Productivity Commission Inquiry | Parliamentary Recycling Inquiry | NRM Levy No Images? Click here Vol 4: Issue 16 - Tuesday 23 July 2019 Thank you to Whyalla City Council for hosting the LGA Board last week. We had a very productive meeting, and it was great to hear from the council about their plans for the future. Next month I’ll be in Renmark for our 2019 Roads and Works Conference, and hope to see many of you there. Details on the event and a link to register are below. LGA President Sam Telfer Productivity Commission InquiryThe Productivity Commission is currently working on the draft report for their Inquiry into local government costs and efficiency. The Chair of the Commission, Dr Matthew Butlin and Commissioner Jeff Tate joined us in Whyalla last week and took the opportunity to hear directly from SAROC and the Board about some of the challenges and costs pressures that our sector has faced over the past 10 years. I believe these discussions gave the Commission a stronger appreciation of the complex environment within which local government operates, and the difficult decisions that have to be made to meet local demands for high quality local services and infrastructure. The LGA has provided a first submission to the Inquiry which provides comments on the technical aspects of the Commission’s methodology, and is finalising a second submission which seeks to demonstrate the cumulative impact external cost pressures (including state government cost shifting) have had on councils over the past five years. The LGA can broadly demonstrate the challenges that councils have faced at a sector level and the work that councils have done to become more sustainable and improve their financial reporting and performance. However, it is also important that the Commission hears directly from councils about any internal or external influences or decisions that have had a material impact on efficiency, including work that has been done to address cost pressures, measure community satisfaction or improve performance. I encourage you to act as soon as possible to share your council’s story with the Commission. Our second submission will be available on the LGA’s submissions page when it is finalised. LGA Submission to Parliamentary Recycling InquiryIncreasing waste and recycling costs have been a huge pressure on budgets this year, with China’s National Sword and increases to the Solid Waste Levy expected to cost councils an extra $17 million in 2019/20. The LGA has provided a submission to Parliament’s Inquiry into Recycling which outlines a range of opportunities to reduce these costs for ratepayers, and support the development of a circular economy in SA. Some of our recommendations include:
The full submission is on our website. The Government collects tens of millions of dollars through the Solid Waste Levy annually, and they should be investing as much as they can in educational campaigns and new processes that will deliver better waste and recycling outcomes for our communities. NRM LevyThe legislative requirement for councils to collect the State Government’s NRM Levy is yet another example of shifting costs to ratepayers. Councils have consistently told us the amount they receive for collecting the Levy does not cover the true costs involved, and that many people mistake the Levy as being a local government tax. The LGA has advocated strongly in recent years for the obligation on councils to collect the levy to be removed. The replacement of the current NRM Act with a new Landscape SA Bill provides another opportunity to push for change, and we have been in discussions with all parties about possible amendments that would see this burden removed from councils. I would like to thank SA Best and the Greens SA for confirming their support for changes to the Bill that would protect councils and their ratepayers from being out of pocket. The Landscape SA Bill is set to be debated in Parliament this week, and I will keep you updated on any changes to the proposed Bill that will impact on our sector. Roads and Works ConferenceThe 2019 Roads and Works Conference will be held in Renmark from 14-16 August. This conference is held annually in regional South Australia, attracting around 250 council staff and members. Some of the topics that will be covered this year include smart infrastructure, building audits, recycled and sustainable materials in road construction, business case development, and the ageing workforce. There are special deals for councils that send more delegates this year than in 2018, and for councils that send four or more delegates to the event. Click here to download the program, or here to register to attend. Tourism and councilsNew figures show that tourism now contributes $7.2 billion annually to South Australia’s economy, with $2.9 billion of this spent in our regions. The LGA will host a “Tourism and councils” event on 16 August that will look at the role tourism plays in driving economic development, and how councils can maximise their involvement. It will include presentations from a range of tourism and economic development experts, including SA Tourism Commission CEO Rodney Harrex, and Economic Development Australia CEO Jacqueline Brinkman. This session will be held at LG House in Adelaide, and will start at 9.30am for 10am. Elected Member Leadership ProgramA reminder that the next session of our Elected Member Leadership Program will be held at LG House on 19 August. The morning will be an opportunity to network with other council members, and think about some of the things we’ve learned this current term of council, and after lunch will focus on effective leadership in challenging situations. You can find out more and register to attend through our website. July LGA Board meetingWe held our July LGA Board meeting in Whyalla last Thursday morning. During this meeting the Board:
The full minutes from the meeting will be on our website by the end of this week. For further information or to submit |