On the Roundup today… a fresh start for South Gippsland Shire as election results are declared; the latest mayoral election results from around Victoria; Queensland’s planning minister considers calling in a controversial coal fired power station; and Tasmania’s local government minister releases the scope of a sector wide review program.
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:
South Gippsland Shire Council election results
Geelong lights up floating Christmas tree
Wyndham City Joins Mission For A Cooler Climate And Brighter Future
Kingston hails success of FOGO service
Vic Mayoral Election Roundup
The future of Local Government in Tasmania
Call in for Waratah Coal Power Station considered
Ipswich CEO appointment imminent
Ipswich council set to trial shared e-scooter scheme
Not all councils will be contested in next month's local government elections
Regional housing taskforce recommendations released
50 million to play splash and roam
Local support for hoarding and squalor cases
National Awards for Local Government
South Africa's ANC party sees big decline in local elections
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… a fresh start for South Gippsland Shire as election results are declared; the latest mayoral election results from around Victoria; Queensland’s planning minister considers calling in a controversial coal fired power station; and Tasmania’s local government minister releases the scope of a sector wide review program.
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:
South Gippsland Shire Council election results
Geelong lights up floating Christmas tree
Wyndham City Joins Mission For A Cooler Climate And Brighter Future
Kingston hails success of FOGO service
Vic Mayoral Election Roundup
The future of Local Government in Tasmania
Call in for Waratah Coal Power Station considered
Ipswich CEO appointment imminent
Ipswich council set to trial shared e-scooter scheme
Not all councils will be contested in next month's local government elections
Regional housing taskforce recommendations released
50 million to play splash and roam
Local support for hoarding and squalor cases
National Awards for Local Government
South Africa's ANC party sees big decline in local elections
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 November 2021. I’m Chris Eddy.
On the Roundup today… a fresh start for South Gippsland Shire as election results are declared; the latest mayoral election results from around Victoria; Queensland’s planning minister considers calling in a controversial coal fired power station; and Tasmania’s local government minister releases the scope of a sector wide review program.
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.
The results of the South Gippsland Shire Council election are in, and voters have opted for a fresh start for the return to elected councillors.
No councillors from the group that was dismissed in 2019 have been re-elected, and there is only one former councillor in the new group. Mohya Davies returns, after serving in the 2012 term and missing out at the 2016 election.
The new group and their wards are: Sarah Gilligan, Scott Rae and Mohya Davies in Coastal-Promontory Ward; Jennie Keerie, Michael Patrick Felton, and Nathan Hersey from Strzlecki Ward; and John Schelling, Clare Williams and Adrian Darakai in Tarwin Valley Ward.
The new councillors will serve a three year term until the next round of elections across the state in October 2024. They will be assisted by a municipal monitor from their first meeting, with the government appointing Prue Digby to that role last week.
https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/voting/current-elections/south-gippsland-election-2021/results
Geelong’s popular giant floating Christmas Tree has been switched on this week, with the city bringing forward its free program of festive events and activities.
A sound and light show will run every fifteen minutes from 8.30pm until midnight. There will be three different shows - the first from now until the end of November; the second running until Christmas day, and a final show through the new year until 7th January.
The 10-tonne tree was constructed in 2014 and has been attracting nearly 200,000 visitors each season, prior to COVID 19.
https://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/news/item/8d9a07ee0bde100.aspx
The City of Wyndham has signed on to three critical climate change advocacy campaigns, as part of a worldwide call for action.
The Council last month endorsed support for the Better Futures Declaration, the Cities Race to Zero, and the Race To Resilience campaigns.
The campaigns are calling for immediate action to halve global emissions and work toward a zero-carbon future.
Wyndham City Joins Mission For A Cooler Climate And Brighter Future
A new food and garden organics service in the City of Kingston has been hailed a success, with over 3,000 extra tonnes of food and garden waste sent for composting since the service’s introduction in June last year.
Mayor Steve Staikos said an additional 1,000 households have signed up for the new green lid bin, and audits have revealed very low contamination rates of less than 2%.
Despite the early success in diverting waste from landfill, Kingston has committed to maintaining current kerbside waste bin collection frequencies until June 2023.
https://www.kingston.vic.gov.au/About-Us/Media/Food-waste-recycling-service-a-huge-success
Mayoral election season in Victoria has continued this week, with 14 mayoralties determined since our last episode. Here is a quick summary, and you can find more information on the LG News Roundup website.
At Alpine Shire, Cr Sarah Nicholas is the new Mayor, and Cr Katarina Hughes has been elected deputy.
Cr Jo Armstrong is the new mayor of Ararat Rural City, with Cr Bob Sanders taking the deputy role.
Banyule City Council has a new mayor - first term councillor Elizabeth Nealy steps into the role, supported by deputy Alison Champion.
Cardinia Shire Council has elected Jeff Springfield as mayor for the second time. Tammy Radford is the deputy mayor.
Returning for a second consecutive term as mayor of Gannawarra Shire is Cr Charlie Gillingham; first term councillor Jane Ogden will serve as deputy.
Greater Bendigo City Council last night confirmed the previously announced mayor and deputy elect, Andrea Metcalf and Matthew Evans respectively.
Maribyrnong City Council has elected its youngest ever mayor in Cr Anthony Tran, while former mayor Sarah Carter is deputy mayor for the coming term.
At Mildura, first term councillor Liam Wood has been elected mayor, with Cyndi Power to be his deputy.
Former mayor Stuart James returns to the role at Monash City Council, supported by deputy Tina Samardzija.
Two councils have resolved not to have a deputy mayor this week and have elected a mayor only. At Northern Grampians, that is Cr Tony Driscoll, and at Pyrenees Shire, it is Cr Ron Eason.
Whitehorse City Council has elected Cr Tina Liu as Mayor, and Cr Denise Massoud as deputy; and at Yarra Ranges Shire, Cr Jim Child is the new Mayor, while Cr Johanna Skelton is deputy.
And finally, at Moyne Shire Council yesterday, attempts to elect a new Mayor failed when an absolute majority could not be obtained for either of the two nominated candidates. The election will be rescheduled to a later date.
At least 10 further mayoral elections will be conducted between now and our next bulletin on Sunday, and we’ll keep the list updated on our website at lgnewsroundup.com as those results come in.
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 Victorian Local Government Association will hold its Annual General Meeting on Thursday 18th November.
The AGM will be conducted via Zoom video conference, and will feature keynote speaker, Peggy O’Neal AO.
Peggy is President of the Richmond Football Club, a specialist in superannuation and financial services law, and has been announced as the incoming Chancellor of RMIT University.
She will speak on the topic of governance and leadership, and why culture matters.
The AGM will be held on Thursday 18th November from 4.30pm.
Registrations and further details are available on the VLGA website - link in the show notes.
https://www.vlga.org.au/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=394
The future of local government in Tasmania is under review, and the process for the review has been released.
Minister for Local Government and Planning, Roger Jaensch, met with mayors and general managers last week to outline a three stage, 18 month review program.
The review will include the full range of council roles, responsibilities and functions, including statutory responsibilities, service delivery, and governance and administration.
The minister said the review will include direct engagement with local government, communities and users of local government services.
The future of Local Government in Tasmania
Queensland’s Planning and Local Government Minister, Deputy Premier Stephen Miles has announced that he is considering a call in for a proposed coal fired power station on a cattle property in central Queensland.
The Waratah Coal Power Station proposal sits with Barcaldine Regional Council, and under its 2006 planning scheme, no public consultation is required.
The minister said the council had done a good job of assessing the application, given it has never assessed a project of its size.
He said he wants to make sure the community has a say on the project, and will consider advice from the planning department on whether it should be called in for consideration at a state level.
Call in for Waratah Coal Power Station considered
There’s still no official word on the appointment of a new CEO for Ipswich City Council in Queensland.
The council met last week to endorse a preferred candidate, in a second attempt to move through that stage of the process after a meeting in October was cancelled at late notice.
84 candidates applied for the position, the majority of whom are from local or state government backgrounds. The final three candidates presented to a closed session of the Council last week, after which the Mayor Theresa Harding declared an interest due to a previous professional association with one of the candidates.
An announcement is expected after the completion of negotiations with the preferred candidate.
Still in Ipswich, and the ABC reports a new shared e-scooter scheme will be trialled in the city next year.
Springfield Central is understood to be the chosen site for the trial, with Ripley and the Ipswich CBD ruled out due to infrastructure requirements.
Further consultation and planning will occur before an expected commencement of the trial in late 2022.
Ipswich council set to trial shared e-scooter scheme
Elections on 4th December will not be required in some rural NSW councils after close of nominations last week.
The ABC reports that Narromine and Bourke Councils attracted an equal number of nominations for available positions. One ward in Warren Council will not require an election, and only 11 nominations were received for 12 positions on Cobar Council.
Not all councils will be contested in next month's local government elections
The NSW Government has released an independent report with recommendations for how the planning system can address housing supply and affordability in regional communities.
The Regional Housing Taskforce has made five key recommendations with 15 actions, which will be considered by the government ahead of a response in the coming weeks.
The five key recommendations include measures to bring forward a supply of development ready land; increasing availability of affordable and diverse housing; and investigating planning levels to facilitate short term housing needs.
Regional housing taskforce recommendations released
The NSW Government is providing $50 million for new and improved parks and public spaces across the state.
The funding program is divided into places to swim, places to play, and places to roam; and councils are able to nominate projects and apply for grants over the coming months.
50 million to play splash and roam -
The government has also announced a partnership with Catholic Healthcare to support councils in managing the complex issues of hoarding and squalor on private property.
37 training sessions for more than 250 council staff have helped to identify the resources needed to address the issues. Support resources have been published online, including a participant workbook.
Local support for hoarding and squalor cases - Office of Local Government NSW
Nominations are open for the 2021 National Awards for Local Government.
There are eight award categories to highlight how local governments are delivering positive outcomes for stronger, resilient and cohesive communities.
Nominations can now be submitted online, until the 19th November, and for the first time, the public will be able to vote for the submissions.
Winners will be notified by the Assistant Minister for Local Government, Kevin Hogan.
National Awards for Local Government
The Roundup continues in a moment with the international spotlight falling on the South Africa and England and Canada
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Now some stories of interest under our international spotlight….
Local government elections have been held in South Africa, with the governing African National Congress suffering significant losses.
Less than 50% of ballots were cast for the ANC, the party of the late Nelson Mandela.
The Associated Press reports that as a result, the ANC will control fewer councils and have fewer mayors across the country. The party will need to rely on coalitions to govern some key metropolitan areas.
Turnout was down by more than 10% on previous elections, with just 47% of registered voters participating in the vote.
South Africa's ANC party sees big decline in local elections
In England, 13 councils have been selected to deliver a Partnerships for People and Place program, aimed at tackling youth unemployment, health disparities and crime in local communities.
The program will trial new ways of working across local and central government, and deliver locally-led solutions to key community challenges.
The 13 pilot councils will receive between £150,000 and £350,000 over a 2 year period.
Councils to pilot innovative ways of working with £5 million funding boost
And from Canada, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities has released the 21st annual report of the Green Municipal Fund.
The fund supports local governments with a range of initiatives including reducing pollution, improving energy efficiency and building affordable and sustainable housing.
$116.4M in loans, and more than $50M in grants have been distributed to local governments for qualifying projects - the largest amount approved in a single year since the fund’s inception.
The fund is a $1B endowment funded by the Government of Canada. So far, 1,243 initiatives have been completed, with hundreds more in progress across Canada.
News: Green Municipal Fund moving Canada closer to net-zero
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.