Local government reform | Drought funding | 2019 LGA Conference and AGM No Images? Click here Vol 3: Issue 25 - Tuesday 12 November 2019 As a sector we collect less than 4% of taxation, so funding partnerships from other tiers of government are vitally important. This is especially the case during tough times. Almost two thirds of our State’s regional councils are currently experiencing drought conditions, and the additional round of Commonwealth funding announced for affected councils last week is welcomed. This funding will help these councils invest in projects that support local jobs and suppliers, and contribute to economic recovery. Further details on this funding announcement are below. LGA President Sam Telfer Local government reformThe LGA recently provided final submissions to both the State Government’s Local Government Reform Discussion Paper and the Productivity Commission’s draft Inquiry into Local Government Costs and Efficiency report. Our advocacy works best when it reflects the views and experiences of all members, and we appreciate the contributions from your councils to these submissions. There is still a long way to go on local government reform. While our submission to the Government indicates in-principle support for a wide range of reform ideas, we will need to look at the details closely, and make sure that they don’t take funding and resources away from the delivery of local council services. The Government are expected to introduce a local government reform Bill into the Parliament early next year, and we will continue to consult with members and advocate to the Government and Parliament throughout this process. Drought fundingLast week the Commonwealth announced a new round of drought support funding for councils, with 32 South Australian councils eligible to receive up to $1 million each. This includes each of the 30 councils that were previously declared eligible to receive funding under the Drought Communities Program, as well as two new councils – Kangaroo Island and Tatiara. Other national funding programs for eligible councils included in this announcement were:
The LGA is currently preparing a submission to the Commonwealth’s draft Drought Resilience Funding Plan 2020-2024. From 1 July 2020 this Fund will make $100 million available each year to support initiatives that strengthen the drought resilience of Australian farm businesses and communities. We would welcome your feedback and input into our submission, and you can find more information in this circular. 2019 LGA Conference and AGM It was great to catch up with so many of you at our 2019 Conference and AGM. Some of the motions passed at our AGM included councils asking the LGA to:
The draft minutes from the meeting can be downloaded here. At Wednesday’s Conference we celebrated the 100th anniversary of Susan Grace Benny’s election to Brighton Council; and at the Conference Dinner we presented Small Business Commissioner John Chapman and Dennis Kuhlmann – recently retired from the Department for Environment and Water - with the Jim Hullick Award for the collaborative way they’ve worked with our sector. We also announced the winners in the 2019 LGASA Mutual Awards, which included:
As well as the merit award winners:
Congratulations to these councils on the great work they are doing to protect the safety of our local government workforce! Smart cities win South Australian councils featured prominently at the recent Australian Smart Cities Awards.A collaboration between the Cities of Prospect, Burnside, Playford, Port Adelaide Enfield and Campbelltown won in the Built Environment category, while the LGA’s Smart Cities Framework took out the Policy Category.It’s fantastic to see councils using technology and data to better serve their communities, and innovation within our sector being recognised on the national stage. CWMS awardWe also had a win at the Australian Water Association’s South Australian Water Awards last Friday night. The Peterborough Community Wastewater Management System (CWMS) – a collaboration between the District Council of Peterborough, LGA and Flinders University – won in the Water Infrastructure Project Innovation category. This project was jointly funded by the Council, the State Government and the Commonwealth, and is just one example of the success of the LGA’s CWMS program, which supports councils to deliver wastewater management systems to their communities. Above: Representatives from District Council of Peterborough, Flinders University and the LGA CWMS program For further information or to submit |