Australia's National Local Government Newspaper Online

Local input shaping our nation's future
Last month, national attention turned to Old Parliament House Canberra, where history was being made as 152 elected and appointed delegates debated whether Australia should become a republic and the preferred shape it should take. Elsewhere around the nation, some 3,200 people from a broad range of backgrounds and across the age spectrum have also been meeting to discuss our nation's future.

Editorial
With national attention focused on the recent Constitutional Convention, people are certainly taking an increased interest in our system of government and how it might best serve us as we move into our second century of Federation. To assist this process, the Local Constitutional Convention Program is providing an excellent means for people across the nation to come together to discuss our future. At the same time, these local conventions are cementing in people's minds the important role Local Government plays in our system of government.

President's comment
Each edition we feature the views of a State Local Government Association President. The following is from Councillor Brad Matheson, President Municipal Association of Victoria.

Working with Native Title
Many Councils throughout Australia are involved in responding to native title claims. As landholders of substantial areas of public land that may or may not be affected by native title, Local Government is a major stakeholder in native title processes.

Small business fund pumps vitality into Melbourne
Melbourne City Council's Small Business Development Fund (SBDF) has helped breathe new life and vitality into its Central Business District. The Fund recently completed its first year of operation. In that time, some 1,700 inquiries were received, resulting in 140 applicants with 35 selected for funding.

Successful tree planting made easy*
The recent launch of Edgemasta™, a tree protection guard by Melbourne manufacturer LINPAC Mouldings, has revolutionised the approach to tree and shrub planting in Australia. It is also considered to be one of the most environmentally sound products ever marketed in this country.

Reserve upgrade makes a healthier Kogarah
One of the more popular activities of Local Government is the provision of community facilities which allow people ready access to a variety of leisure opportunities. Apart from providing fun, recreation facilities are also an investment in a healthier community. At Kogarah in NSW, the Stuart Street Reserve upgrade has been acknowledged for its contribution to healthy recreation, taking out the Healthy Hearts Award in the NSW Heart Foundation's Local Government Awards.

Federal assistance to attack river pest
A cooperative effort by Local Government is set to tackle one of Australia's major pests. Rabbits, foxes and blackberries have been the subject of extensive campaigns to reduce their destructive impact on the environment but the devastating effects of European carp in our waterways receive less publicity.

Small Council gets big value from the Net
West Tamar Council has gained significant value from the introduction of new technology. Through the Internet, this small, north west region of Tasmania is linked to the world with an immediacy which brings New York as close as Hobart.

Productivity increases at Hobsons Bay*
Victoria's Hobsons Bay City Council is enjoying considerable productivity increases with help from an integrated Financial Management Information System.

What it costs
With increased competitive tendering and National Competition Policy, it has become essential for Councils to be able to accurately cost the delivery of individual services. At Campaspe Shire in Victoria, CivilCam, the Shire's Public Works Business Unit, in partnership with Casala Computing, has developed a computerised activity based costing system known as FastCost.

Sharing Internet service
Introduction of new technology can be a costly and time consuming activity, especially for smaller Councils. In the NSW Hunter region, small and large Councils alike, have benefited from pooling their resources in a cooperative regional technology program.

International IT solutions
Having visited Australia during a Trade Mission for the UK Industrial Development Board last year, Colin Reid, Managing Director of TASK Software Limited, has recently returned to follow up opportunities within the Australian Local Government market.

Sutherland residents benefit from Council Intranet
Sutherland Shire Council is cutting days off its response time to residents' enquiries following the implementation of a new system based on Internet technologies. One of Australia's largest local authorities, Sutherland Shire has adopted this new Customer Request Management System (CRMS) as part of a wider plan to transform its business processes.

e.Community - servicing the community via the šNet
IBM has launched a community friendly way for Local Governments to go online. e.Community is a Web based solution that enables Local Governments to take advantage of the wealth of data on their computer systems by providing services through a visual interface for residents.

Award winning customer request system
An integrated customer information system developed at Victoria's Glen Eira City Council has proved highly successful. The system comprises three parts, a Web site with over 2,500 pages updated on a daily basis, a customer request tracking system which is processing approximately 40,000 requests annually and a customer information system linked to the Internet.

Australia's road safety black spot initiative
Australia has developed a reputation as a country on the leading edge of initiatives for road safety. Nevertheless, crashes cost the Australian community about $6 billion per annum, are occurring at a rate of over one thousand per day and road use still poses a significant risk to Australian youth. To maintain downward pressure on the road toll as a national priority, the Federal Government has introduced a Road Safety Black Spot Program as a strategic approach to addressing crash locations wherever they might occur.

Introduction from the Minister
The Year 2000 problem or 'millennium bug' is receiving increasing attention, not only here in Australia, but across the globe. The Commonwealth, in partnership with all levels of government, is working to discuss, exchange and share strategies which address the Year 2000 problem.

Kidsafe partnership with Local Government
The cost of injuries to children in Australia is estimated at $1 billion annually with 5000 children seeking medical attention each day. Kidsafe, the Australian Child Accident Prevention Foundation has opened a unique web site which will provide Local Government throughout Australia with the opportunity to access a wide range of prepackaged child accident prevention campaigns.

The Remote Area Management Project
Funded under the Local Government Development Program, the Remote Area Management Project (RAMP) is a project which aims to develop the community management skills of elected members of remote Aboriginal communities. RAMP staff are working toward this by providing training for members from 25 remote communities over a three year period.

Regulatory reform
The Government is actively pursuing a number of initiatives aimed at assisting business growth. Integral to this are measures to significantly reduce the burden of red tape. Local Government and the Commonwealth has a critical role to play in national economic reform, particularly in the reforms necessary to improve Australia's overall competitiveness and economic performance.

Networking the Nation - bridging the telecommunications gap
Local councils wanting to improve access to telecommunications infrastructure and services in their regions are encouraged to apply for assistance through Networking the Nation &endash; the Commonwealth's $250 million Regional Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund. Information technology and telecommunications developments have the potential to deliver enormous benefits to regional, rural and remote Australia.

Building Bundjalung cultural bridges - Lismore City Council
In 1996, the Commonwealth, under the Local Government Development Program, provided funding to Lismore City Council, New South Wales, for the Building Bundjalung Cultural Bridges Project. The funding enabled the Council to provide cross cultural awareness training for Council staff and to employ two Aboriginal community development workers for 12 months.

Towards year 2000 compliance - get involved!
Governments, industry and private consultants across the globe have for a number of years been investigating the possible affect the Year 2000 date change problem will have on utility services, traffic control systems, fire alarm and warning systems, lift and air-conditioning control systems, personal computers, mainframes, health monitoring systems, and so forth. While the Year 2000 date change investigation is identifying various areas of concern for governments, corporate businesses, smaller enterprises and the general community, there is a single common thread that affects everyone. That is, time is running out!.

Active Australia
Local Government has a crucial role to play in ensuring there are greater opportunities for communities to become more physically active. As such, Local Governments throughout Australia have been identified as key partners in an exciting new venture, Active Australia.

Improving performance indicators
Residents, local businesses and rate payers, as well as council managers deserve reliable information to enable judgements on their council's performance and to guide future policy decisions. Performance indicators measure a council's performance against a common set of agreed objectives. However, council services often have multiple objectives.