Rate capping | Regional speed limits | Population strategy No Images? Click here Update from the LGA President Vol 2: Issue 19 - Monday 11 September 2017 Dear Mayors and CouncillorsThis week I had the pleasure of witnessing Mayor Patterson unveil a bronze bust of Susan Grace Benny (click to view picture). She was the first female elected to local government in Australia. I congratulate Holdfast Bay councillors and the mayor for this fitting tribute to a great lady who paved the way for many female councillors to follow. The bust stands on a pedestal in the gardens of the Holdfast Bay library so I hope many of you will have a chance to see it in your travels. LGA President Mayor Lorraine Rosenberg Back to basics? Residents in the state electorate of Bright recently received this letter from their local MP about the SA Liberal Party’s rate capping policy. It’s worth a read because it outlines exactly what the SA Liberal Party believes the role of councils should be – namely “maintaining footpaths and roads, collecting rubbish, looking after our parks and sporting ovals, and supporting our seniors.” There’s no mention of running libraries, conducting food inspections to protect public health, operating tourism information centres, or community centres. Strangely, despite the author being the Shadow Minister for the Environment, there’s also no mention of the important role councils play in protecting our environment. To suggest that many of the services councils provide are irrelevant or unnecessary is, quite frankly, disrespectful to our sector, and to the thousands of staff and volunteers who work hard to make their communities better. Wattle Range Council recently challenged the SA Liberal Party to confirm they will cap their own revenue raising if elected in March 2018. The Party has declined to make this commitment, even though this is exactly what they are asking councils to do. It’s easy to say councils should “get back to basics”, but harder to imagine our communities without the hundreds of facilities and services that our sector provides. Rate capping failing Victorian communities If you want to see what rate capping would do to our sector you don’t need to look much further than across the border in Victoria. Our colleagues at MAV presented to their Parliament’s ongoing inquiry into rate capping last week, and highlighted that a reduction in State and Federal Government funding combined with the two per cent rate cap has left small rural councils struggling to maintain local services and assets. Capital spending in these areas is projected to decline by 30% from 2016 until 2020. The Bendigo Advertiser recently reported that Bendigo Council is expecting to lose $25 million over the next seven years due to rate capping, with Campaspe Shire Council projecting a revenue shortfall of $14 million over the coming decade. Wodonga Mayor Anna Speedie has spoken about the pressure on larger regional centres to provide the services neighbouring smaller regional councils can no longer afford. “Our library for example, 30 per cent of all the users are from outside the shire because the smaller, rural sector is actually shrinking and having to pull back just to be able to pay for their roads. So those other services are being propped up by regional centres.” Meanwhile in New South Wales, Hawkesbury Council has had a difficult time gaining community support for a special rates variation to increase revenue for improvements to its road network. Paid parking has been a hot issue in the Adelaide media in recent weeks, but based on what we’ve seen in NSW – where councils collect significantly more in fees and charges from their communities – we would expect to see this become common place in SA if rate capping were introduced. Regional speed limits The State Government has announced they intend to reduce the speed limit on eight regional roads from 110km/h to 100km/h before the end of this year. These roads include the Browns Well Highway (Loxton to Pinnaroo), Riddoch Highway (Mount Gambier to Port MacDonnell), Clay Wells Road (Southern Ports Highway to Callendale), Andamooka Road (Olympic Dam to Andamooka), Cleve Road (Kimba to Cleve), Ngarkat Highway (Pinnaroo to Bordertown), Goyder Highway (Crystal Brook to Gulnare), and Carpenter Rocks Road (Carpenter Rocks to Mount Gambier). The LGA has consistently pushed for increased funding for SA’s road network, and reducing the speed limits on these roads confirms the concerns that regional councils have regarding their upkeep. If they are no longer fit for purpose, then they should be upgraded. Changing the speed limit is a quick fix, and regional communities deserve better. As a partner in government and part of the solution the LGA proposed a trial regional road safety management strategy in the Limestone Coast region that would have considered a range of road safety factors, and established clear criteria to identify roads where reduction or adjustment in the speed limit was warranted. However, the Minister declined to support our proposal. The LGA supports a holistic approach to road safety, of which speed limits are only one component, and we will continue to advocate for increased investment in maintaining our State’s road network. A wakeup call for SA The Australian Electoral Commission’s recent announcement that our State will lose a representative at the next federal election should be a wakeup call for SA. It’s not just symbolic of our State falling behind the rest of Australia in population growth – it also means that our federal parliamentarians will have a reduced capacity to represent and advance the interests of South Australian communities. The LGA advocated for a population strategy in its 2017/18 State Budget submission, and we’re keen to work as a partner in government and part of the solution to address the issue of stagnant population growth in SA. We’re not proposing an immediate and unlimited influx of new residents, but we do want to see a plan – developed in consultation with councils and stakeholders – to grow our population in a responsible and sustainable way. It’s clear that lack of population growth is holding our State back, and we need to work together with our partners in government to reverse this trend and ensure the future viability of our regions. Electricity procurement Three new contracts signed on behalf of councils by LGA Procurement will see a 17% increase in the cost of electricity supply across the sector over the next two years. While this is a sizable increase, it is significantly less than what would have been achieved by a more fragmented approach, and reinforces the importance of working together to get the best possible deal. It also highlights that the cost of electricity in our State is an issue for everyone, and urgent action is required at both a state and federal level to bring relief to the cost-of-living pressures faced by South Australians. The LGA will continue to work with councils to minimise their energy costs, and the associated environmental impacts. Earlier this year, we worked closely with councils to undertake strategic energy audits, and we’re continuing to advocate for an Energy Productivity Program that would provide funding to council energy efficiency projects. 2018 Council elections The LGA has already begun preparations ahead of the 2018 local government elections. A particular focus for these elections will be increasing the representation of women, who currently make up only 29% of council members in SA. We are also looking into strategies to engage with all under-represented community segments including CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) communities, youth and people with disabilities. The LGA has committed to providing all elections material to councils by November this year to allow plenty of time for councils to plan and run their own promotional campaigns in local communities. Good news from our sector The Whyalla Times covered the exciting economic announcements that were made at the recent 2017 Upper Spencer Golf Conference which included its declaration as an economic participation region by the State Government. According to the article, more than 400 industry delegates booked every motel room in town! Congratulations to the City of Whyalla on hosting this successful event. Down south, the Hills Valley Weekly Messenger covered the announcement of a million-dollar project to develop a third section of the Sturt River linear park, jointly funded by Mitcham and Onkaparinga councils and the State Government. The City of Unley’s goal to double the number of people who walk and cycle to work was highlighted in the Eastern Courier Messenger while Streaky Bay Mayor Travis Barber’s plea for improved electricity infrastructure ran in the West Coast Sentinel. Last but not least, an honourable mention for City of Port Lincoln Mayor Bruce Green, who was spotted trawling through wheelie bins in hi-vis and gloves to promote his council’s upcoming recycling bin audit in the Port Lincoln Times. Trainee of the Year I was delighted to hear Rural City of Murray Bridge employee Sandy Beaton was awarded 'Trainee of the Year' at the recent SA Training Awards. Sandy is one of 114 young South Australians employed through the Regional Youth Traineeship Program that the LGA administers on behalf of the State Government. She is pictured here with Murray Bridge CEO Michael Sedgman and volunteer coordinator Ngareta Cronin. Sandy’s win received excellent coverage in the Murray Valley Standard which you can read here. The Regional Youth Traineeship Program has been a terrific success, and is evidence of what we can achieve for communities when we work as partners in government. It’s fantastic to see young people like Sandy taking advantage of this opportunity, and being recognised for the fresh ideas and enthusiasm they bring to our sector. I’d also like to acknowledge Nikita Isaacson from Whyalla City Council and Justine Mules from Adelaide City Council who were both deserving finalists for this award. Sandy will now go on to compete in the Australian Training Awards in Canberra on 23 November and I wish her the best of luck! For further information on any of these articles or to submit feedback please email:
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