Australia's National Local Government Newspaper Online

Engineers take up the challenges
President of the American Public Works Association and keynote speaker at the recent first International Congress of Local Government Engineers and Public Works, Robert Miller, told delegates that public works professionals must be willing to embrace change or 'risk becoming the technological dinosaurs of the 21st Century'.

Editorial
In a recent address to Victorian Local Government managers, former Prime Minister Bob Hawke spoke about the need for Australia to be a competitive economy but, at the same time, a fair society. He said that, with the Asia Pacific region increasing its share of world GDP from 5% in 1960 to 25% by the 1990s, this was a race with no slow horses, every nation was going flat out and, if Australia was to prosper, there could be no room for complacency.

President's comment
In each edition we feature the views of a Local Government Association President. The following is from Mayor Tony Bisdee, President of the LGA of Tasmania.

Cutting edge Congress CD
Instead of the traditional large booklet, delegates attending the International Local Government Engineering and Public Works Congress received a CD Rom covering the conference proceedings and papers.

Court decision undermines outsourcing
A recent Federal Court decision ruled that the outsourcing of health services by the Victorian Government does not allow the new employer to provide inferior conditions of employment. According to the Australian Services Union (ASU), this was a landmark decision stopping employers from evading their legal employment obligations by outsourcing.

City strategy in India
Common difficulties in managing cities were powerfully demonstrated at recent workshops in India.

'Was I going that fast?'*
Fed up with motorists speeding through your school zones, residential areas and work sites? A new, world's best practice technology is now available to help you combat speeding on your roads.

Celebrating reconciliation
An Aboriginal Reconciliation Festival held recently by Shoalhaven City Council proved a great success.

Students take road safety message home
Parramatta City Council has launched a school road safety program with a difference. Rather than targeting parents with the message, rangers take their program to students in the hope they will influence their adult 'chauffeurs' to adopt safer practices.

Community services boost economic development
Reversing the traditional view that community services are not necessarily core Council business has brought many benefits to Victoria's Strathbogie Shire. Strathbogie has suffered from the same trends which have seen many rural areas lose their services, young people and businesses to bigger population centres. In four years this has all changed with Council now providing home care throughout the Shire, a 24 hour post acute care service, youth programs and facilities where services such as Centrelink can operate locally. The surprising thing is that providing these services has had the effect of boosting local business.

New Focus to Tackle Illicit Drug Problem
Brisbane City Council has taken up the challenge to tackle drug issues head on with the launch of the Lord Mayor's Illicit Drug Taskforce Report. The report contains Brisbane's first Drug Action Plan identifying specific strategies and initiatives to reduce illicit drug related harms in the community.

Your City Your Say
Brisbane City Council is ideally placed at grass roots level to identify illicit drug problems, and work with the community in responding to them. In developing the Brisbane Drug Action Plan, the Lord Mayor's Illicit Drug Taskforce undertook vital consultation with the Brisbane community.

Banyule takes on recycling challenge
While most people accept that recycling makes economic and environmental sense, the concept has been under a cloud in recent times due to falling prices for raw materials and increasing costs of collection. However, Banyule City Council in metropolitan Melbourne has refused to be beaten on this issue.

Vision and leadership in waste management
Banyule Mayor Michael Peacock and former State Natural Resources and Environment Minister Marie Tehan opened Stage One of the Banyule MRF and Education facility on 25 August.

Integrated facility gives rise to the fourth 'R'
Architects of the plan which culminated in the Banyule Materials Recycling Centre and Rethink Waste Wise Education Centre were Ramesh Choudari, Director City Works and Robert Millard, Manager Operations.

Rethink Waste
An exciting development accompanying the Banyule MRF is the on site, state of the art 'Rethink Waste Wise Education Centre'. Effective and viable recycling is dependent on the cooperation of residents and industry. At the Rethink Waste Wise Education Centre, the waste management message is brought home in a graphic way. A combination of interactive educational resources emphasise that we are all responsible for the resources we use.

E commerce high on Council agendas
According to a recent survey of all Australian Councils, the development of electronic commerce and online services will be a priority for over 80 percent of respondents in the next 12 months.

EXPOse Yourself to the Best in Energy Efficiency* 1999 Energy Smart Expo - 8th November 1999
The 1999 Sustainable Energy Industry Association (SEIA) Energy Smart EXPO is a national event that illustrates just why there is an ever growing demand for sustainable energy solutions in all sectors. To be held at Australian Technology Park in Sydney on Monday, 8 November, the EXPO offers government representatives a unique opportunity to see presentations and exhibitions of the latest in cutting edge environmental technology and energy smart practices.

Government goes for portable radio*
The new state of the art Tait Orca range of handportable radios are playing an important part in changing the way Government organisations and emergency services around the world are using radio communications.

Consultative planning brings awards
Melbourne's City of Port Phillip won no less than three awards and one commendation at the Victorian Division of the Royal Australian Planning Institute/Local Planning Association Awards held in August. Mayor Dick Gross said the awards confirm the City's outstanding leadership and path breaking work in urban planning and design.

New software upgrade protects information*
Victoria's Stonnington City Council has undertaken a major upgrade of its internal management systems with the installation of new software.

Clever camera cleans up Brimbank
Melbourne's Brimbank City Council is using a high tech infra red camera to quickly and safely check drainage pits and storm water drains for blockages. The inhouse designed 'PitCam' was developed to reduce the risk of workplace injury from lifting heavy pit covers and to improve productivity.

Leichhardt's 'Less is Best' wins Public Relations award
Sydney's Leichhardt Council's community education campaign to reduce waste going to landfill, known as 'Less is Best', has won an award for the public relations company which developed the strategy. "It was the most ambitious community education campaign Council has ever undertaken," said Director of Works and Services, Peter Head.

Knox builds a quality vision into its development role
Ever the innovator, Knox City Council, has made a bold move to bring back inhouse one of its outsourced business functions, which it says will provide increased benefits to the Council, the community and staff.

New financial model a winner
A changed approach to budget preparation has streamlined the process of service planning and brought about a focus on strategic objectives at Newcastle City Council.

Role play helps handle difficult situations
As part of its 'Service First - Making it Happen Program' Victoria's Wyndham City Council has developed a set of role playing workshops to help staff deal with difficult customer situations.

Greater business analysis delivers better services*
The City of Whitehorse began using Computron Software's financial management system at the start of this year. Serving over 145,000 people, Whitehorse is one of Victoria's largest Councils. "Computron's system was selected because of the level of reporting it provided, and it best met the business objectives set out in the tender," said Jeff Carson, Manager Information Services.

Working together pays off
Partnership Agreements between State and Local Government herald a new era of unprecedented cooperation between the two tiers of government in Tasmania.

Strategic Partnerships
The Tasmanian Government has initiated Tasmania Together, a community driven social, environmental and economic plan, to guide the development of the State's future.

Some early results
The first Councils to form Partnership Agreements with the State Government were Circular Head Council and Launceston City Council.

Tasmania Together a community driven plan for the future
The development of Tasmania Together is being facilitated by the Community Leaders Group - a group of 23 Tasmanians representing a broad cross section of the Tasmanian community.

Developing the Agreements
At the outset protocol arrangements are agreed with each Council or group of Councils that are party to the negotiation of a single Agreement.

West North-West Councils look at a Regional Agreement
In August the Mayors and General Managers of nine West North-West Councils met with Premier Jim Bacon to discuss the region's future direction. The Councils' Joint Authority briefed the Premier on the Cradle Coast report which advocates a strong alliance between the municipalities to focus on economic development.

Circular Head accepts the challenge
As the first Council to sign a Partnership Agreement with the State Government, Mayor Ross Hine believes that being a small Council, with a population of 8,100 people, has helped Circular Head respond quickly to take full advantage of the benefits on offer.

Clean and green niche markets
Council has engaged economic development consultant, Bruce Fasham, to work with its agriculture and horticulture sectors in sourcing products for the world marketplace.

Other cooperative initiatives
Discussions are currently underway with the State Government in regard to the future management of reserves and public land in Circular Head. Of specific interest is management of the Nut, Stanley's famous landmark, as well as many of its notable historic buildings, including Lyons Cottage, the birthplace of Tasmania's first Prime Minister; the old Schoolhouse; Stanley cemetery; and Highfield House.

Windpower and plenty of it
As well as having the world's cleanest air, Circular Head has a lot of it. As the first recipients of the Roaring Forties, winds that have blown unimpeded from Cape Horn, there is a great potential to harness and sell wind generated power. The State Hydro Electric Commission has recently purchased land to build the largest windfarm in the southern hemisphere in Circular Head.

Launceston's model for urban cooperation
Launceston City Council is providing an urban model for Tasmania's Partnership Agreements. With the emphasis on strategic planning and creating a vision for a better future through community consultation, Launceston had already completed much of the groundwork prior to embarking on the Partnership Agreement path. 'Launceston 2010 The Search for Our Future', has since been adopted by the State Government in formulating its Statewide strategy 'Tasmania Together'.

City of learning and innovation
The vision developed through the Search Conference is 'Launceston, our City of learning and innovation open to the world'. It follows that a key future direction relates specifically to advancing opportunities and services for young people.

Walk on art
As part of Council's commitment to 'building and maintaining a livable City', local artist Robyn McKinnon and her team of four assistants have, over the past five months, painstakingly painted 1,900 pavers that will soon become the showpiece of the City's popular Brisbane Mall.