Federal Budget | Local government reform | LGA's State Budget Submission | Showcase and OGM No Images? Click here Vol 4: Issue 7 - Monday 1 April 2019 Most councils would be working on their draft budgets for next year, and getting ready to start their community consultation. Preparing a responsible budget that balances the needs and aspirations of the community with their capacity and willingness to pay for local services and facilities is one of the most important responsibilities we have as council members. Quite rightly, there will be a great deal of scrutiny around council budgets and rate increases from ratepayers, the media, the private sector and other spheres of government. Communities will be looking to us – the people they elected just under five months ago - to do everything we can to drive downward pressure on council rates. We will always be facing external cost pressures that are beyond our control. Our consultation with communities presents an opportunity to tell the story about the challenges we are facing, how we are responding, and the value we deliver. Let’s make our communities proud as we have an honest and open conversation about the facilities and services they want and need, and how they will be paid for. LGA President Sam Telfer 2019-20 Federal BudgetTomorrow night the Hon Josh Frydenberg MP will hand down the Federal Government’s 2019-20 Budget. We’ve already received some promising news around roads, with funding for key SA regional highway upgrades (subscriber link), and an extra $2.2 billion to be committed nation-wide over the next 10 years. However, we are still waiting to hear whether supplementary road funding for SA will be extended. The LGA, ALGA, and SA councils have worked hard in recent months to advocate for this funding. Our message has been clear – South Australia has 11% of the nation’s local roads and 7% of the population, but only receives 5.5% of the identified local roads component of Commonwealth Financial Assistance Grants. We have got our fingers crossed that this budget will see SA receive a fair share, and we’re well prepared to campaign on this issue in the lead up to this year’s Federal Election. We’ll be looking closely at the Budget as it is handed down, and will publish an update on our website as soon as possible explaining its impact on South Australian councils. Local government reformThe State Government has committed to progressing a local government reform program, and has asked councils to submit initial reform ideas by 29 April 2019. The Government is also currently seeking feedback and input from the general public through its yoursay website. Our sector has been highlighting potential areas for improvement for some time and the LGA has produced a discussion paper outlining sensible opportunities for reform, which was released to members last week. The proposals outlined in our discussion paper are based on the local government reform agenda the LGA provided to all parties ahead of the 2018 state election, as well as motions that have been passed by councils at our General Meetings. We are looking for feedback on our discussion paper by 26 April in order to inform the early stages of the Government’s reform program, but we will gladly take feedback and new ideas from members at any time. The reform proposals developed through this process will ultimately need the support of the Parliament to progress and we look forward to working with all parties to shape a reform agenda that will build community confidence in councils, drive downward pressure on council rates and deliver lasting benefits to ratepayers. 2019-20 State Budget SubmissionI recently provided the Treasurer, the Hon Rob Lucas MLC, with the LGA’s 2019-20 State Budget Submission. The LGA produces a State Budget Submission on behalf of the sector every year, to highlight opportunities for state and local government to work together for the benefit of our communities. This year’s submission outlines 12 key priorities that will support South Australia’s economy, environment and wellbeing. Importantly, it also focuses on how the State Government can partner with councils to help drive downward pressure on annual rates increases. Many of the external pressures on council budgets could be reduced through increased support from – and partnerships with – the State Government. Keeping rates low is a shared responsibility, and we’re asking the Government to do their part and work with us to address cost of living pressures for South Australians. Showcase and OGMOnline registrations for our 2019 Council Showcase and OGM will close this Friday. This event will be held at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 April, with Thursday’s Showcase featuring a focus on waste and recycling. The War on Waste’s Craig Reucassel will give the keynote address before the Showcase, and former Attorney General and current Hornsby Shire Mayor the Hon Philip Ruddock will speak Friday morning. The papers for our OGM can be downloaded here, so please familiarize yourself with the issues that will be discussed and debated during the meeting. I look forward to seeing you there. ICAC integrity forum for elected membersOn 28 February the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (ICAC) hosted an integrity forum for elected members of local government. This event was attended by mayors and councillors from 46 councils, and included presentations from the South Australian Ombudsman Wayne Lines, Auditor General Andrew Richardson, and Independent Commissioner Against Corruption, the Hon Bruce Lander QC. The consistent message they delivered was that these bodies were set up to deal with misconduct and integrity matters, not to arbitrate petty squabbles between council members. If you were unable to attend the forum but would like to see the presentations, you can watch them on ICAC’s website. Sustainable procurementOur sector’s pilot project on sustainable procurement targets for councils is attracting outside interest, with the Australian Packaging Convent Organisation providing its in-principle support. This pilot project involves seven councils and is looking at trialling procurement targets for councils for using recycled materials. The LGA successfully applied for funding from Green Industries SA to support this project. APCO is a national co-regulatory body which represents some of Australia’s largest retailers and manufacturers in their work towards achieving sustainable packaging in Australia. Many of the national waste targets adopted by the Meeting of Environment Ministers have been delegated to APCO for implementation. The LGA is represented on APCO’s “Materials Circularity” working group, which has listed their support of our pilot project as one of their key deliverables. It’s fantastic to see recognition of our endeavours to build a circular economy in South Australia, and I look forward to sharing outcomes from this project as they become available. For further information or to submit |