President’s column

This week, we acknowledge and congratulate those who have been recognised with awards in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for a diverse range of contributions and service across various fields such as community work and professional endeavours. I was delighted to see local government award winners from around the nation receive accolades for their achievements and contributions and I extend my personal congratulations to all of them. These individuals don't seek recognition, but give their time and energy to make their communities a better place.

The challenge of improving our communities lies behind ALGA's major annual events, the Regional Cooperation and Development Forum this Sunday and the National General Assembly of Local Government which officially opens on Monday.

This year's Regional Forum, themed supporting a prosperous visitor economy, will provide an opportunity for the delegates attending to help formulate a new national regional policy through workshopping the positions and arguments local government should be advocating to the Federal Government as it refines its regional development policy. The forum is also the official venue for the launch of the annual State of the Regions Report. This year's report by National Economics continues to examine the critical importance of infrastructure investment as well as discussing the complex and wide ranging roles played by local government and regions in destination management and growing the visitor economy.

The forum is the curtain-raiser to ALGA's premier event: the National General Assembly of Local Government. The Assembly provides the opportunity for council leaders, government representatives and stakeholder organisations to consider the major national issues facing local government and share their ideas and experiences. This gathering is particularly important in the last few weeks of an election campaign when our collective voices standing up for community priorities must be strongest and the attendance of more than 700 delegates illustrates just how seriously local government treats this challenge.

Although timelines are now very tight, you can still register for both events at this link: http://www.conferenceco.com.au/nga/.

I look forward to seeing you there.

 

Mayor Troy Pickard
ALGA President