In the media – National
Smart Cities and Suburbs Program
A total of 52 projects across Australia have received funding
totalling $28.5 million under Round One of the Federal
Government's Smart Cities
and Suburbs Program, successful projects are being co-funded by
partners including local governments, industry, research
organisations and the private sector. A second funding round is
expected to open for applications in the first half of 2018. More...
Australian, NZ local governments face barriers to
digitisation: report
Limited budgets and organisational culture is hindering digital
transformation by the public sector in both Australia and New
Zealand, with local governments facing the biggest barriers to
digitisation, according to a new report (23 November 2017).
More...
In the media – Queensland
Zipline to thrill Brisbane visitors with council
approval for Australia's longest sky-high ride
Construction will begin next year on Australia's longest
zipline that will allow riders to speed up to 65kph down
Brisbane's Mount Coot-tha (30 November 2017).
More...
Digital Productivity Report 2017: Digital role new core
for councils
More than ever Queensland councils are seeing the value in
investing in the digital economy, from improving community literacy
to partnering with local business and investing in
telecommunications (30 November 2017).
More...
Queensland mayor charged with misconduct
Queensland's Fraser Coast Regional Council mayor Chris Loft has
been charged following a misconduct investigation by the
state's corruption watchdog. They included two counts of
misconduct in public office, one of disclosing official secrets,
one of wilfully disclosing information and one of computer hacking
and misuse (30 November 2017).
More...
Have your say: Managing local government rates, fees and
charges
This audit will assess whether councils are setting rates and
charges that support long-term financial sustainability. The LGAQ
is preparing a submission and welcomes your contribution (28
November 2017).
More...
Businessman fronts court over alleged Ipswich bribery
scandal
Former lobbyist Wayne Myers is charged with corruption after
allegedly helping a former Ipswich City Council chief executive
corruptly obtain "a sum of money", a case which stems
from an expanding Crime and Corruption Commission investigation
into the council (28 November 2017).
More...
Promises on infrastructure
The LGAQ's big ticket item in its 10 Point Election Plan is a
commitment to a minimum $500 million a year in baseline funding for
local government (24 November 2017).
More...
In the media – Victoria
Making Councils More Accountable and Transparent
Minister for Local Government Marlene Kairouz today launched the latest data for the Know Your Council website, which provides information on a broad range of performance data – including planning permits, financial performance, roads, governance and waste collection – for Victoria's 79 Local Government Authorities (01 December 2017). More...
Central Goldfields Council trying to find where flood
money went
The Central Goldfields Shire interim administrator says he is doing
his best to understand where the money meant for Carisbrook flood
recovery has gone (28 November 2017).
More...
Central Goldfields Shire admits mismanagement of
multi-million-dollar flood recovery fund
The beleaguered Central Goldfields Shire in regional Victoria
confirms a flood recovery fund worth more than $30 million has been
mismanaged (28 November 2017).
More...
Bottled water rules should be tighter, say worried
residents
Residents in North East Victoria say they've had enough of
groundwater extraction in their region, and want the industry to be
better regulated (24 November 2017).
More...
'Lights out, go to bed': Victorian council wants
to ban outdoor socialising after 10pm at Airbnbs
Airbnb hosts are railing against a proposal from Victoria's
Mornington Peninsula Shire Council to ban tourists from hanging out
on outdoor decking, balconies and pools after 10:00pm (21 November
2017).
More...
Draft Victorian Rural Drainage Strategy
The draft Victorian Rural
Drainage Strategy consultation is open until 20 December. The
draft Victorian Rural Drainage Strategy proposes a series of
policies and actions designed to enable landholders to choose how
to manage their drainage and their drainage systems into the
future.
Emergency Management Victoria (EMV) is seeking feedback on the Victorian Fire Management Strategy Discussion Paper, to help identify what is important to achieve a sustainable future for fire management in Victoria. Feedback can be submitted online until 15 December.
E-waste landfill ban consultation papers
The Victorian Government is seeking feedback on its proposed
approach to managing e-waste in Victoria. The introduction of a ban
on e-waste from landfill was an election commitment of the
government. A Policy
Impact Assessment (PIA) and two draft waste
management policies have been released for public consultation,
with feedback due by 25 January 2018. A summary of
the PIA and of the proposed
policy package have also been published. Given the direct
impact of the proposed changes on local government, the MAV is
intending to make a submission.
In the media – New South Wales
Legislative amendments to NSW planning system pass
through Parliament
The Bill to change the Environmental Planning and Assessment
Act 1979 and deliver the biggest overhaul of the NSW planning
system since the legislation's inception almost 40 years ago
has passed through Parliament. For the first time, the Act will
recognise the role of councils in strategic planning for the local
area through their preparation of new local strategic planning
statements (28 November 2017).
More...
IPARTL Rate Peg for NSW Councils
The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal has set a 2.3% rate
peg for 2018/19. The rate peg is higher than that set for the
previous two years (1.8% in 2016/17 and 1.5% in 2017/18), which the
IPART explained is due to due to increases in labour costs,
electricity and street lighting charges, and higher construction
costs for roads, drains, footpaths, kerbs and bridges (28 November
2017).
More...
Joint Organisation legislation passes
parliament
The Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro, and
Minister for Local Government Gabrielle Upton today announced local
councils across regional NSW will now be able to form voluntary
Joint Organisations following the successful passage of new laws
through NSW Parliament (24 November 2017).
More...
This publication does not deal with every important topic or change in law and is not intended to be relied upon as a substitute for legal or other advice that may be relevant to the reader's specific circumstances. If you have found this publication of interest and would like to know more or wish to obtain legal advice relevant to your circumstances please contact one of the named individuals listed.