Supplementary road funding | Craig Reucassel @ 2019 Showcase | Joy Baluch Award No Images? Click here Vol 4: Issue 4 - Monday 18 February 2019 Last week I was in Canberra for the Australian Local Government Association’s 2019 strategic planning workshop, where the ALGA Board Directors from each State and Territory worked together to outline the key national priorities for local government this year. Population, waste and recycling, infrastructure, and financial sustainability were all discussed at length, and we considered the opportunities for our sector both before and after this year’s federal election. Our ALGA membership is another benefit that councils receive through membership of their state association. Being a member of ALGA allows us to raise issues at a national level, and in 2017 helped us secure the return – albeit for a two-year period – of supplementary road funding for SA. During the week we also had meetings with the Minister for Local Government, Senator the Hon Bridget McKenzie MP, as well as the Shadow Minister, Stephen Jones MP, to discuss local government’s federal election priorities with both of them. LGA President Sam Telfer Supplementary road funding A number of councils are already talking to their local media about the need to extend supplementary road funding for South Australia. This Commonwealth funding may expire in less than five months, and if it isn’t extended it will leave South Australian councils with a $20 million per year question mark hanging over their roads and works budgets. During my time in Canberra I took the opportunity to meet with a number of Federal MPs and their staff to explain why the extension of supplementary road funding is so important for our state, including the Hon Anthony Albanese MP, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development. We will be working hard to highlight this issue with all parties over the coming months. I would encourage you to also raise supplementary road funding whenever you are talking to your local representatives. We must continue to let all candidates know what this money means to the communities in their electorates. You can download more information from our website, and we will be writing to all councils this week to let you know how you can best support and leverage this campaign in your communities. Craig Reucassel to speak at 2019 Council Best Practice Showcase Our 2019 Council Best Practice Showcase will have a focus on waste and recycling, and I’m excited to announce that Craig Reucassel will open the event with the keynote address. Craig is an Australian writer and comedian, who is best known for his work with the ABC on The Chaser and The War on Waste, which saw him challenge Australians about their waste and recycling habits. Two streams of concurrent sessions will run throughout the day. One stream will showcase council projects and initiatives across areas such as service transformation, leadership programs, tourism, disability access and inclusion planning, SA coastal council alliance, financial and asset management Another stream will focus on waste and recycling and explore how our sector is driving growth through resource recovery, and how this will help us maintain South Australia’s position at the forefront of sustainable waste and resource recovery practices nationwide. The 2019 Council Best Practice Showcase will be held on Thursday 11 April at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, with the LGA’s 2019 Ordinary General Meeting to be held the next day on Friday 12 April. The Showcase Dinner will be held on Thursday evening. A full program will be available in the next few weeks, but more information can be found here. LGASA Recruitment LGASA Commercial currently provides legal, travel, and energy audit services to the LGA’s member councils, and has recently launched a trial of a new recruitment service. This is a service that councils have asked us to consider providing, and a pilot program is running to determine whether it will be a permanent addition to LGASA Commercial’s offerings. Several recruitment processes are currently underway, including a search for a new CEO at Robe, as well as a senior management position with the District Council of Ceduna. If you are interested in more information, or contracting LGASA Recruitment to fill a vacancy in your council, please contact LGASA Commercial Executive Director Steve Nolis on 8224 2043 or email steve.nolis@lga.sa.gov.au. Last call for nominations There’s still time to get nominations in for this year’s Joy Baluch Award. This award recognises the contributions made by women to local government, and will be presented at our Showcase Dinner at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on 11 April. Nominations close 1 March, and forms can be downloaded from the LGA’s website. For further information or to submit |