acting in the role for the past three months, following the departure of Stephen Wall who is now CEO at Wyndham City Council.
Ms Haddock’s 17 year local government career has included senior roles at Manningham and Yarra councils, before joining Maribyrnong as Director Corporate Services in 2013.
https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/resignation-infrastructure-victorias-michel-masson
In more senior executive news this week, the CEO of Infrastructure Victoria, Michel Masson has resigned after 5 years in the role. His resignation comes just weeks after releasing the second 30 year strategy developed at Infrastructure Victoria under his stewardship.
Mr Masson will finish in the role on 4th November.
Corangamite Shire Council’s largest ever infrastructure project is set to go ahead with the announcement this week of federal government funding for the Port Campbell Town Centre revitalisation.
$5.6 million from the Building Better Regions Fund will be added to the state government’s $6 million contribution announced earlier this year.
Mayor Cr Ruth Grstein said she was thrilled to receive government support for the project, which has been the Council’s top priority for some time.
The work, to be carried out in stages, will include streetscape upgrades, amenity improvements, outdoor dining areas, road and parking improvements, and allowance for adding electric vehicle charging stations in the future.
Indigo Shire in the state’s northeast is another to be celebrating good news on the funding front.
The Building Better Regions Fund will contribute $5.1 million towards the Rutherglen Wine, Walk and Cycle Trail - 48km of trails through the world renowned wine region.
In welcoming the news, Mayor Jenny O’Connor said the project would complement the existing rail trail and showcase the region’s world class wineries and food producers.
https://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/news/item/8d98a5a785b8d04.aspx
The City of Greater Geelong has launched a women-only street art commission project, to celebrate International Women’s Day 2022.
The Council is inviting women artists working across a diverse range of wall-based media to apply through an expressions of interest process.
The $100,000 project will centre on locations in Geelong CBD including the Little Malop Street laneway precinct. Shortlisted artists will be able to view the potential sites to support the development of their proposals.
EOIs close on the 28th October, and installation of the successful works is expected to occur from mid-February, in the lead up to International Women’s Day on 8th March.
https://www.mitchellshire.vic.gov.au/news/council-on-serve-for-top-tennis-gong
https://www.tennis.com.au/vic/news/2021/09/17/victorian-tennis-awards-finalists-announced-3
Mitchell Shire Council is celebrating being named a finalist in the 2021 Victorian Tennis Awards.
The Supporting Tennis - Local Government Award is presented to the council area judged to be the most engaged with and supportive of tennis. Mitchell Shire has contributed $4.2 million towards more than $6 million in tennis projects over the past 2 years.
The Council faces competition from Brimbank, Hobsons Bay and Yarriambiack Councils in the category.
The award winners will be announced on the 19th October.
https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/helping-rural-councils-deliver-their-communities
Minister for Local Government Shaun Leane has announced an $8 million second round of funding for the Rural Councils Transformation Program.
Victoria’s 38 rural councils are invited to partner with other rural councils on collaboration and resource sharing projects in areas such as workforce planning and asset management.
Projects will be funded up to $1 million, with a maximum of $250,000 for each rural council involved. Applications close on 10th December.
https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/loans-kickstart-more-sports-infrastructure-projects
Meanwhile, applications have opened for the Community Sports Infrastructure Loans Scheme.
The scheme provides low-interest loans of between $500,000 and $10 million for councils, clubs and other organisations to develop high-quality community sport and active recreation infrastructure.
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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.
The VLGA is partnering with Local Government Victoria and FinPro to bring you a live online panel event, discussing the use of debt as a financial resource for Councils.
The session will highlight the recently announced access to Treasury Corporation Victoria loan funds. A council’s decision surrounding the appropriateness of debt will be important in the development of 4 year budgets and strategic plans including council, financial, asset management and rating and revenue plans.
Panellists will include the Minister for Local Government, the Hon Shaun Leane; Victoria’s Auditor-General Andrew Greaves, local government financial sustainability consultant John Comrie, and CEO of Central Goldfields Shire Council, Lucy Roffey.
It will be my pleasure to facilitate this discussion on Thursday 21st October at 10.00am.
Register now to join us.. visit vlga.org.au/events for registrations and more information.
https://wqac.com.au/news/new-western-qld-housing-study
A coalition of 22 western Queensland councils has released a region-wide housing market study, revealing chronic shortage of housing that is expected to worsen.
The Western Queensland Alliance of Councils commissioned the report by the Regional Australia Institute to better understand the issues with housing in the region, and hopefully identify solutions to those issues.
Mayor of Longreach, Tony Rayner, said sourcing affordable and suitable housing was a major roadblock to the potential of the region.
The study quantifies the shortfall of housing in the region at 1,480 dwellings, and notes the per-capita level of investment in housing in western Queensland is less than one fifth of what occurs in Greater Brisbane.
The Mayor of Blue Mountains Council, Cr Mark Greenhill, has criticised the inconsistency of the state government’s COVID 19 roadmap in relation to swimming pools.
Cr Greenhill said the Council had opened its outdoor pools to all users on seven days' notice, in accordance with the roadmap, on 27th September. He says the Council then learned via media announcements that entry would have to be restricted to vaccinated people only from this coming week.
He said that messaging about the use of indoor pools had also been inconsistent. Cr Greenhill wants the local community to know these decisions are not being made by the Council, and he is encouraging people to direct their complaints to the state government.
https://ipswich.infocouncil.biz/Open/2021/10/CO_20211008_AGN_2993_AT_EXTRA.PDF
Ipswich City Council in Queensland is believed to be close to announcing the appointment of its new CEO. The Council held a meeting on Friday, at which the preferred candidates provided a presentation and were interviewed by Councillors.
The vacancy in the position arose earlier in the year when David Farmer left to take up the CEO position at Central Coast in NSW. General Manager Sonia Cooper has been acting in the role since March.
The Mayor of the City of Swan in Western Australia has welcomed an announcement from the Federal Government for the connection of town scheme water to the community of Bullsbrook, which has been impacted by PFAS water contamination.
The announcement was made in conjunction with the official groundbreaking at the site of the new National Resilience Centre in Bullsbrook.
Residents to the west and south west of RAAF Base Pearce have been impacted by recently identified soil and drinking water contamination.
Mayor Kevin Bailey said it was a great relief to have a resolution to the matter, after some years of advocating for the installation of scheme water to properties in the area.
Less than a week to go now for ordinary local government elections in Western Australia.
Ordinary elections are held every two years for half of the council, with the majority of next weekend’s elections being conducted by postal vote. Western Australia uses a first past the post voting system, and voting is not compulsory.
There are 640 vacant positions on 139 councils across the state.
https://www.elections.wa.gov.au/elections/local
A number of extraordinary elections have already been set for November and December due to insufficient nominations for available positions. These include the Tammin, Kent, Ravensthorpe, Williams and Chapman Valley shires.
Tweed Shire Council in New South Wales has been recognised as one of three top leaders in global river management for its work on the Tweed River.
The Council was shortlisted for the 21st Thiess International River prize, alongside the Friends of the Chicago River in the US, and the ultimate winner, the Africa Sand Dam Foundation for its work on the Thwake River in south eastern Kenya.
The Thiess International River prize has been awarded since 1999 to recognise excellence in river management, restoration and building river resilience.
As a finalist for the prize, Tweed Shire has received international recognition for more than 30 years of working to increase the health of the Tweed River, following a series of devastating fish kills in the late 1980s.
The Roundup continues in a moment with the international spotlight falling on Japan, the US and the UK.
But first, a word about our valued sponsors, Hunt & Hunt Lawyers.
Hunt and Hunt do more than help councils with their legal issues. They build genuine partnerships to help you achieve the best for your community.
The team at Hunt & Hunt have experience as councillors, officers and executives within councils across Victoria. They know that when things get tough, you roll up your sleeves and you do what needs to be done in the interests of your community. That’s the same energy they bring to their partnership with council clients.
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Now some stories of interest under our international spotlight….
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20211007/p2a/00m/0na/028000c
The Mayor of Wakayama, a city in the west of Japan, has this week announced that bird droppings were likely part of the reason for the collapse of a water pipe bridge that has left 60,000 households without a water supply.
National daily newspaper the Mainichi reports that the Wakayama municipal government is looking into possible corrosion of the suspension parts of the bridge, leading to fractures due to sea breeze and bird droppings.
The city’s Mayor, Masahiro Obana, has admitted that inspections were inadequate, and as a result the corrosion and fractures were overlooked. The central part of the 550 metre long bridge, including the water pipes, collapsed during the afternoon of 3rd October.
The city has been distributing drinking water in plastic bottles to residents, and is working to install temporary pipes on an adjacent road bridge with the aim of restoring supply by this weekend.
https://mynorthwest.com/3177779/seattle-council-approves-resolutions-decriminalization-psychedelics
In Seattle, Washington, the city council last week approved a resolution in support for decriminalising the possession of naturally occurring psychedelic substances, like mushrooms.
Mynorthwest.com says the resolution is in effect a recommendation to the Seattle Police Department to make possession and use of personal psychedelic substances a low law enforcement priority.
The Council has heard from experts that psychedelic use can be of benefit in controlled psychotherapy sessions, and help to deal with alcoholism and other substance use disorders.
And in the UK, the city of Birmingham has unveiled a transformative transport plan to convert the car-centric city into a low traffic neighbourhood.
The Guardian reports that city officials are aiming to create a more liveable city by closing roads to vehicles, building more cycleways and introducing a fleet of zero emission buses.
Under the plan, the city centre will be divided into seven traffic cells, with priority given to walking, cycling and public transport.
Birmingham is the UK’s second largest city, with a population of 1.2 million, and the new plan comes ahead of the city hosting the Commonwealth Games next year
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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.