Local governments are urged to enter the 2024 Resilient Australia Awards to celebrate and promote initiatives building community resilience to disasters and emergencies around Australia. Sponsored by the Australian Government in partnership with states and territories, the awards recognise collaboration and innovative across a broad range of sectors and initiatives that strengthen disaster resilience with+
The 2024 National Awards for Local Government are now open for Australia’s councils. The national awards celebrate outstanding local government achievements across Australia, including recognising local governments who are innovative, make a difference to their local communities, display excellence and deliver outcomes that are replicable across the country. All elected local government organisations, local government+
The 2023 National Awards for Local Government are now open for applications. These national awards celebrate outstanding local government achievements across Australia, including recognising local governments that are innovative, make a difference to their local communities, display excellence and deliver outcomes that are replicable across the country. All elected local government organisations, local government associations+
Ten Australian councils have been recognised for their outstanding achievements and contributions to their communities in the 2022 National Awards for Local Government. The category award winners for 2022 are: Moorabool Shire Council (Victoria) for its Hide + Seek Music Festival project, in the Creativity and Culture category Sunshine Coast Council (Queensland) for its Sunshine+
Voting is now open for the 2022 National Awards for Local Government. For 36 years these awards have showcased the achievements of Australian councils, highlighting excellence and innovation across the sector. The 11 award categories in this year’s Awards are Creativity and Culture, Productivity through Infrastructure, Regional Growth, Cohesive Communities, Road Safety, Addressing Violence against+
South Burnett Regional Council, City of Gold Coast, Logan City Council, and Maribyrnong City Council were all recognised at the 2022 Australian Road Safety Awards, presented at Parliament House last week. Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Senator Carol Brown commended all the award winners on their efforts to save lives and reduce injuries on+
Entries for the 11 categories of the 2022 National Awards for Local Government, including entry-level employment initiatives, waste management and disaster preparedness, close next month. Submissions of no more than 350 words can be entered via the online platform. Following the entry period, councils and communities will have the opportunity to recognise the work and+
Hornsby Shire Council has been named one of Australia’s top local government mobile phone recyclers for the fourth year running. The NSW council was named one of seven state and territory winners of MobileMuster’s 2022 recycling awards announced at the Australian Local Government Association National General Assembly last week. Other winners included East Arnhem Regional+
The 2022 National Awards for Local Government have been expanded to 11 categories, with nominations to open at 9am on Wednesday 22 June. Convened by the Federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development, the awards promote local government’s significant role in delivering targeted quality services to Australians in urban and regional communities. The+
Local governments and local government associations are being invited to nominate projects for the 2022 Resilient Australia Awards. The awards recognise outstanding contributions to building whole-of-community resilience to disasters and emergencies around Australia and are sponsored by the Federal Government in partnership with the states and territories. Nominations for the awards, which are managed by+
Voting has opened for the National Awards for Local Government with local governments and the public being urged to cast a ballot to acknowledge outstanding community solutions. Voters can choose from 10 nominations in seven of the eight categories. There are three nominations in the Women in Local Government category. Click here to see the+
Entries for the 2021 National Local Government Awards have opened, with eligible councils invited to nominate projects across eight categories. The nomination process for this year’s awards has been simplified to enable shorter online submissions – and for the first time, councils can recognise the work and achievements of their peers in the local government+
Councils are being encouraged to nominate their most effective crime mitigation projects for the Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards. Projects or initiatives that reduce violence and other types of crime in the community are all eligible to be nominated for the awards. They can relate to specific groups such as rural and remote communities,+
The City of Parramatta Council has taken out the coveted Leadership City category at this year’s Smart Cities Awards Paramatta won the judges’ nod for implementing a suite of dynamic smart cities projects, including sensing network on a new 25-hectare development, a parking app which was enhanced in 2020 in response to Covid-19, and Floodsmart+
A West Australian council that unleased its community’s entrepreneurial spirit to tackle unemployment has won Australia’s top award for local government. The City of Mandurah initiated a series of programs for budding entrepreneurs about six years ago to help create jobs and build local skills in a region marked by rising unemployment. These programs –+
The Alpine Shire Council and the Sunshine Coast Council have jointly won a national award for their innovative approach to digital technology. The two councils won the Australian Achievement of the Year category in the Municipal Association of Victoria’s Technology Awards for Excellence 2020 – Alpine with its “Project Pinnacle” and the Sunshine Coast for+
The City of Whittlesea is spearheading a big local government presence at next week’s 2020 National Awards for Planning Excellence. The outer Melbourne council is in the running for two awards showcasing leading practice and achievement in planning and the planning profession across a range of disciplines and sectors. Other local governments in the running+
The Federal Assistant Minister for Social Services, Housing and Disability Services, Sarah Henderson has announced a partnership with the disability sector to support the 2018 National Awards for Disability Leadership, to be held on 3 December 2018. The National Awards for Disability Leadership are an initiative of the Disability Leadership Institute (DLI), Disabled People’s Organisations+
Gannawarra Shire Council has won the Victorian Premier’s Regional Recognition Award in this year's Premier's Sustainability Awards for their sustainability focus, featuring the first large scale solar farm and battery storage in Victoria. Many small rural communities struggle to remain sustainable with reducing populations, declining rate revenue and a lack of jobs. The Gannawarra Shire+
2018 is a special year for the Human Rights Awards, marking the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration underpins international human rights law and inspires us to work to ensure all people can gain freedom, equality and dignity. Each year, the annual Human Rights Awards recognises the amazing work being+
2018 is a special year for the Human Rights Awards, marking the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration underpins international human rights law and inspires us to work to ensure all people can gain freedom, equality and dignity. Each year, the annual Human Rights Awards recognises the amazing work being+
MobileMuster, recognised their top local government recyclers at the NGA in Canberra this week. With electronic waste one of the faster growing waste streams in Australia, MobileMuster demonstrates how industry and government can work together to deliver a great recycling service to the community. With the support of local councils, the government-accredited mobile phone+
Nominations are now open for the 2018 Australian Human Rights Awards. The Commission this year has introduced a new award category to recognise a local, state, territory or federal government body that has contributed to the advancement and protection of human rights. There are nine award categories. They are: Human Rights Medal Young People’s Human+
The most outstanding examples of planning projects and the work of Australia’s best planners in 2017-18 were celebrated last week at the Planning Institute of Australia’s (PIA) National Awards for Planning Excellence in Perth. Awards and commendations across 12 separate categories were given out with many of the 65 entries in the running involving revitalising+
The 10 category winners of the 2018 National Awards for Local Government were announced this week by Minister for Regional Development, Territories and Local Government, Dr John McVeigh MP. The National Awards for Local Government celebrate the outstanding achievements of local councils in providing Australian communities with an impressive range of new and improved services.+
The deadline is now looming for a chance to showcase how your council plays a vital role in helping make Australian communities safe, attractive and desirable places to live. The National Awards for Local Government provides an opportunity to promote council projects that exemplify leading practice in local government and that respond to the unique+
Nominations are now open for the 2018 Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards. The awards recognise and reward good practice in the prevention and reduction of violence and other types of crime in Australia. Australian Institute of Criminology Director, Mr Michael Phelan said the awards are open to programs and projects of all sizes. “We+
The National Australia Day Council is now accepting public nominations for the 2019 Australian of the Year Awards. The Council is seeking nominations from around the nation for everyday people who are great at what they do, contribute to Australian society and inspire those around them. They could be quiet achievers, community members, leaders in+
The Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards celebrating emerging female leadership are now open for nominations. The program, now in its sixth year, has already propelled the careers of dozens of women, and gives finalists the visibility and acknowledgement they deserve for their incredible work. Previous finalists have gone on to secure promotions and bigger leadership roles,+
Last week we officially launched ALGA’s 2025 federal election campaign and outlined our funding priorities. Councils are calling on the next Australian Government to ‘Put Our Communities First’ by providing: $1.1 billion per year for enabling infrastructure to unlock housing supply $500 million per year for community infrastructure $600 million per year for safer local+
I’m excited to visit Canberra this week to meet with Ministers, MPs and Senators from all sides of politics in the lead-up to the next Federal election. I’ll be focussing on how we can deliver ‘local solutions to national priorities’, and the important role we can play in improving local infrastructure, increasing housing supply, preparing+
Win! National inquiry into local government sustainability Last week, we welcomed the House of Representatives Standing Committee national inquiry into local government sustainability. With additional responsibilities costing billions of dollars being forced onto Australia’s 537 councils every year, we expect this national inquiry will consider and address the financial challenges and funding shortfalls being faced+
ALGA News sat down with Cities Power Partnership Director Dr Portia Odell to discuss how our local governments are supporting Australia’s transition to a clean energy future by embracing new technologies and innovative solutions to reduce their emissions. ALGA: We know Australia’s 537 local governments are at the forefront of creating a more sustainable and+
At the 2023 National General Assembly, the Governor-General of Australia spoke about the importance of recognising people who make a positive difference in local communities. His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd) asked for councils’ help to identify Australians in local communities who make an extraordinary impact and ensure there are processes+
Win! ACLG set to run after NGA Conference In a historic win for local government, the Federal Government has announced the return of the Australian Council of Local Government (ACLG), which will meet in Canberra for the first time in more than a decade on 16 June. The ACLG will provide a valuable opportunity for+
Win! Local government at National Cabinet As outlined in National Cabinet’s recent Communique, I was honoured to note that National Cabinet values the contribution of ALGA and looks forward to continuing to work in partnership with local government after I represented councils in Canberra last week. ALGA looks forward to continuing to work in partnership+
Win! 16 councils will share in more than $50 million in federal funding through the latest round of the Government’s Bridges Renewal Program. Councils are responsible for more than 22,000 bridges across the country, many of which are old and no longer meet modern requirements. The Bridges Renewal Program plays a key role supporting councils+
A new national silage plastic collection and recycling scheme is being developed by Dairy Australia with Commonwealth financial assistance. Work on the scheme began in April when Dairy Australia launched a pilot silage plastic recycling trial in Western Victoria with strong backing from local dairy farmers. The 80 farms involved in the trial have been+
The Sydney City Council’s planning for net-zero buildings could be easily replicated elsewhere, judges said in honouring it with a national planning excellence award. The council’s new performance standards framework won the “Climate Change and Resilience Category” award at the Planning Institute of Australia’s (PIA) 2022 National Awards for Planning Excellence held this week. Judges+
The East Arnhem Regional Council was named one of the top seven local government mobile phone recyclers at this week’s National General Assembly. Other state and territory winners of MobileMuster’s recycling awards included Hornsby Shire Council, Cairns Regional Council, City of Charles Sturt Council (SA), City of Launceston Council, City of Monash Council (Vic), and+
Newcastle Museum has become the first local government-funded museum to be declared the overall winner at the Museums and Galleries National Awards (MAGNA). The museum won the award for Temporary or Travelling Exhibition Level 1 (for projects with a budget below $20,000) before going on to win the overall national award out of 42 finalists+
An old mining town in Tasmania’s north-east has won a major award at a US water-tasting event dubbed the “world’s most prestigious”. Rossarden, in the Fingal Valley, took out the municipal water award at the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting event held in West Virginia earlier this month. Berkeley Springs is claimed to be the+
The City of Melbourne’s response to “significant transport challenges” in the CBD has been recognised with a major planning award. The council’s Transport Strategy 2030 received the Best Planning Ideas – Large Projects award at the 2021 National Awards for Planning Excellence convened by the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA). Judges commended the city for+
The City of Darwin council has taken out the top award at this year’s Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) National Awards for Excellence in Technology. The city won the Australian Achievement of the Year Category (and the Smart City Achievement of the Year category) for its myDarwin Support Local Program. This discount voucher program, launched+
The top 35 local government collectors of old mobile phones and components have been announced ahead of MobileMuster’s national awards in June. Councils in the running for the telecommunication product stewardship awards include Australia’s largest metropolitan council, Brisbane City, as well as rural and remote area shires such as Baw Baw Shire and East Arnhem+
The Sunshine Coast Council has been recognised for the second year in a row at Australia’s longest-running sustainability awards. Sunshine Coast won the government category of the 2021 Banksia Sustainability Awards for its proactive plan to deliver a healthy environment and liveable Sunshine Coast. The Environment and Liveability Strategy guides the growth of the Sunshine+
A $50 million National Flood Mitigation Infrastructure Fund has been set up by the Federal Government to help communities to better prepare for extreme weather events and flooding. The program has been established under the Emergency Response Fund and aligns with recommendations of the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, the National Disaster Risk+
Several councils in NSW and WA have cancelled their Australia Day events, blaming Covid-19 restrictions and ongoing health concerns. Canterbury Bankstown, Liverpool, North Sydney, Inner West, and the Hills Councils in NSW have all cancelled events – as have the Perth metropolitan councils of Armadale and Bassendean. It is believed other councils are reconsidering Australia+
A council that was recently vying for the 2020 National Award for Local Government has been named as one NSW’s most progressive and innovative councils. Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council was awarded the 2020 A.R. Bluett Memorial Award (metropolitan/regional) at the annual conference of Local Government NSW (LGNSW) held this week. Bellingen Shire Council took out the+
