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Energy derived from waste streams has significant potential to complement power from renewable but intermittent generating sources, a new discussion paper says. Generators powered by post-recovery wastes can be configured to provide some or all the ancillary services needed to support clean renewables (as well as balancing technologies and firming technologies), according to the Australian+
Posted 29 April, 2021 -
An online climate summit scheduled for 26-27 May will discuss how local governments can capitalise on the clean economy and create thousands of jobs. Hosted by the Cities Power Partnership, Australia’s largest local government climate network, the event will bring together council leaders from across the country to develop regional climate and energy solutions. Dr+
Posted 29 April, 2021 -
Journalist and author Gabrielle Chan knows a thing or three about regional Australia, having moved from Canberra to rural NSW with her farmer husband in 1996. She has described her home town of 25 years, Harden-Murrumburrah, as “the place in which I first understood a sense of belonging, of community, and the impulses to protect+
Posted 29 April, 2021 -
Electric scooters will be trialled for up to a year in three Victorian council areas, the Victorian Government announced last week. Starting later this year, the trial is seeking to ascertain out how e-scooters could be integrated safely into the transport network. It will be conducted in two metropolitan LGAs and one regional LGA. The+
Posted 29 April, 2021 -
A proposed overpass in inland northern NSW has been given a $35.2 million boost courtesy of the Roads of Strategic Importance initiative. The $44 million Intermodal Overpass project is intended to improve supply-chain efficiency for local communities and better connections to the Newell Highway and the Inland Rail connecting Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria,+
Posted 23 April, 2021 -
Four road projects in the Muswellbrook, Singleton, Dungog and Upper Hunter local government areas will go ahead with Federal and NSW Government funding. The projects being funded under round 2 of the accelerated Fixing Local Roads Program include: Dungog Shire Council – Flat Tops Road – Stage 1: $924,000 Muswellbrook Shire Council – Widden Valley+
Posted 23 April, 2021 -
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+
Posted 23 April, 2021 -
Almost $34 million in federal government funding was disbursed to 378 shows and field days across the country from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020. Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud provided the summary of the grants as he announced that a further 110 events will share in more than $710,000 in supplementary expenses claims+
Posted 23 April, 2021 -
A wireless network proposed for the Cootamundra-Gundagai and Snowy Valleys LGAs has been awarded funding under the Regional Connectivity Program (RCP). The project is one of 81 place-based projects announced last week under the Commonwealth’s $90 million RCP initiative. The grants for the successful projects range from $80,500 for targeted mobile capacity upgrades in small+
Posted 23 April, 2021 -
An extra $5 million is being invested to support performing arts touring in regional and remote communities recovering from the effects of Covid-19. The Regional Performing Arts Touring program (Playing Australia) funding is being provided through the Australia Council and will be on top of grants already disbursed to performing arts organisations under previous rounds+
Posted 23 April, 2021 -
Australia’s government-owned airports could produce enough electricity to power 136,000 homes if they had large-scale rooftop solar systems installed, a new study suggests. Researchers at RMIT University compared electricity generated by residential solar panels in a regional city to the potential green energy production of 21 leased federal airports. They found that if large-scale solar+
Posted 23 April, 2021 -
Twenty-five of Queensland’s 77 councils are at “high risk” of becoming financially unsustainable, the state’s Auditor-General has found. The impacts of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, while not unexpected, contributed significantly to a deterioration in councils’ financial performance, with 70 percent spending more than they earned, Auditor-General Brendan Worrall said this week. The office’s Local+
Posted 23 April, 2021 -
It was an honour to visit Darwin this week, spending time meeting and listening to the magnificent work being done by NT local governments, in towns and remote areas across the vast Territory. Thank you to Darwin’s Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis, President of the Local Government Association of the Northern Territory (LGANT), and the LGANT+
Posted 23 April, 2021 -
Telstra has lost its bid to overturn a Federal Court decision preventing it from installing payphones with large digital advertising screens in Melbourne and Brisbane. The High Court’s refusal last week to hear Telstra’s appeal ends a long-running bid by the company to install 1800 “next generation” payphones across capital cities under Under schedule 3+
Posted 22 April, 2021 -
An Australia-wide network of mass immunisation centres, supported by local government, could get the nation’s flagging Covid-19 vaccine program back on track. University of NSW epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws, pictured, said this week that vaccinations would need to be stepped up significantly if most of the adult population is to receive at least one shot by+
Posted 22 April, 2021 -
Communities in Western Australias’s Mid-West, Gascoyne and Wheatbelt regions are getting help to enable them to recover from severe flooding in early March. The financial assistance is being provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) and will help the local governments of Dandaragan, Greater Geraldton, Menzies, Mount Marshall, Northam, and Victoria+
Posted 22 April, 2021 -
The Building Stronger Homes Roundtable wants codes, standards, and land use planning systems revised to promote housing resilience. The roundtable was established by the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) and Master Builders Australia (MBA) to discuss policy changes that make buildings throughout Australia more resilient. ICA chief executive officer Andrew Hall said increased collaboration was+
Posted 22 April, 2021 -
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been chided for appearing to dismiss the role of inner cities in helping to achieve net-zero emissions. In a statement issued this week, Cr Anna Reynolds and Cr Nuatali Nelme noted that city local governments have set climate change targets that are more ambitious than the Federal Government’s commitments. “We+
Posted 22 April, 2021 -
The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has become a partner of a new food waste governance body, Stop Food Waste Australia. The new national food waste governance consortium will lead food waste reduction initiatives across the food supply chain in support of the National Food Waste Strategy, which aims to halve Australia’s food waste by+
Posted 16 April, 2021 -
A digital tool to highlight long-term trends in coastal erosion and growth has been launched by Geoscience Australia’s Digital Earth Australia (DEA) program. The tool was developed with input from local councils, state governments, academia and citizen scientists, and will provide scientists, managers, and planners with the means to reliably assess impacts to Australia’s coastlines+
Posted 16 April, 2021 -
Australia’s first underground automated general waste collection system in Maroochydore, Queensland will be switched on in July. Waste and recyclables from buildings and street bins in the new 53-hectare Maroochydore City Centre will be pumped through a 6.5km network of underground pipes at speeds of up to 70km/h to a collection station for transfer to+
Posted 16 April, 2021 -
Austroads has published a report examining the most suitable types of plastics for inclusion in asphalt pavements. With plastic consumption rising, and more plastics in waste streams, the organisation says there is a growing interest in exploring the viability of using recycled plastics in road construction. The report, Use of Road-grade Recycled Plastics for Sustainable+
Posted 16 April, 2021 -
Victoria’s new container deposit scheme (CDS) has been unveiled with claims it will lead to three billion containers being recycled every year and halve the state’s litter. Starting in 2023, Victorians will be able to return cans, bottles and cartons at shopping centres, drive-through collection depots, and mobile drop-off points at events and community festivals.+
Posted 16 April, 2021 -
Cyclone-impacted communities in the Shire of Northampton, 480km north of Perth, are now eligible to apply for Commonwealth disaster relief. Support is being made available through the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) and Disaster Recovery Allowance (DRA). The AGDRP is a one-off, non-means-tested payment of $1000 for eligible adults and $400 for eligible children+
Posted 16 April, 2021 -
The NSW government should offer to buy back thousands of homes in flood-prone areas of Sydney’s west to reduce disaster response and recovery costs, the Committee for Sydney has said. The urban policy think tank said scaling back development in the floodplain would move people out of harm’s way and reduce growing pressure on our+
Posted 16 April, 2021 -
The hard-hit region of East Gippsland in Victoria is set to receive $7 million in funding from the Commonwealth’s Regional Recovery Partnership (RRP) project. The five projects selected for funding include: Krautungalung walk, Lakes Entrance ($2.2 million); East Gippsland Rail Trail ($2 million); Forest Park, Orbost ($1.3 million); Slip Road, Paynesville ($1 million); and Koala+
Posted 16 April, 2021 -
All 79 Victorian councils will be held to the approved 1.5 percent rate cap for the next financial year ahead, the state’s independent regulator said last week. The Essential Services Commission (ESC) has confirmed that the 31 March deadline for applications to exceed the rate cap set by the State Government has passed without any+
Posted 16 April, 2021 -
Innovation hubs to help farmers and communities respond to drought are set to open in Southern NSW and the Top End. The Southern NSW Hub will be established at the Charles Sturt University’s AgriPark campus in Wagga Wagga, while the Top End NT/WA Hub will be based at Darwin’s Charles Darwin University with four “nodes”+
Posted 16 April, 2021 -
The 2021 Smart Urban Futures National Conference, presented by the Municipal Association of Victoria and Victoria Walks, will be held virtually from 21-23 April. The conference “offers insights on liveable, walkable, and sustainable communities, and case studies of projects that have delivered better places in practice”. Keynote speakers include Lucy Saunders (Director of Healthy Streets,+
Posted 16 April, 2021 -
Environment Ministers have agreed to a suite of actions to meet National Waste Policy Action Plan targets, included nationally consistent municipal waste collections. This week’s Environment Ministers Meeting (EMM) also agreed in principle to support a roll-out of Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) waste collection services and to implement standards within each jurisdiction for+
Posted 16 April, 2021 -
Infrastructure Australia wants feedback on a project to identify strengths and gaps in regional infrastructure and to inform future planning and analysis. The advisory agency hopes its Regional Strengths and Gaps project will encourage governments, industry, and the community to come forward with solutions to address these challenges. The project will focus on 48 regions+
Posted 16 April, 2021 -
The recent huge waves of support for women to have their voices heard paid off this week with the Morrison Government saying it will stage a national women’s safety summit in July. The announcement acknowledges that Australian society, by and large, has not done enough to protect or support people who are vulnerable to family+
Posted 9 April, 2021 -
A survey of 100 cities and towns based on their economy, environment, governance, mobility, liveability, and people has identified Karratha and Newcastle as the two regional centres with the most appeal for migrants. Using the Australian Bureau of Statistics and other government data sources, and a form of statistical analysis known as analytical hierarch processing,+
Posted 8 April, 2021 -
The 2021 Welcoming Cities Symposium exploring migration and inclusion is being held at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney on 22 April. Intended as a forum to share and discuss the challenges, benefits, and opportunities of migration and inclusion, the program will feature keynotes from Megan Davis, Professor of Law at the University of+
Posted 8 April, 2021 -
Australia’s next national plan to reduce violence against women and their children must involve a more uniform approach across jurisdictions, a new parliamentary report says. Whilst noting the achievements of the National Plan to reduce violence against women and their children 2010-22 – including the creation of Our Watch – the House of Representatives Standing+
Posted 8 April, 2021 -
The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has received than 160 motions for possible inclusion in the 2021 National General Assembly Business Papers. The motions cover topics such as the lack of local government representation in National Cabinet, funding for local governments, and the role of councils in economic development and job creation. ALGA President Linda+
Posted 8 April, 2021 -
New funding has been announced for recycling and clean energy projects under the Federal Government’s $1.3 billion Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI). Initial applications will be limited to the “Translation and Integration” streams of the MMI, with expressions of interest for the larger “Collaboration” stream to open soon. The MMI is intended to help manufacturers in+
Posted 8 April, 2021 -
NSW bushfire Community Recovery Officers (CROs) will be funded for a further 12 months to allow them to help with flood recovery as well. Community Recovery Officers have been based in NSW local councils for the past year, working to provide bushfire impacted communities with tailored local support and coordinating services between government, recovery organisations,+
Posted 8 April, 2021 -
The continued expansion of telecommunications infrastructure under the Low Impact Facilities Determinations (LIFD) remains a concern for local government, ALGA has said. In a letter to the Federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, ALGA said the rollout of new networks such as 5G in a non-regulatory environment was eroding local government’s planning+
Posted 8 April, 2021 -
The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) is strongly encouraging local councils to consider being part of possible future national assessments of on-road assets. The Strategic Local Government Asset Assessment Project (SLGAAP) began in 2019 with the Commonwealth providing the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) with $8 million grant funding over two years. The SLGAAP aims+
Posted 8 April, 2021 -
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+
Posted 8 April, 2021 -
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is changing the way local governments notify it of sister city or other foreign arrangements. The Foreign Arrangements Scheme under which state, territory and local governments are required to notify the Commonwealth of any existing or future arrangements that they enter with overseas cities, states, provinces, or governments+
Posted 8 April, 2021 -
Broken Hill’s nascent social and economic revival – underpinned by tourism and a new cobalt mine and production plant – has been given another boost. The Broken Hill City Council last week approved tenders to set in train around $3.5 million worth of community projects, including a new skate park, sports lighting for several playing+
Posted 8 April, 2021 -
This week, we’ve secured another positive step towards local government’s financial sustainability, which has never been more important as we all recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. As Labor’s National Conference met, mayors and councillors from across Australia secured Labor’s commitment to: Focus on the long-term financial sustainability of local government through increases to grant allocations,+
Posted 1 April, 2021 -
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is encouraging local governments to apply for a special new round of sponsorship to highlight the importance of drone safety. Applications are now being accepted from individuals, organisations, and airports to support the production and installation of CASA’s standardised national drone safety signage to promote drone safety. With more+
Posted 31 March, 2021 -
More than 100 new road upgrades in NSW local government areas have been announced as part of the Fixing Local Roads Program. Although it is nominally a NSW government program, the Commonwealth committed $191 million to Fixing Local Roads in 2020. Results for Round 2 of the program were announced this week. The successful projects+
Posted 31 March, 2021 -
An autonomous electric shuttle bus being trialled on the NSW North Coast is about to go fully driverless, the first time this has occurred in Australia. More than 10,000 people have used the “Busbot” in phases 1 and 2 of the trial that began in December 2018. The NSW government is running the trial in+
Posted 31 March, 2021 -
Tens of thousands of Australians took to the streets in March as part of the #March4Justice events that called for an end to gendered violence. Patty Kinnersly, CEO of Our Watch, a national leader in the prevention of violence against women, said nationwide cultural and systemic change is needed to accelerate Australia towards a gender-equal+
Posted 31 March, 2021 -
Six online forums will be held this month as part of Commonwealth-led consultations to improve access to public transport for people with disability. The federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, and Communications opened consultations on February 12 with the publication of the Reform of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport: Consultation Regulation Impact+
Posted 31 March, 2021 -
Your Voice, a national charity helping young people to find jobs and learn new skills, wants local government help to publicise a survey of young people aged 15-24. The survey is intended to ascertain how marginalized young people view government services, support, and policy. Your Voice says the national survey will be followed by a+
Posted 31 March, 2021 -
Victorian local governments will have to report on and improve gender equality in the workplace under new legislation that came into force this week. The landmark Gender Equality Act 2020 is designed to close the pay gap across all 300 of the state’s public sector employers, improve gender equality at all levels of the workforce,+
Posted 31 March, 2021 -
Local governments are being encouraged to make the new Australian Water Safety Strategy 2030 central to their drowning prevention policies. The strategy seeks to raise awareness about non-fatal drowning incidents, encourage communities to create local water safety plans, and promote access to swimming and water safety skills for all Australians, particularly for those living in+
Posted 31 March, 2021