Australia's National Local Government Newspaper Online

International profile for LG in South Australia
The newly formed South Australian Local Government Consulting Group has won tenders for two international projects, working with the Governments of the Philippines and Sri Lanka. The tendering successes are a triumph for the Government Services Export Unit set up to bring export dollars into the State. Together the two projects are worth over half a million dollars.

Beaudesert Shire Council wins Planning Award
Queensland's Beaudesert Shire has won an Award from the Association of Consulting Surveyors for its handling of development applications. Chairman of the Association Brian Hillam said Beaudesert's high rating was due to the people within Council.

Editorial
With some 300 delegates attending the inaugural National Rural Roads Congress held recently in Moree, the message was loud and clear, action is required now. Put simply, the bulk of our rural roads, built post 1945 to serve expanding rural industries, are reaching the end of their economic life and desperately need reinvestment.

President's comment
Each edition we feature the views of a Local Government Association President. The following is from Councillor Jamie Edwards, President Western Australian Municipal Association.

Bill redraft to give Councils more say
The Western Australian Municipal Association has welcomed an announcement by the new Minister for the Arts, Mike Broad, that the proposed Culture, Library and the Arts Bill will be redrafted to include greater input from Local Government.

Community Services with the morning news
An initiative to publicise the activities and events organised by Rockhampton City Council's Community Services team has resulted in a handy pocket sized calendar. This is distributed each month with Rockhampton's daily newspaper the Morning Bulletin.

Schools in the Centre embrace Olympic spirit
They may be a long way from Sydney but students in central Australia are nonetheless enthusiastically celebrating the Olympic Games and its ideals of coming together in fair competition and striving to do one's best. Alice Springs Town Council's Olympic Torch Committee is encouraging this interest with the staging of the 'Keep the Spirit Alive Olympic Torch Festival'.

Urban community bank
Perth's City of Bayswater is set to head along the path already trodden by many rural Councils, establishing the first suburban community bank in Western Australia.

Moreton Bay to benefit from Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade
The health of Moreton Bay, and those who use it, will enjoy greater protection with a $16 million upgrade of the Redcliffe Wastewater Treatment Plant. The upgrade was commenced in February with Redcliffe Mayor Alan Boulton turning the first piece of soil for the Biological Nutrient Removal(BNR) plant.

Adelaide to take world stage with environment agenda
The City of Adelaide will play host to a range of international delegates, visitors and media when the main international event for World Environment Day is held there on 5 June. Adelaide has been selected to host the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), providing a once in a lifetime opportunity to showcase the City internationally as a place with a healthy and sustainable environment.

A National Training Package for LG
The National Local Government Training Package was endorsed by the National Training Framework Committee on 6 March 2000 and agreed by State, Territory and Commonwealth, Vocational, Education and Training Ministers on 21 March 2000.

The good oil - economic capacity in regional Australia
The Commonwealth Government is due to announce a major package to respond to deep seated disenchantment in regional Australia. The dollar figures will be significant, and the Opposition is sure to make accusations about pork barrelling.

Setting the pace in water management
Wide Bay Water, the business unit of Queensland's Hervey Bay City Council, is recognised both nationally and internationally for its expertise in water management. By providing innovative solutions to age old water problems, in 1998 it won the National Award for Innovation in Local Government. Placing a high priority on its investment in skills development, Wide Bay Water is set to further enhance its reputation.

Subdivison benefits from engineering initiatives
Highfields, located 15km north of Toowoomba, is Crow's Nest Shire's main population centre. Further growth is expected as a new medium residential development area is subdivided. The Highfields subdivision, constructed by Crow's Nest Shire Council's day labour work force, contains a number of other firsts for the Shire.

Fresh approach to asset management
In 1998 the newly formed City of Onkaparinga set out to develop a new approach to asset management. The aim was to deliver better and more cost efficient use of the City's assets bringing additional benefits to residents and other stakeholders.

Planning better cities
The Centre for Developing Cities, based at the University of Canberra, draws on Australia's significant achievements in urban management, and on international skills and experience to provide a program of education, research and consultancy. This program is aimed at ensuring that sustainable, quality urban development can be achieved even in circumstances of very rapid growth, increased reliance on private investment and a much reduced dire role for governments.

Managing the environment on a shoestring
Mention environmental management to Local Government managers, who are struggling to find the money to maintain their roads and provide other basic services, and they can age visibly. 'It may be important, but we just don't have the resources', is a common reaction. However, what many Councils are now realising is that there are various innovative ways to improve the environment on a small budget and these improvements can save money.

Bigger than the Olympics
In October 2001 Newcastle will become the first city outside a capital city to host the Australian Masters Games. This will be the eighth time this popular biennial event has been staged.

Turning challenges into opportunities
In 1997, when BHP announced it would be stopping all steel production at its Newcastle plant the natural initial reaction was 'gloom and doom'. However, according to Lord Mayor John Tate, the contrary has happened with a host of new opportunities presenting themselves, not the least being tourism and environmental advancements.

Emphasising the 'new' in Newcastle
According to General Manager, Janet Dore, Newcastle is definitely experiencing a renaissance. The emphasis is very much on the 'new' in Newcastle - new opportunities, new ideas, new confidence and, most of all, a new era of cooperation.

Top value organisation
The high level of professional excellence among Council staff is reflected in a number of innovative projects.

Cooperation the key to growth and prosperity
Speaking at the 'Newcastle Goes National Day' in Canberra last October, the Lord Mayor was one of several Hunter region ambassadors talking to Federal Government representatives about the challenges and opportunities facing this area. He pointed out that with over half a million people, in population terms, the Hunter is Australia's largest region.

A change of course for Steel River
A 100 hectare redevelopment of surplus industrial land, known as Steel River, is a prime example of the new direction Newcastle is taking in the wake of industrial restructuring.

McGreen and clean in Newcastle
The local environment is benefiting from a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between McDonald's Australia and Newcastle City Council, a first for Australia.

Reclaiming early history
Emerging from its historical identity as a centre of Australian heavy industry, Newcastle is aiming to preserve that history. It has also looked further back to its period as a convict settlement.

Harbourside development set to take off
Fifty hectares of surplus State Government land, adjacent to the city centre and running along Newcastle's picturesque Harbour, is ripe for development. Angus Dawson, General Manager of the State Government's Honeysuckle Development Corporation, believes that in the next five to ten years this project has the potential to generate 5,000 jobs and inject $900 million into the local economy.

Celluloid substitutes for steel
Attune to the changing structure of industry in Australia, Newcastle has seized on the growing demand for Australian film and television production.

Council's green techniques save money and the environment
In August 1999, Newcastle launched the first Australian Municipal Energy Improvement Facility(AMEIF), green energy learning centre run by Local Government. The centre is the culmination of Newcastle's Green Energy Project, which commenced in 1995.

Promoting the environment message to residents
While Council is ensuring green initiatives are a cornerstone of its own activities and a requirement for new developments, it is also seeking to bring the community on board.

Newcastle Foodsafe
With the City looking to enhance its tourism potential, having top quality eateries is a priority. Newcastle FoodSafeTM provides a hygiene training course to ensure food handlers are aware of ways to minimise the chances of food contamination.