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Local government is invited to provide input for the update of the Federal Government’s Climate Change Considerations chapter of Australian Rainfall and Runoff (ARR): A Guide to Flood Estimation. The national guideline document is one of the most widely used references to help engineers and the construction industry manage flood risk for the built environment.+

Local government feedback is invited on the Federal Government’s independent review of Commonwealth Disaster Funding.  The review aims to understand and define the Government’s role in Australia’s disaster funding environment and will consider how investment can be optimised for local communities.  To be led by Mr Andrew Colvin AO APM, the review will also explore+

ALGA has responded to new research published in The Australian Financial Review showing a need to build more medium-density homes in inner-city and urban areas to address Australia’s affordable housing crisis. The report, The case for medium-density housing in our large cities, showed housing supply has expanded at just 4.5 percent ahead of population growth over the+

ALGA is looking forward to welcoming a record crowd of local government leaders, delegates and elected representatives for this year’s ALGA Annual Conference in Canberra from 13-16 June – the 29th National General Assembly (NGA). There are around 450 delegates registered for the 2023 Regional Forum on Tuesday 13 June and more than 1000 people+

Feedback from the first round of stakeholder consultation on the Federal Government’s new drought plan is now available. The review report, which has been published on the Government’s webpage, makes 18 recommendations responding to feedback, including from local government. A total of 108 organisations were engaged during the consultation and these views have informed the+

Councils have been invited to attend a special webinar about drone delivery services on 8 June 2023 from 1:00 – 2:30pm hosted by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts. Specifically designed for local government, the webinar will feature presentations from local government and industry on implementing drone delivery services, the+

2023-24 Federal Budget On your behalf, over many months, ALGA worked incredibly hard in the lead-up to the recent Federal Budget 2023-24, handed down by Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Tuesday 9 May. We welcomed the Budget from Canberra on Budget Night as a “solid investment” in local government, with councils receiving $3.1 billion in+

Local government is a vital link in solving Australia’s homelessness crisis, according to a new Churchill Fellowship report. Author Leanne Mitchell, who works for Brimbank City Council in Melbourne’s west, visited Canada, US and UK as part of her Churchill Fellowship to investigate how councils respond to rough sleeping while balancing responsibilities of the wider+

A new national Net Zero Authority to coordinate communities’ transformation to a low-carbon economy and enhance the liveability of local communities in Australia has been welcomed by the local government sector. The authority will engage with local, state and territory governments, regional bodies and other groups to help regions, industries and employers proactively manage the+

Federal Budget advocacy We have been working incredibly hard ahead of this year’s Federal Budget to advocate for more funding for your councils and our communities, as outlined in ALGA’s pre-Budget submission. After the Budget is handed down tomorrow night, we will write to all councils to let you know what’s been announced, and what+

In the second part of our chat with Minister for Local Government the Hon. Kristy McBain, ALGA News discusses her time in Federal Parliament since 2020, including as Federal Member for Eden Monaro and Minister for Local Government as well as hearing about the major priorities for 2023 and beyond. ALGA: As a former Bega+

ALGA News sat down with Federal Minister for Local Government the Honorable Kristy McBain MP, in a two-part interview, to discuss the Government’s move to re-establish the Australian Council of Local Government (ACLG), allowing Cabinet Ministers to hear directly from the local government sector in Canberra this June. ALGA: Minister, can you tell us about+

A plan for housing supply and affordability reforms will be developed by Australia’s Planning Ministers – working with ALGA – over the next six months. The Federal Government has highlighted housing, particularly how it impacts on vulnerable groups, will be a major priority in the upcoming Budget. In response to a National Cabinet communique on 28+

ALGA has joined a chorus of rural and regional Australia leaders to call for funding to support regional areas in the upcoming Federal Budget. Based on its pre-Budget submission, ALGA is asking for a significant boost to road funding in the upcoming Budget along with an extra $250 million per year over four years to+

Local Government Minister’s Forum I was delighted to represent Australia’s 537 councils at the Local Government Ministers’ Forum at Parliament House in Canberra on 31 March. With many communities still recovering from natural disasters and extreme weather, the forum focused on discussions around resilience and emergency management, as well as best-practice governance for councils. It’s+

AGLA has asked the Federal Government for $10 million to scope local government’s preparedness to deal with cyber-attacks and data breaches. In the lead-up to the Federal Budget, local government is seeking funding from the Government to improve councils’ readiness to deal with cyber-attacks and boost their defences against data breaches. Recent local government surveys+

AGLA has called on the Federal Government to provide $7 million over four years in the upcoming Budget for a new local government Indigenous Partnership Network. Local government associations across Australia need extra support to work closely with governments, councils and peak bodies to progress Closing the Gap, and new funding would enable councils to+

Commonwealth, state and territory governments must develop a sustainable funding model for maintaining local road networks with upfront investment to ensure roads are more resilient to severe weather, according to ALGA.  This was a key recommendation outlined by ALGA to a parliamentary committee on 30 March, as part of a submission to the House of+

In the lead up to this year’s Budget, ALGA is calling for $300 million per year for councils to improve freight productivity and infrastructure on Australia’s local roads. Local governments manage around 77 percent of Australia’s roads by length and play an important role in authorising heavy vehicle access on local roads.  However councils only+

ALGA has partnered with the Australian Airports Association (AAA) to urge the Federal Government to provide $250 million per year over four years for a new Regional Infrastructure Recovery Program to protect regional infrastructure against future disasters. Unprecedented natural disasters in 2022 and 2023 have devastated regional communities and infrastructure, with the National Emergency Management+

Australian councils are invited to support a national education campaign around the dangers of asbestos in the home and workplace. As part of the National Asbestos Awareness Campaign from 12 March – 10 April 2023, local government is urged to access and share a stakeholder pack containing a range of useful materials you may wish+

Councils are invited to make a submission to the Federal Government’s Review of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport which is now open. The review – announced in December 2022 – is conducted every five years.   A discussion paper was also released as part of the consultation process. The consultation involves public transport users+

ALGA has urged the Federal Government to honour its pre-election commitment to provide “fair increases” in Financial Assistance Grants to local government. President Cr Linda Scott said many local governments heavily rely on FA Grants to remain sustainable and urgently need an increase in this untied funding. “Australian councils are facing significant financial challenges, especially+

ALGA has partnered with the Institute of Public Works Engineers Australasia (IPWEA) to call for the Federal Government to make the successful Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) program permanent, with $500 million per year ongoing and funding indexed annually.  On behalf of Australia’s 537 councils, ALGA highlighted the importance of investing in local governments+

ALGA has joined forces with GrainGrowers, the National Farmers Federation and Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association to call for emergency funding of nearly $5.5 billion in the upcoming Federal Budget. Representing stakeholders from across regional Australia including farmers, transporters and local councils, the Rural Road Alliance was formed in response to the critical challenges+

A series of new fact sheets has been developed to support councils under a partnership between Our Watch and ALGA. The 12 fact sheets provide an overview and introduction of the role local government can play in the prevention of violence against women.  The tools are relevant for councils and council staff at various stages+