Australia's National Local Government Newspaper Online

ALGA's submission to the Senate Tax Inquiry
The Senate Select Committee Inquiry into a New Tax System has been taking submissions in capital cities around the nation. The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) and its member State LGAs have taken every opportunity to raise a number of concerns on behalf of the 705 Councils and local communities they represent.

Self sufficiency pays off in Lajamanu
Located more than 300 kilometres from the nearest source of employment, Lajamanu Community Government Council has looked at its own needs and resources to create a number of new job opportunities. Lajamanu is situated 600 kilometres south west of Katherine. It has a population of 1,100 people, however, almost 70% are aged under 25 years.

Editorial
Like death and taxes, a further thing we have come to accept as inevitable is change. Change needs to be carefully planned and managed. Everyone involved must feel that they are part of the process and have ownership of it. Change imposed from the top down is likely to strike problems.

President's comment
In each edition we feature the views of a Local Government Association President. The following is from Mayor Rosemary Craddock, President of the LGA in South Australia.  .

Involving young people in community activities
With a growing population of young people, Maroochy Shire in Queensland is keen to involve its youth in community activities and decision making.

Transport scheme links services
An absence of transport and the loss of many local offices for government services, has created multiple problems for people in the Barossa Valley District of South Australia. This led to the development of the Barossa Regional Community Transport Scheme.

Gosnells leads safety initiatives
In 1997 a survey conducted by Western Australia's City of Gosnells revealed a concern common across Australia. People are increasingly worried for their personal safety and see community safety as their number one priority.

Youth viewpoints for all spheres of government
Alice Springs Town Council Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) is giving young people a chance to have their say and influence the Town's direction.

Getting active in the International Year of Older Persons 1999
Looking for a tangible way of highlighting the International Year of Older Persons in your area? Linking in with the Active Australia International Year of Older Persons project may be an option.

Single access point for business
Local Government organisations are an integral part of an initiative to reduce the compliance burden on small business by introducing a single entry point to all levels of government. Through its involvement, Local Government is paving the way for greater uptake of its own online services, a more streamlined relationship with other Local Government bodies and, importantly, less paperwork.

Port Phillip's Y2K laboratory tests
Victoria's City of Port Phillip is not waiting until the Year 2000 to find out if it has taken adequate precautions to prevent Y2K computer malfunction. Council has set up a laboratory to test its Y2K precautionary measures. The laboratory is a mini network with three computers and three servers already switched to the Year 2000.

Business as usual in Brisbane
Unlike many private and public sector organisations, Brisbane City Council, the largest Local Government authority in Australia, has been working on Year 2000 compliance for over three years.

Warning to maintain vigilance on Y2K
At South Australia's City of Port Adelaide Enfield, the Y2K problem is seen as essentially a business issue not just an IT issue. While many Councils are heavily reliant on IT systems, these are relatively easy to manage. It is areas which use computer controlled processes such as traffic lights or swimming pool chlorination systems, which must be examined critically.

Ku-ring-gai provides services online with IBM E-business solution
Residents in Ku-ring-gai Council will soon be able to interact with discussion groups, make requests for information and, in time, even submit development applications and book tennis courts online through a new web site which will be introduced by the Council this month.

Information Technology benefits for remote areas
Bringing the advantages of computer technology to the community, and particularly local businesses, is the aim of Tambo Shire's Computer and Internet Awareness Raising program.

Exploring Perth with multi media kiosks
The City of Perth has established a number of multi media kiosks providing improved customer communication 24 hours a day. These provide residents and visitors with easy, all day access to Council information, events and guides to the City.

 Holistic approach to computer access
Providing the benefits of new technology to disadvantaged groups is an aim of South Australia's City of Salisbury. Through a program known as the Salisbury Community Internet Access Project (SCIAP), Council is working in partnership with seven local community based groups. They include six neighbourhood houses and the Jack Young Centre for Seniors.

Award winning software saves money
Faced with the requirements of the new Integrated Planning Act, Noosa Council set about developing a software application which would enable cost effective implementation of the changes. Its Integrated Planning Act Suite or 'One Stop IPA', provides a cost effective solution.

Time to take the next step
In a Ministerial Statement to the Legislative Assembly in February, Northern Territory Minister for Local Government, Loraine Braham, said that, in many ways, the health of the community is closely related to the health and strength of Local Government. Acknowledging that the Territory's special brand of Local Government, namely Community Government, has served Territorians well, she said it is now time for reform. .

Strengthening Local Government in the Territory
In welcoming delegates to the recent Local Government Reform Workshop at Pine Creek, President of the Local Government Association of Northern Territory (LGANT) Margaret Vigants said that she believed people would leave with a clearer understanding of why change is necessary. She said that Local Government in the Territory is currently only a shadow of what it can be in the future, that its full potential has not yet been realised.

Savings to be passed on to Local Government
The Northern Territory Government has pledged that any savings resulting from a reduction in Council numbers, 'will be money available to Councils - it will not be realised by the Government'.

Wide consensus on reform agenda
The Local Government Association of Northern Territory (LGANT) has prepared four Information Papers on the Reform Agenda. LGANT is committed to the reform agenda and will work cooperatively with the NT Government. However, it does not want to see boundary changes or amalgamations dominating the debate.

Great turnout to Joint Workshop at Pine Creek
With over 110 delegates attending the Local Government Reform Workshop, conducted jointly by LGANT and the Department of Local Government, organisers were very pleased with the response.

Regional discussion groups
David Coles, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Local Government, reaffirmed to delegates that the NT Government will not be using a 'one size fits all approach'. It is up to Councils to find a solution that best meets their own local needs.

Value of LGANT membership confirmed as Councils join in force
Despite losing their membership subsidies from the Northern Territory Government, Community Government Councils have strenuously maintained their membership of the Local Government Association of the Northern Territory (LGANT).

Training for remote Councils
The Remote Area Management Project (RAMP) continues to provide invaluable assistance to small isolated Aboriginal communities throughout the Northern Territory. The Program recognises that the usual opportunities for networking, conferencing and training programs that assist other Councils are not readily available in remote regions.  

Making the most of new technology
Serving communities scattered across vast distances, Council's in the Territory often undertake duties and responsibilities not necessarily seen as Local Government's role elsewhere. For this reason, the Regional Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund (RTIF) has provided funding to LGANT to conduct a pilot program supplying Internet and email facilities to four isolated communities.

A code of conduct for a more professional approach
The spectacle of rowdy scenes in Federal Parliament has often focused debate on the issue of how elected representatives should conduct themselves. Debate is the linchpin of decision making. In Local Government, as with other spheres of government, emotional outbursts are not uncommon.