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Managing our diversity
At the recent Annual Conference of the Institute of Municipal Management - NSW Division, keynote speaker Justice Marcus Einfeld, Chief Justice of the Federal Court, raised questions about Australia's credentials on human rights. He said that in Australia not everyone gets a fair go, too many Australians are still racist. Australia is a nation for all, unless you are an immigrant or indigenous Australian. Diversity in culture takes nothing away but adds to what we share.

Editorial
As Peter Costello works to convince Australians this is the Budget 'we had to have', Councils across the nation are reeling from the impact various cuts will have on their communities. The Federal Budget reflects a preoccupation with narrow fiscal and monetary policies. It fails to understand that we live in a society not an economy, that people do not exist for economies; economies exist to further the quality of life for people.

Brave new world of communications
Australia's Information Technology and Telecommunications Industry is growing at an incredible speed, the Federal Government expects it to be Australia's largest industry by the turn of the century. The World Wide Web is doubling in size every 60 days. There are 60,000 networks, four million hosts or servers and forty million users.

Local Government and democratisation
Councillor Peter Woods OAM, Mayor of Concord in New South Wales and President of the Local Government Association in that State, has been acknowledged by the Government of South Africa for his work on the new South African Constitution as it relates to Local Government. Many of his recommendations on Local Government constitutional recognition and democratic structural reforms have been accepted and incorporated in the foundation Constitution of South Africa.

Overhaul of TAS Act and release of Hand Report
Tasmanian Minister for Local Government, Denise Swan, has set in train a review of the Local Government Act 1993 which she believes will take Tasmanian Councils into the next century. It will culminate with a new Bill being introduced into Parliament by the end of the year.

Walk in my shoes
Staff at the City of Glenorchy in Tasmania have developed new insights into the world of people who are disabled. Through a pilot training program, staff experience being disabled for a day.

Staff attitude survey a first
In June, staff at Brimbank City Council took part in an attitude survey, believed to be the first time this model of surveying has been used in Local Government in Australia. Staff were asked to rate the level of importance of issues against the organisation's performance enabling Council to easily identify perceived gaps.

Engineers to study overseas
Providing practising Local Government Engineers with ongoing training and development opportunities is one of the key aims of the Municipal Engineering Foundation. Once again it has provided four Victorian engineers with study tour awards enabling them to attend the 1996 American Public Works Congress in Washington DC and visit a number of US municipalities.

Putting the misconceptions to rest
Over the years, Greater Lithgow has firmly stamped itself as an industrial leader not only within New South Wales but across Australia. Hand in hand with its industrial history and the result of less stringent controls in the past, Lithgow unfortunately attained a reputation as a dirty, grimy industrial town. In recent years, Council and the community have been working to change this image.

Working to peak performance
Council recognises that its people are its key asset. With this in mind, over the past 12 months an extensive exercise has been taking place to ensure, across the organisation, everyone has the opportunity to reach their peak performance and achieve greatest job satisfaction.

Reducing the road toll
Greater Lithgow is one of 12 Councils in NSW selected to develop a Road Safety Plan. Heavy vehicles from the local mining industry and climatic conditions, including ice and snow contribute to poor visibility, increasing the risk for road users. With local schools fronting major roads and an increasing number of older pedestrians, Council is very concerned about road safety issues.

Facelift for local lakes
Providing the district with a variety of recreational and other uses, previously Lake Pillans had suffered from neglect and misuse. For much of this century it was used as a waste dump resulting in heavy metal contamination. It had become a real eyesore. However, it is now transformed into a safe habitat for wildlife and a focal point for environmental and community education.

Tourism Online
Greater Lithgow has a wide range of natural and built attractions. Its very active Tourism Association has been working hard to make the most of these attributes. During 1995/96, the Association established a web site on the Internet. Located at http://lisp.com.au/~lithtour/ it believes it is one of the first regional tourist bodies in Australia to go Online.

Where there's smoke
Working with Lithgow Rotary clubs, Council has embarked on one of the most comprehensive fire prevention schemes in the country. It involves sponsoring the installation of smoke alarms for every house in the area.