Archived News for Professionals in Local Government

The Western Australian Government has announced $3 million in spending to implement cat legislation aimed at reducing the thousands of stray cats being euthanised each year.

The Western Australian Government has called for comment on the development of a plan to ensure continued availability of high quality drinking water in Esperance.

Adelaide City Council has signed a revised National Sorry Day Acknowledgement in recognition of the past dispossession of Aboriginal people at a ceremony in Victoria Square/ Tarndanyangga.

Yvonne Agius and Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood , both Chairs of Council’s Reconciliation Committee, along with John Browne, Chairperson of the Journey of Healing SA, signed the acknowledgement.

“Signing this acknowledgement will help to forge relationships with the City Council and the local Aboriginal community, and I give credit to the Council and Lord Mayor for taking this important step,” said John Browne, Chairperson of the Journey of Healing SA.

National Sorry Day is a national event that takes place each year on the 26th May.

The first Sorry Day was held in 1998 following the national inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. The Bringing Them Home Report revealed the extent of forced removal policies.

Yvonne Agius, dual chair of Council’s Reconciliation Committee said, “We’re very pleased that the Lord Mayor will sign this document and we value his continued support of reconciliation and the Aboriginal community”.

Council was a leader in reconciliation when it signed the National Sorry Day Acknowledgement in 1998, which also provides the guiding principles for its Reconciliation Action Plan.

The acknowledgement was revised earlier this year to ensure ongoing relevancy, to further enhance Council’s commitment to reconciliation and to respond to the national apology to the Stolen Generation delivered in 2008 by then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood said this was another step toward healing the effects of past actions.

“Signing this document is about acknowledging the hurt and harm that was caused by the forced removal of children from their families,” Stephen said.

As part of its commitment to the process of reconciliation, Council has an ongoing relationship of consultation in partnership with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

This includes projects such as community education through the Kaurna cultural walking tours, Kaurna dual naming of Park Lands and City Squares and maintaining the Reconciliation Committee to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and aspirations are represented.

It also involves supporting initiatives through grant funding that improve community services to Aboriginal people in the city such as the Mobile Assistance Patrol.

The signing ceremony was part of the National Sorry Day event on Thursday 24th May in Victoria Square / Tarndanyangga.

The City of Fremantle has become the first council in Western Australia to amend its planning regulations to allow non–family members to occupy and rent secondary dwellings or ‘granny flats’.

The Western Australian Government has announced a $8.9 million funding package for regional airports across the state.

A group of disability advocates, local government representatives and experts have met in Canberra to develop guidelines for building all-abilities playgrounds.

The Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Mark Dreyfus, has released a statement on how the carbon price will apply to pollution from local landfill sites and the potential impact this might have on rates for local communities.

The Victorian Minister for Local Government Jeanette Powell has urged the community to further contribute to the Tomorrow’s Library review of the state’s public libraries.

The Queensland Government and Sunshine Coast City Council have committed to a new working relationship after Attorney General Jarrod Bleijie and Mayor Mark Jamieson announced plans for a new era of cooperation.

New South Wales’ Independent Local Government Review Panel has held its inaugural meeting, holding a meeting with the NSW Minister for Local Government Don Page.

The Western Australian Government has called on the people of Perth to submit comments on draft proposals for the suite of changes being made to the state’s local government structure.

 Eighteen local government councils have been awarded funding under the Federal Government’s $20 million Liveable Cities program, which aims to help make Australia's 18 major cities more productive, sustainable and liveable.

The South Australian Government and the SA Local Government Association have signed a State/Local Government Relations Agreement.

The Federal Government has announced that seven Regional Development Australia (RDA) committees have received funding to assist in the development of strategies for the rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN) in their communities.

The Victorian Government has announced it will introduce legislation to extend the Administration of the Brimbank City Council through until March 2015.

Bayside City Council has adopted a long term Climate Change Strategy following a period of public consultation.

The City of Greater Bendigo Council has given the green light for the development of a long-term plan for Bendigo’s transport network.

Mayor Cr Alec Sandner said the City would contribute $150,000 towards the Integrated Transport and Land Use Strategy with the State Government to provide additional support.

Cr Sandner said sustained population growth in recent years meant Greater Bendigo now enjoyed the benefits of a diverse economy, improved services and better job and education opportunities. However, the pressure applied by increased freight and people movements had the potential to impact on the city’s liveability.

“Council is responding by taking a holistic approach to transport and land use rather than seeing improved road infrastructure for private cars and trucks as the only solution,” Cr Sandner said.

“A partnership approach involving the community, City and the State Government will be vital in ensuring this project’s success. Ultimately, the degree to which we can avoid having congestion and widening more roads will be governed by the degree of change our community is prepared to adopt.”

As a precursor to the Strategy, Council staff developed an Integrated Transport Research Paper which examined how other jurisdictions had responded to
their transport pressures and the role of communities and local government in enacting change.

Types of initiatives being used elsewhere include establishing community bus systems, building bicycle lanes and, in some cases, ‘cycle freeways’, promoting development along key transport corridors and around activity centres, creating pedestrian friendly streets and giving priority to inner city development.

For information about the Integrated Transport and Land Use Strategy contact the City’s Strategy Unit at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The City of Adelaide has called for comment on the Council’s draft Strategic Plan 2012-16, draft Integrated Movement Strategy (IMS) 2012-22 and draft 2012-13 Business Plan and Budget, which includes plans for Victoria Square.

Adelaide Council engaged the community in planning for the city twice last year through the Picture Adelaide project, receiving over 3,000 comments on what people love about the city, what they want to see created and improved which have been used to draft the plans.

The draft Strategic Plan sets out Council’s vision for the City under six outcomes for Adelaide around places, transport, liveability, creativity, sustainability and business.

The draft Integrated Movement Strategy proposes a new approach to transport by promoting transport choices. The draft 2012-13 Business Plan and Budget outlines Council’s funding for all projects and services over the next twelve months to initiate delivery of the Strategic Plan.

Development of the strategies has taken into account plans such as the 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide and also looked at research on trends affecting the city.

Council is proposing an allocation of $11.5m in 2012-13, and a further $8.5m in 2013-14, with construction starting as early as 2013.

The Masterplan includes a number of community-focused elements such as a gentle-sloping lawn area to accommodate major events and recreational activities, with seating terraces, shaded walkways, landscaping and a water play feature.

All of the draft plans are currently available for comment until 21st May, except the Integrated Movement Strategy which is available until the 8th June.

More information is at www.pictureadelaide.com.au.

Gladstone Regional Council has appointed former Queensland Treasurer, Dr David Hamill, as the inaugural Chairperson of Gladstone Airport Corporation.

A Parramatta Economic Development Forum held at the Sydney Opera House and attended by some of the country’s most influential leaders in business, planning, education, politics, tourism and sport, has highlighted the key role of Parramatta in providing a solution to Sydney’s growth problems.