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Local communities 2010
In opening the Municipal Association of Victoria's 117th Annual Session, President Cr Noel Bates said that anyone who believes that the Victorian Local Government reform process is nearing completion has less than a firm grip on reality. Currently representing 74 of Victoria's 78 Councils, he said that the MAV is very mindful of the difficulties being experienced by some Councils during this transition period.

Finding local leaders
In recognising that the local community often possesses a wealth of untapped talent, Nillumbik Shire Council in Victoria has launched a program designed to identify and bring together current and future leaders from across the local community. The program is based on a range of practical exercises and workshops on various aspects of leadership within the context of global changes.

Editorial
According to Dr Peter Ellyard, futures strategist and former Executive Director of the Australian Commission for the Future, solving current problems is simply not good enough. Dr Ellyard believes that 70 percent of job categories and products that will exist by the year 2020 are yet to be created. He said that the old ways are in trouble so new opportunities must be actively sought. Councils are ideally situated to lead their local areas in optimising all opportunities in a rapidly changing world. However, if they fail to look at the big picture, from a global perspective, they will sell themselves and their communities short.

Linking regions across Australia and the world
RegionLink is an Internet based information exchange service. Developed for Voluntary Regional Organisations of Councils, it facilitates the exchange of information and discussion on topics of regional significance. Connections to RegionLink have been progressing steadily since the launch of the Internet site in December 1995.

Melbourne - A City for the arts
With the recent launch of the City for the Arts action plan by Lord Mayor Ivan Deveson, Melbourne City Council has reaffirmed and expanded its commitment to the thriving cultural and artistic community for which Melbourne is famous. Under the Plan, Council has earmarked $21 million, over the next three years, to encourage and develop the City's many cultural strengths.

Benchmarking best practice in the arts
For most Councils, while the arts are recognised as part of Local Government's responsibilities, they are rarely treated as central to day to day activities. Led by a visionary Council, Kate Brennan, Manager of Cultural Development and Marketing at the City of Melbourne and her team, take a different and more forward looking view.

Resource sharing moves up a notch
Kentish and Latrobe Councils in north west Tasmania are taking resource sharing very seriously. The two Councils have already fully integrated their Engineering and Works programs. The Planning and Development Branch is also integrated with building, health and planning handled on a joint basis. The ultimate goal is to retain the individual identity of both Councils but, at the same time, provide the community with quality services in the most cost effective manner

Community approach to building the future
Like many regional areas, Corangamite Shire in South West Victoria is concerned about its future. Working with the South West District Development Board, Council recently organised a two day forum titled, 'Building our Future'. The aim of this forum was to work with the local community to create a vision for the future.

Illawarra on the Internet
The Illawarra Region of Councils, in conjunction with the Illawarra Office of Department of State and Regional Development, has established a regional presence on the Internet. Located at http://www.peg.apc.org/~iroc/, it has over 90 World Wide Web pages promoting the Illawarra and providing a profile of the region.

When beer means boom
If towns do not have a natural tourist attraction, the solution is to make one. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Rural City of Wangaratta. Boorhaman, a tiny one pub township, 15 minutes north of Wangaratta, has caused a storm with its home brewed beer and the results are flowing in.

Developing local communities
In opening the Conference, Frank Hornby, National President Local Government Community Services Association Australia, said that the theme 'Developing Local Communities' accurately reflects the spirit of Local Government initiatives in community and cultural development. However, he warned that gains over the past three decades risk being negated with current public policy directions in Australia, especially the singular pursuit of increased competition and market force dominance.

Reconstructing society
Keynote speaker at the Conference was Baptist Minister, Reverend Tim Costello. The last Mayor of the former City of St Kilda and community lawyer, Tim Costello is a well known, and often quoted, community advocate. He contends that the main task of government should be the nourishing of social capital and building of communities. However, the corrosive power of competition undermines social capital.

Reclaiming local governance from the 'eco rats'
According to Jenny Wills, Director Social and Cultural Policy at the Municipal Association of Victoria, despite Local Government having a seat on the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), it is in grave danger of becoming locked out of our Federal system. Current COAG negotiations are restricted to the future of Commonwealth/State roles and relations in regard to Human Services. Local Government must become mobilised to defend communal values and promote civic participation in the planning and delivery of services.

Competition pros and cons
A panel of speakers representing Local Government, the private sector and academia spoke on the issue of competition as it relates to Community Services provision. While productivity gains in Australian industry have been as high as 50 percent in some instances there is little evidence that the fruits of this have been adequately shared. Measures of GDP to date have been largely inadequate in assessing the actual quality of life people enjoy.

Community outcomes the key
Rhonda Bignall, General Manager at Maitland City Council in NSW, gave an overview of her Council's approach to instituting reforms for increased competition. Unencumbered by the regulatory framework which has characterised the Victorian reforms, Maitland was able to conduct change in a way which was least destructive of staff morale, existing goodwill and community support.

Global perspectives
Bill Armstrong, Executive Director of the Overseas Service Bureau, spoke on the topic 'Community Development - Global Issues'. He warned that the economic rationalist view of not seeing people in Asia but simply markets is fraught with danger. It is vital that the Australian community is fully aware of what it means to live in the Asia Pacific region and understand our neighbours.