Parliamentary debate on rate capping | Talking to our communities about rate capping | Regional Youth Traineeship Program | Election candidate info sessions | NRM Reform | LGA events | Media update No Images? Click here Vol 3: Issue 28 - Monday 30 July 2018 You may have heard reports on 5AA late last week that the Labor party are ready to accept rate capping, and it could pass as soon as this week. We’ve been assured by the Shadow Minister that this report did not come from him, and that his current position is consistent with the views he expressed at our Special General Meeting. He also said, "The Labor party will not bow to political pressure from the Liberals and our decision will be based on what is good for all South Australians.” Thank you to all of you who have responded so far to the LGA on their council's position on the proposed rate capping legislation. Please ensure your council decision is with the LGA by this Friday so that our Board can make an informed decision at its meeting on 10 August, in time for the spring sitting of Parliament where the legislation will be discussed, debated and determined in the Legislative Council. It's important our communities are kept informed about the rate capping issue, and thank you to those who have been able to get coverage via the media, and in newsletters to your communities. Many councils have also included detailed reasons for their position in their endorsed motions so that their community and members of Parliament understand why they have made the decision they have. The Minister for Local Government the Hon Stephan Knoll MP signed off on the LGA's new Constitution and Ancillary Documents last week; and we look forward to putting our new and contemporary governance arrangements in place following the AGM in October. I would like to thank Minister Knoll for working through this process with us, and his commitment to continuing to partner with our sector. Last week we wrote to regional councils calling for nominations for the next LGA President, and to all councils calling for nominations for positions on SAROC and GAROC. Nominations for these positions will close 5pm Friday 24 August. LGA President Sue Clearihan Parliamentary debate on rate cappingThe Government’s rate capping Bill passed through the House of Assembly last Tuesday night. From here it is expected to be introduced into the Legislative Council in September, where the legislation won’t be passed without the support of Labor, or three crossbench votes. While the Labor Party is yet to confirm a position, SA-BEST and the Greens have publicly maintained their opposition to rate capping and the Government’s proposed legislation. Before passing through the Lower House the Bill was subject to around four hours of questions and discussion, and it’s worth revisiting what was said by both the Government and Opposition as it sheds some additional light on the issues that may be further debated in the Legislative Council. You can read the full Hansard here, here, here, here, and here. Thank you to all of you who have already participated in the process endorsed by members at our Special Meeting on 13 July and considered the proposed legislation in your council meetings. We look forward to receiving your council position on the legislation by COB this Friday 3 August, which will be considered by the LGASA Board at a Special Meeting on 10 August. The position determined by the Board will be communicated to members and all political parties. Talking to our communities about rate cappingSuccinctly explaining what rate capping is and would mean to our communities can be difficult, but I saw a flyer produced by the City of West Torrens last week that efficiently outlines many of the issues with this policy. Mayor John Trainer OAM writes, “Rate capping does not mean your actual rates will be capped. It is your rate increase (in theory) that would be capped. More precisely, it is the average rate increase as a percentage of the previous year’s rate payment that would be capped.” Writing about expectations of councils, Mayor Trainer said, “(The City of West Torrens is) responsible for a billion dollars in assets and it is quite unrealistic to expect the costs of servicing our community to increase by the standard CPI . . . Our major expenses are not from extravagant whims, dreamed up to spend your rate money. They are all extensive obligations we have to meet to maintain our community, or to satisfy the Local Government Act or to meet the demands of the State Government.” We all know councils are about more than roads, rates and rubbish, and Mayor Trainer captures this in reflecting on why our sector is so vital. “In today’s less caring world, with so many living in social isolation, connected only by electronic media, apprehensive about anti-social behaviours, with declining trust in so many of our institutions such as the churches, politicians and the banks, and with declining participation in clubs and organisations, only an active caring council can turn streets into neighbourhoods and suburbs into communities. No one else even tries to build that community… But somehow it is expected that local governments will do it all, despite the State Government shifting more tasks onto local councils while imposing more fees – and now strangling council’s ability to raise the revenue needed for all this to happen.” “Weakening our capacity to build a sense of belonging to a community, of living in a pleasant and safe environment, of having efficient infrastructure and a healthy local economy – these matters should not be irreversibly trifled with for a political stunt.” Regional Youth Traineeship ProgramThe Regional Youth Traineeship Program (RYTP) – administered by the LGA on behalf of the State Government – has been a huge success, providing South Australian councils with better succession planning while helping young people remain in their regional communities. The first round of this program is now winding up, with 74 trainees having had the opportunity to participate in fulltime employment and gain a certificate III level qualification. Round two of the program is in full swing, with 57 trainee positions spread across 37 councils. One RYTP graduate – Ashleigh Darrie from Alexandrina Council – has been chosen as a finalist for the SA Training and Skills Commission’s ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Trainee of the Year Award’. Ashleigh is now employed full-time at Alexandrina as co-coordinator of their community grants program and central administrator for her team, and in the future hopes to be a mentor and an ambassador for young Aboriginal and regionally based people in traineeships. You can vote for her in the ‘People’s Choice’ category of the Awards by clicking here. The RYTP is a great example of what we can achieve for our communities when we work in partnership with other spheres of government, and the LGA will be advocating in our 2018/19 State Budget Submission for funding for a third round. 'Make a difference - nominate for council' sessionsNominations for the 2018 council elections will open in a little more than a month, and the LGA – in conjunction with councils and ECSA – will host metropolitan and regional candidate information sessions in the coming weeks. These sessions will cover the role and functions of a council, relationship between councils and other spheres of government, the role of an elected member, allowances and expenses, legal responsibilities, how elections are conducted, eligibility and the process of nomination, and campaigning for election. The first of these sessions was held in Adelaide on Saturday, and we had more than 40 prospective candidates – from a diverse range of ages and backgrounds – attend. Thank you to Charles Sturt Mayor Angela Evans and Adelaide Hills Deputy Mayor Jan-Claire Wisdom and CEO Andrew Aitken for attending and sharing some great case studies. If you know people in your community who are thinking about running for council please encourage them to attend one of these sessions. More information – including dates and locations – can be found on our website. Alternatively, share with or invite people to these sessions using our Facebook events. NRM ReformThe State Government has committed to a range of natural resources management reforms, which will include replacing the Natural Resources Management Act with a proposed Landscapes South Australia Act. They have released a discussion paper which outlines the proposed reforms which you can download here. Submissions can be sent to landscapereform@sa.gov.au, and close on Monday 15 October. If you do provide a submission please also send a copy to LGA Director Policy Stephen Smith at stephen.smith@lga.sa.gov.au to assist in the development of the LGA’s submission. LGA eventsLast week the LGA held two very successful and well-attended events in Adelaide. On Thursday 90 delegates from councils, the State Government and local businesses participated in the MLGG Smart Cities Strategy Workshop at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, looking at how the sector uses technology to be more effective and efficient and deliver innovation and technology projects that support economic development and contribute to greater community wellbeing. The outcome will be an evidence-based advocacy tool to collaborate with the State Government to develop the first Smart Cities Strategy by an Australian state. On Friday we staged the inaugural Local Government Communications Conference at Adelaide Town Hall. This conference attracted around 70 communications practitioners, who heard from journalists, publishers, communications professionals and other council staff about how to maximise the impact of their comms activities. One of the highlights was a terrific presentation from the Social Media Manager for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, who spoke about implementing social media strategies and engaging with citizen-led action groups. Bringing elected members, council staff and other stakeholders together to consider current issues and ways of working together is one of the benefits of Association membership, and it is great to see the sector embracing these opportunities. Media updateIf you missed Prospect Mayor and ALGA President David O’Loughlin on ABC’s Q&A last week you can watch this here. The LGA has provided the Government with a submission on the Planning and Design Code highlighting that councils must be given a stronger role in designing their neighbourhood. An interesting Op Ed in last Wednesday’s Murray Valley Standard on rate capping and regional councils. A report by Victoria’s Auditor-General has found that more than half a billion dollars collected through their Waste Levy remains unspent and MAV are calling for more of this funding to be released for worthwhile projects. For further information or to submit |