Australia's National Local Government Newspaper Online

Council census 1991-1996
The Australian Census was conducted on 6 August. Designed to track demographic and socio economic changes over the past five years, it is an interesting exercise to also look at the changes that have occurred in Local Government over this same period. In 1991, Australia had a total of 885 local authorities. Currently, there are 732, a 17 percent reduction. The trend has been towards having fewer Councils, however this is not uniform across the nation.

Editorial
When faced with an opportunity to turn back the clock, a majority of voters in three Queensland Councils said 'no' to deamalgamation.

Brisbane Manager wins top award
The Brisbane City Council's Human Resource Division Manager, Lyn Russell, has been named Australian Business Woman of the Year. Lyn Russell was awarded the Australian Business Woman of the Year title for both her work in transforming the Council, and its 7,000 strong workforce, through workplace reform into a competitive and customer service oriented organisation.

New WA Board announced
Western Australian Minister for Local Government, Paul Omodei, recently announced the five members of the new Local Government Advisory Board. It will oversee constitutional changes within Local Government, including representation and boundary issues.

Walking for a healthier lifestyle
When the City of Hindmarsh Woodville in Adelaide decided to produce a walking brochure, it consulted those who know the area best - its residents. Council believed a competition would be the most effective method of encouraging residents to share their favourite walks so the 'Winning Walkers' competition was launched early this year. Four walks were then selected for the brochure, titled 'All in a Day's Walk'.

Senior services in Happy Valley
Known euphemistically as 'Nappy Valley', due to its high proportion of young families, Happy Valley in South Australia is also very aware of the increasing needs of its older residents. Providing information on services to aged residents and their carers is a key priority. An information booklet specifically for senior citizens has been the main focus of the campaign. It enables seniors to tap directly into the services available in the community.

Teamwork works in community development
With partnerships between Councils and communities rapidly gaining momentum in the field of community development, Brisbane City Council has taken this idea one step further with the creation of multidisciplinary regional Community Development Teams. The Teams are based in four suburban locations throughout Brisbane and represent staff from the Department's sections of Parks, Cultural Services, Recreation and Sport, Community Health and Community Services.

Small Councils big heart
With a population of just 1,800 Barcaldine Shire in central Queensland has one of Local Government's lowest rate bases. While still in the grip of drought, Council has demonstrated a fighting spirit in its determination to provide all the services needed to ensure a high quality of life for members of its small community. It has fought hard for State and Federal Government funding to implement and maintain a range of programs.

Local Councils win cultural grants
Deniliquin Council, the Town of Port Headland and Maribyrnong City Council are amongst 54 recipients of grants totalling $760,000 under the first round of the Australian Experience 1996 Program. An initiative of the Australia Foundation for Culture and the Humanities Ltd, the program aims to support a diverse range of cultural activity throughout Australia particularly in regional areas.