ALGA News

Disaster assistance has been made available to communities in Victorian and South Australian local government areas affected by recent storms. The storms in Victoria caused widespread power outages and damaged roads. The Victorian local government areas where assistance is on offer include Banyule, Bass Coast, Bayside, Cardinia Shire, Casey, Colac Otway, Frankston, Glen Eira, Greater+

A webinar exploring how local governments can broaden support for efforts to retain trees on private property will be held on 25 November. The webinar is being convened by ICLEI Oceania and is targeted at elected officials, leaders, and officers from municipal, metropolitan, and regional authorities across Australia, community members, the private sector, and academia.+

Housing supply, design, and maintenance in Indigenous communities needs to be reassessed in light of the growing impacts of climate change, new research suggests. The Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) says indigenous and remote communities will experience climate change earlier and disproportionately compared with urban settings. In its latest report, AHURI says operating+

The effectiveness of fuel reduction burning varies greatly by region and researchers and practitioners continue to disagree about optimum strategies. A Parliamentary Library research paper published on 28 October also suggests there are significant knowledge gaps about fuel reduction burning, especially regarding its long-term effects. “Recent fuel reduction burns will modify fire behaviour even under+

A new circular economy centre of excellence in Adelaide will work with businesses to commercialise new projects and innovations. The centre, to be established at the Lot Fourteen innovation precinct in central Adelaide, will be administered by Circular360. The South Australian State Government is investing $1 million over three years in the centre’s development. State+

Many councils manage vertebrate pests and invasive weeds in their local communities, but little is understood of the extent of these efforts nationwide. A broader perspective of the collective work of councils will better inform policymakers at a national level on management priorities in relation to established vertebrate pests and weeds, and resource allocation to+

A National Adaptation Policy Office is to be established as part of the new National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy released last month. The strategy is intended to help communities prepare for climate changes “that cannot be avoided, even with global efforts to reduce emissions”, and was announced on the eve of the COP26 climate+

Local government projects honouring the service and sacrifice of Australia’s service personnel may be eligible for federal government grants. The Saluting Their Service (STS) Commemorative Grants Program offers funding to assist local communities planning commemorative projects, with $3.5 million earmarked for distribution in the 2021-22 financial year. The types of eligible projects can include: updating+

Councils around Australia have one more week to secure up to $30,000 in grants for community events delivered on Australia Day 2022. The grants are being made available through the National Australia Day Council (NADC). NADC chief executive Karlie Brand said councils play a vital role in marking Australia Day, delivering hundreds of events, including+

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+

The NSW local government areas of Coffs Harbour, Armidale, Oberon, and Wollondilly have been offered disaster assistance after severe storms and flooding this month. A tornado hit the city of Armidale on 14 October, toppling trees and power lines in the city and surrounds, destroying cars and buildings. Thousands of homes were also left without+

Six major off-the-road (OTR) tyre importers will join the voluntary Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme from January 2022. They include Bearcat, Bridgestone Mining Solutions, Goodyear, Kal Tire, Michelin, and Yokohama. The national Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme promotes the increase in environmentally sustainable collection and recycling processes and to explore and promote new products and uses for+

A guide to help councils secure the internet of things (IoT) for a smart city or location has been compiled by the Australian Computer Society (ACS). A non-technical publication, the short guide has been written specifically for those local government personnel responsible for business operational risk and purchasing decisions. For local governments, IoT has become+

Transport infrastructure managers are being encouraged to take part in an online survey to assess the impact of utilities on local roads. With roads increasingly congested by overhead transmission lines and underground services, Austroads has begun a project to reduce the negative impacts of these assets on the delivery of transport infrastructure projects, while ensuring+

A recycled materials assessment project has begun in South Australia with the aim of building local councils’ confidence in the use of recycled materials. The Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) was engaged by Green Industries South Australia (GISA) to undertake the project, which involves compiling a “knowledge capture” of innovative and sustainable pavement materials. Following+

Eight major food businesses have pledged to work towards meeting or bettering the Commonwealth’s goal to halve food waste by 2030. The voluntary Australian Food Pact was launched on 21 October, with Woolworths, Coles, Goodman Fielder, Simplot Australia, Mondelez Australia, and McCain Foods among the eight signatories. Stop Food Waste Australia – of which the+

Guidelines for Round 2 of the Regional Connectivity Program – focusing on Northern Australia – are being finalised, with grant applications to open shortly. The program provides competitive grants allowing investment in projects that improve internet accessibility in regional, rural and remote communities. Round 2 will include additional funding under the Connecting Northern Australia initiative.+

A new round of grant funding to help local governments address waste infrastructure gaps in remote areas has opened under the Recycling Modernisation Fund. The round is focused on increasing the sorting, processing, and manufacturing or remanufacturing capacity of regional and remote locations, and will total $7 million. Co-funded grants of between $10,000 and $1+

Councils will be offered between 80 and 100 percent of funding to upgrade unsealed roads in a new federal program unveiled this week. The $150 million Remote Roads Upgrade Pilot Program will target safety on unsealed roads, including resurfacing, removing dangerous corners, and managing vegetation. The focus will be on unsealed roads more than 20km+

In a world where environmental responsibility is becoming a “must-have”, EcoTeq has released an all-electric range of outdoor maintenance equipment. The company’s next-generation technology, perfected in Europe and North America, means organisations and governments looking to reduce their carbon footprint don’t need to choose between the environment, safety, or productivity. EcoTeq CEO Michael Mathews says+

Consultation on the development of Australia’s next National Digital Health Strategy has begun, with feedback sought from local governments. To further enhance digital healthcare for all Australians, the Australian Digital Health Agency would like to learn from local governments which are leveraging digital health to improve the health and wellbeing of their communities. New models+

The National Landcare Program is being reviewed to ensure it is working as intended to protect biodiversity and engender sustainable agricultural practices. The NLP is the federal government’s key natural resource management (NRM) commitment, and the review is examining how phase two of the program has impacted the delivery of NRM activities since its commencement+

A website promising a dramatically streamlined business registrations process was launched by the Australian Taxation Office on 6 October. The website for the newly established Australian Business Registry Services (ABRS) will consolidate the 31 business registers administered by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) – including ABNs and ACNs – and the Australian Business+

A program to help storm and flood-impacted primary producers and industries in 78 NSW local government areas has opened for applications. The $80 million Storm and Flood Industry Recovery Program is being jointly funded by Commonwealth and NSW Governments under Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements. The program is one part of the $790 million NSW Storm+

A Victorian and NSW council have won a share of $5.8 million in federal funding to provide careers guidance for people at all stages of their working lives. The Eurobodalla Shire Council on the NSW South Coast will work with local schools and businesses to co-design and deliver progressive career guidance activities on the NSW+

A virtual forum to advocate for greater local government climate action ahead of the United Nations Climate Conference (COP26) in Glasgow is being held this month. The Australian Local Governments Accelerating Action at COP26 event is being co-hosted by the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), ICLEI Oceania, and the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors+

The Federal Government has confirmed funding for a new workforce capacity-building initiative in the home and residential aged care sector. The establishment of the Workforce Advisory Service follows a recommendation by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety for education and training to improve the quality of aged care in Australia. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)+

The Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience has a new handbook to cultivate risk awareness among current and emerging leaders. The AIDR notes that intensifying climate change is making it harder to anticipate where and how disasters will strike, with efforts accelerating to better understand their risks and mitigate the potential for harm. “To do this,+

Fifty-one Western Australian local governments will sign up for what is thought to be the nation’s largest joint renewable energy deal. The agreement to deliver 100 percent renewable energy to the 51 councils has been negotiated by the Western Australia Local Government Association (WALGA). It is the first renewables and carbon offset aggregation project to+

Regulatory reform and information-sharing are to be prioritised after a federal departmental review of national disability premises standards. To ensure the standards continue to meet their objectives, the Commonwealth will undertake to: improve regulations for accessible car parks, automatic doors, and the dimensions of openings; help people understand their rights and responsibilities under the standards;+

Minimising the hazards to aircraft operations posed by wildlife, including bird strikes, will be the focus of three webinars being held in October. The series will begin with Dr Carla Dove, from the Smithsonian Institute, speaking on the impact of DNA on wildlife hazard management. This webinar will include helpful case studies of innovative hazard+

A review of the National Cities Performance Framework (NCPF) says it is not meeting stakeholder needs and should be discontinued. Conducted by the federal Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE), the review says there are alternative data and research products that would “better meet the needs of stakeholders”. The NCPF dashboard was first+

A proposal for a glass and mixed recycling collective in eastern Victoria has received interim authorisation from the national competition regulator. A draft determination  authorising the Gippsland Waste and Resource Recovery Group (GWRRG) and six Gippsland councils to jointly tender, procure and manage glass and mixed recycling processing services was published by the Australian Competition+

National preparedness briefings with police, fire authorities and other emergency services have begun ahead of the upcoming bushfire season.  Virtual briefings began last week with Queensland authorities and will continue throughout October. Emergency Management Australia (EMA) is coordinating the briefings, with input from the National Recovery and Resilience Agency, the Bureau of Meteorology, the Australian+

Indigenous candidates performed strongly in the 2021 Northern Territory local government elections, winning a majority of the vacancies on regional councils. Results from the 28 August elections show that of the 97 elected members on regional councils, 87.6 percent are Aboriginal.  In MacDonnell Regional Council, the Tiwi Islands Regional Council (TIRC), and West Arnhem Regional+

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) Board has made the difficult decision to postpone the 2021 National Local Roads and Transport Congress. ALGA’s Board determined that planning a quality conference with lockdown and travel restrictions still in force across much of Australia – and no clear indication of when these will be lifted – would+

A new aviation facility will be built at the Rockhampton Airport after Alliance Airlines secured a $30 million loan from the Commonwealth last month. The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) loan will enable the construction of a $60 million aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility at the Rockhampton Regional Council-owned airport. At least 100+

The Federal and Queensland governments have established a $20 million fund to strengthen key infrastructure to better withstand natural disasters. The funding will be available in 47 local government areas impacted in the 2020-21 disaster season. Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience Minister Bridget McKenzie said the betterment fund marked a major change in+

A City Deal for South-East Queensland involving the Council of Mayors (SEQ) and the Queensland and federal governments is close to being finalised. The deal has been two years in the making, and when concluded will support the growth of industry and businesses across South-East Queensland and enhance the region’s liveability. Federal Cities Minister Paul+