Homepage

Click here to listen to Alicia outlining #NGA22 – and check out our 2022 National General Assembly registration brochure for more detailed information. Jennifer Westacott AO will discuss national economic recovery in a keynote address at the 2022 National General Assembly of Local Government. Ms Westacott is CEO of the Business Council of Australia and+

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) – with the support of its State and Territory Member Associations – will implement a coordinated advocacy campaign in the lead up to the next Federal Election.This campaign will highlight opportunities for increased partnerships between federal and local governments in the areas of economic recovery, transport and community infrastructure, building resilience, circular economy and Intergovernmental relations, while also progressing Closing+

Single-use plastics like bread bags and chip packets will be targeted with an additional $60 million investment in the Recycling Modernisation Fund (RMF). Prime Minister Scott Morrison made the Budget-related announcement on  Monday, saying the new funding will help develop new waste technologies that boost production of remanufactured plastic products and support the Remade in+

  Read more about our 17 asks

A national conversation is needed about “where and how people build homes” after extreme events like the Queensland and NSW floods, Shane L Stone says. The National Recovery and Resilience Agency (NRRA) Coordinator-General told a Sydney newspaper last week that residents whose homes had been inundated must “face realities”. “The taxpayer and the ratepayer cannot+

A national emergency has been declared for parts of NSW and Queensland as the federal government ramps up support for flood-affected communities. Grants of $1 million to support urgent clean-up works have been made available to 45 local government areas in NSW and 19 in Queensland. After declaring the emergency – the first time this+

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) – with the support of its member State and Territory Local government Associations – has identified 17 priorities for councils and communities ahead of this year’s Federal Election.  The full list of priorities can be downloaded here. All Australian councils are encouraged to endorse ALGA’s Federal Election Priorities by passing+

Local governments are eager to support efforts to make municipal waste streams cleaner, including bin harmonisation, the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) said last week. Appearing at a recycling roundtable convened by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers, ALGA President Linda Scott said councils also wanted to invest with industry in modern resource+

Allowing wider trucks on local roads without increasing local government funding would be a potential recipe for disaster, the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) said this month. The comments followed the 11 February Infrastructure and Transport Minister’s Meeting where regulatory changes to increase the width of heavy vehicles from 2.5 metres to 2.55 metres were+

Apps to help urban planners and architects reduce construction waste and urban heat are about to be released nationally. Developed by researchers at the University of NSW’s School of Built Environment, the apps use machine learning and computational design to help minimise the environmental footprint of buildings. They do this by assisting build environment professionals+

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has used its 2022-23 Federal Pre-Budget Submission to outline a series of partnership opportunities to help drive a strong and inclusive national recovery. ALGA President Linda Scott said Australia’s 537 local governments have the capacity for growing partnerships with the Commonwealth Government – as well as state and territory+

The Productivity Commission has released an issues paper as part of its review of the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement (NHHA). Implemented in July 2018, the NHHA is intended to facilitate cooperation between the state, territory, and Commonwealth governments to improve housing outcomes. The Commission will examine the roles and responsibilities of government to help+

A national plastics summit focused on designing reusable, recyclable or compostable plastic products will be held in Canberra on February 14. Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley is hosting the summit, which will “will explore opportunities to unlock growth for new industries and new markets”. “We simply can’t keep creating virgin plastic on the scale we+

ALGA’s policies and initiatives, at end of the day, are your policies and initiatives. We propose frontline solutions which are informed by your communities and your work on the ground – and your input and guidance adds immeasurably to our effectiveness in progressing shared national objectives. To help build an even better Australia post-pandemic, we’re+

We are proud to launch ALGA’s Federal Election Platform. Informed by motions submitted by councils at our National General Assembly, and unanimously endorsed by our Board in conjunction with our member state and territory local government associations, this document outlines 17 national policy initiatives that will optimise Commonwealth/local government partnerships designed to benefit every community.+

A national survey to help local government address current skill shortages and identify emerging and future skills needs began this week. Local governments are encouraged to complete the survey to enable a comprehensive analysis of the local government workforce. The survey is part of the Local Government Workforce and Organisational Capacity Project which has been+

Australia’s visitor economy needs to diversify its destinations, modernise assets, and collaborate for it to become a top-five export income earner, a new report has advised. An expert panel economy led by former federal tourism minister Martin Ferguson prepared the report, which includes a draft strategy “for the long-term recovery and sustainable growth” entitled Thrive+

Two-thirds of all local government assets are in good condition and meet community expectations. Community infrastructure is also lasting longer, while the proportion of infrastructure assets in a poor state of repair has remained relatively constant. The findings are contained in the 2021 National State of the Assets (NSoA) Report published by the Australian Local+

The National State of the Assets Report 2021 will be launched on 9 December with the key findings to be discussed at an interactive webinar. Federal Assistant Minister for Local Government Kevin Hogan will attend the launch, along with Infrastructure Australia CEO Romilly Madew, National Farmers Federation President Fiona Simson, and IPWEA President Myles Lind.+

State governments should get behind local government efforts to create a healthy and sustainable food system in Australia, a new report says. Councils are already involved in food safety regulations as well as supporting sustainable local food production and reducing food waste, but could potentially do more to encourage the consumption of healthier foods as+

Governments will need to invest $30 billion in large-scale coastal protection and adaptation over the next 50 years, the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) says. A new report prepared for the ICA by Baird Australia says climate change is driving rising sea levels and exacerbating coastal hazards such as tidal inundation, coastal and estuarine inundation,+

New funding of $250 million has been announced for the Bridges Renewal and Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Programs. Under revised guidelines for the two programs, project proponents can apply for funding to cover up to 80 percent of the total project cost. In another first, the BRP and HVSPP will run concurrently and with+

The Bureau of Meteorology is trialling a heatwave warning service with state and territory governments aimed at helping councils, communities and individuals to better plan and prepare for heatwaves. The Bureau has been working across Australian governments, including with local governments in Sydney’s west regarding council requirements on heatwaves. The Bureau publishes public 7-day heatwave+

Guidelines for the community infrastructure funding stream of the $600 million Preparing Australia Program have been published ahead of applications opening in December. Grants of between $20,000 to $10 million will be available for proponents of projects which help communities “assess and plan for disaster risk, increase capacity and raise awareness of disaster risk, or+

The Australia Local Government Association (ALGA) will work with a federal task force to mitigate the impacts of bank branch closures on rural communities. The Regional Banking Task Force will “bring together banks and other key stakeholders to ­assess how bank branch closures have impacted local businesses, industries, and communities, and work collaboratively to identify+

Natural disasters will cost Australia $73 billion by 2060, even under a low emissions scenario, a new business roundtable report suggests. The Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience and Safer Communities says the $79 billion forecast is “significantly higher” than the $39 billion by 2050 cost it estimated in 2017. The Roundtable’s latest report on+

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) is urging the Commonwealth to invest more to improve telco services in regional and rural areas. In a submission to the Regional Telecommunications Review 2021, the agency said the government should: provide grants and other investment incentives to promote a wider range of services; standardise mobile coverage information that is+

Telstra will have to provide greater detail on whether it is meeting its Universal Service Guarantee (USG) under proposed new licence conditions. The new rules being considered by the federal government will require Telstra to include more information on the services it delivers under the USG, which updates the long-standing Universal Service Obligation (USO). Telstra+

The Dungog Shire has become one of the first NSW local governments to declare that people using its facilities must be fully Covid-vaccinated. In a media release this week, the Hunter Valley council said: “In order to visit some of our facilities, customers aged 16 years and over must now be able to show that+

The Shire of Wyndham East Kimberley has been awarded a $7.57 million grant from the Commonwealth to complete airside upgrades at its Kununurra regional airport. The Round 5 Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF) grant will allow the shire to strengthen taxiways, build a new apron and improve other airside infrastructure at the East Kimberley Regional+