ALGA News

Working for councils: ALGA advocacy in Canberra With the 2024-25 Federal Budget high on our agenda, I visited Parliament House last week to meet with senior Government Ministers, Shadow Ministers and independents. Representing your councils, I met with the Treasurer as well as the Ministers for Housing and Local Government to advocate for the funding+

The deadline for councils to submit motions to the 2024 National General Assembly of Local Government (NGA), to be held in Canberra from 2-4 July, has been extended until Tuesday 30 April 2024. In December last year, local governments were invited to submit motions for debate at the 2024 NGA in line with ALGA’s discussion+

A new report by the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner has been released on the independent Community Engagement Review for renewable energy infrastructure. ALGA made a submission to the review and organised a workshop for councils to engage with the Commissioner. The key recommendations, some that align with ALGA’s advocacy, include to: encourage best practice and+

Local governments are invited to apply for federal funding through round nine of the Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI) program, run by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR).  The Federal Government has committed HVSI funding for new projects to support a safer heavy vehicle industry.  The HVSI program is a discretionary merit-based grants program aiming+

ALGA recently provided a submission to the Federal Government about the Threat Abatement Plan (TAP) to control feral cats and reduce predation from pet cats. The submission highlighted local governments welcome any new tools for councils to manage cat movements but further actions need to have a sustainable funding source. There is also significant work+

Local governments on urban fringes, where the bush meets the suburbs, can benefit from $20 million in Commonwealth funding to help upgrade mobile phone coverage under round 2 of the Peri-Urban Mobile Program (PUMP). Eligible areas under the latest funding round have been expanded to include major regional cities like Geelong, the Gold Coast and+

Happy New Year and welcome to 2024. I’m expecting this to be another big year for local government, especially with council elections in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Win! Community energy upgrade funding available In a major advocacy win for councils last year, ALGA secured a new $100 million Community Energy Upgrades Fund to+

Transport association Austroads is leading the implementation of a national automated access system (NAAS) for heavy vehicles in Australia and New Zealand. The NAAS will support road managers, including from local governments, to provide access decisions more efficiently to help drive better productivity and safety across state borders. The system will be based on the+

Applications are now open to local governments for the first round of the Federal Government’s new $100 million Community Energy Upgrades Fund. Grants of between $25,000 and $2,500,000 are available to councils across Australia to invest in energy-saving measures like replacing swimming pool heating systems with electric heat pumps, battery storage at sporting fields and+

ALGA will host the 2024 National General Assembly (NGA), incorporating the Regional Cooperation and Development Forum, in Canberra from 2-4 July 2024.  This year’s NGA theme is “Building Community Trust”, centring on the critical importance of trust in governments, between governments, institutions, and citizens.   Registrations are now open for the NGA 2024, so secure your+

National General Assembly dates and motions I am delighted to announce we are now accepting your council’s motions for our 2024 National General Assembly (NGA), to be held in Canberra from 2-4 July. This is your opportunity to bring the issues and opportunities you are seeing in your communities to the national stage, and for+

Local governments can increase their understanding of the Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS) ahead of the fire season through new eLearning courses. The AFDRS eLearning update is a collaborative effort between AFAC, the national council for fire and emergency services, and state and territory fire agencies. The eLearning is open to a broad range+

A number of key Federal Government Ministers have responded to resolutions from ALGA’s 2023 National General Assembly (NGA) of Local Government. These responses cover a range of topics including emergency management, social services, climate change and energy, Indigenous affairs, cyber security, communications and housing. Further Ministerial responses are expected in early 2024, and councils are+

A new national survey is looking to establish a baseline of emergency preparedness and disaster resilience in multi-unit dwellings across Australia. The Owners Corporation Network and Facilities Management Australia survey is aimed at anyone who rents or owns an apartment building, including social housing. Information will be used for free strata-based resources to support resident-led+

The deadline for Australian councils to provide data on the state of their local roads and community infrastructure has been extended by two weeks, and will now close on 14 December 2023. ALGA is partnering with the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) to deliver an update to its National State of the Assets+

Councils are urged to provide their feedback on harnessing the power of sport and physical activity to build healthy, active, connected and thriving communities. The Office for Sport, in the Federal Department of Health and Aged Care, is undertaking a public consultation to inform the development of a new National Sport Plan. A consultation paper+

Win! Roads to Recovery funding to be doubled to $1 billion per year Strong advocacy and leadership from ALGA has delivered a landmark $500 million per year increase to Roads to Recovery funding, which will be phased in over the Federal Budget forward estimates. The increase was announced yesterday by Infrastructure Minister Catherine King, in+

Local governments and librarians are encouraged to embrace National Shared Reading Week from Monday 27 November to Sunday 3 December. National Shared Reading Week is an opportunity for Street Librarians all over the country to connect with their community – young and old – and enjoy the benefits of this shared experience. Shared Reading is+

ALGA continues to work closely with association members, the Federal Government and key stakeholders to help address Australia’s housing and homelessness crisis. As a signatory to the National Housing Accord, we are actively involved with a range of Government agencies, including from the Treasury and Department of Social Services. ALGA recently engaged and held online+

Local governments are being urged to help their communities engage in sport and access free resources for clubs through Game Plan. Game Plan is a free online platform for sporting clubs of all sizes to get insights into their current capability in key areas of administration. It supports ongoing club development with a suite of+

The Federal Government’s current Roads to Recovery (RTR) funding period will end in June next year and a new RTR program will begin on 1 July 2024. Councils may still have funding available under the current funding period which ends on 30 June 2024. The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts+

A ground-breaking new report, focusing on the unique experiences, expertise and knowledge of local government to address Australia’s housing and homelessness crisis, is now available. Developed by the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors (CCCLM) and Local Government Professionals Australia (LG Pro), the Local Government Community of Practice: housing and homelessness report was based on+

Annual conferences and events I was delighted to attend the Local Government Association of Queensland’s (LGAQ) Conference in Gladstone last week, and thank LGAQ President Mayor Mark Jamieson and my fellow ALGA Board members Mayor Matt Burnett and Mayor Jack Dempsey for hosting me. Addressing the Conference, I outlined some of our recent advocacy wins,+

A new bike safety project called BikeSpot 2023 has been launched to help improve cyclist safety in Australia. The crowd-funded project, that will benefit all councils, is a collaboration between the Amy Gillett Foundation and CrowdSpot, as part of the Federal Government’s Safe Roads for Safe Cycling Program. The information collected by BikeSpot will be publicly+

An innovative web-based toolkit is set to improve road safety outcomes for local governments and help reduce road fatalities across Australia. Pioneered by the National Transport Research Organisation (NTRO), the new Road Safety Intelligence Toolkit (pictured above) can be used by councils to identify crash trends and provide real-time insights for local jurisdictions. The customised,+

The humble granny flat could help address Australia’s housing supply shortage and rental crisis, according to new research. Based on analysis from Archistar, Blackfort and CoreLogic, granny flats have the ability to quickly and affordably address some of the current housing crisis. Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne could potentially have up to 655,000 self-contained two-bedroom granny+

Australian councils are reminded to support critical national research by providing data on the state of their local roads and community infrastructure. ALGA is partnering with the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) to deliver an update to its National State of the Assets (NSoA) report, which is due to be published in 2024.+

State Cabinet meeting with LGSA I was delighted to join Local Government Association of South Australia President Dean Johnson and present to the South Australian Premier and Cabinet Ministers in Adelaide last week. We discussed a range of policy issues at the State Cabinet meeting including the economic development challenges and opportunities facing councils, and how local+

Local governments looking to stage original live music and festivals can apply for a new round of funding through Live Music Australia. The $20 million Live Music Australia program aims to bring music to more Australians by supporting organisations to professionally stage original live music, including in regional areas. Round 7 is open for applications+

Local governments can access a new publication developed by the Australian Signals Directorate’s (ASD) Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) about effectively dealing with a cyber security incident. Coinciding with Cyber Security Awareness Month 2023 in October, the publication How the ACSC can help during a cyber security incident is designed for professionals who lead an organisation’s+

Local governments can provide feedback to the Multicultural Framework Review by the Federal Government. The review will advise the Government on what institutional, legislative and policy settings can best build Australia’s multiculturalism over the next decade. It will also aim to identify how to meet the needs of our increasingly diverse society. The Australian Government+