Australia's National Local Government Newspaper Online

SA model for reform a winner
For almost two years, extensive restructuring through voluntary amalgamations has seen South Australia's 118 Councils reduced to 69. This has involved the incorporation of 83 former Councils. Slightly above the State Government's target of a 50 percent reduction in Council numbers, the key element of this reform process is that all mergers have been voluntary.  

VIC's super black hole
A superannuation shortfall of $393 million has led the Victorian Government to announce that it will lift its Local Government rate cap by 3 percent. The $393 million super black hole became public in March when a leaked Local Authorities Superannuation Board document was tabled in State Parliament.

Editorial
State legislative 'muscle' has never been, and never will be, a satisfactory substitute for the spheres of government working in a real and open partnership for the betterment of their joint constituents. The model used by South Australia has provided a blueprint for Local Government and State Government working in partnership to achieve change.

Improving flood risk management
In the Queensland Shire of Murweh, a study is currently being conducted by the Department of Emergency Services, Consultants Geo-Eng Australia and other State and Commonwealth bodies aim to provide a blueprint for improved flood risk management applicable to Councils across the country.

Clearer water in Pine Rivers
A pioneering stormwater strategy has been produced by the engineering team at Pine Rivers Shire Council in Queensland. Conscious of the impact stormwater management at the local level can have on the wider environment, the strategy is designed to fulfil all requirements under State Environmental Protection legislation.

History and genealogy reflect local character
With a growing number of people expressing an interest in finding out about their family and local history, South Australia's City of Playford is providing amateur historians and genealogists with a host of resources to assist their endeavours.

Cartoons prove a drawcard for library services
A demonstrated interest in the art of cartooning among local young people prompted the Rockhampton Municipal Library Service to establish a cartooning group called Cartoonists INK. Attracting up to 25 participants, predominantly boys in the 13 to 15 age group, the workshops vary from accessing cartoon groups on the Internet to developing storyboards and animation techniques.

Desert harmony
Come September, the town of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory will once again celebrate the beginning of the inland Spring with its Desert Harmony Festival. Now in its sixth year, the Festival involves the whole community in organising, performing, exhibiting and enjoying the multitude of talents and diverse experience that a desert environment has to offer.

Working together wins acclaim
A group of organisations in Noarlunga in South Australia, aiming to provide better run, more accessible, quality sports and recreation facilities in the City, has won 'Best Community Recreation Program' in South Australia's Homestart Recreation and Sport Industry awards.

Accessible workplaces
Work opportunities for people with disabilities will be greatly enhanced following the recent launch of 'Accessible Workplaces'. Produced by the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) this booklet is designed to encourage Councils around the country to recognise and capitalise on the contribution people with a disability can make to their organisation.

Sport, weddings and rams in new multipurpose centre
Residents in the Shire of Kattaning in Western Australia are now availing themselves of the largest single stage recreation complex to be built in Western Australia and possibly the southern hemisphere. While Kattaning itself has just 5,500 people, it is a regional centre for many other towns serving a much broader population.

Council support for new school
The provision of educational facilities is not usually the responsibility of Local Government. However, in Playford in South Australia, the community need was so pronounced that Council went to bat to acquire support and funding for this vital community resource.

Playing in comfort at Mount Isa
Sport is popular everywhere in Australia particularly in regional cities and towns where opportunities for alternative recreation may be limited. Queensland's Mount Isa is no exception. Residents of all ages usually participate in more than one form of sporting activity. However, with particularly hot weather, some sports activities can damage health rather than promote it.

Stimulating urban debate
The Urban Futures journal has been published since 1991, mostly on a quarterly basis. Its objective has been to stimulate debate on urban questions and foster the development of urban policy in Australia. Now that the National Office of Local Government (NOLG) has assumed responsibility for the journal, it is intended to broaden the focus to include other issues of concern to Local Government.

A message from the Minister
It is with great pleasure that I welcome readers to the first issue of A National Perspective. Produced by the National Office of Local Government (NOLG), this quarterly newsletter will highlight some of the key areas in which local government is working towards the achievement of national priorities.

Around the nation with AMCORD
The Australian Model Code for Residential Development (AMCORD) is a national resource document for integrated residential development containing up-to-date information on the latest urban research material. It is a manual of best practice covering both infill and greenfield development. AMCORD emphasises the importance of adopting an integrated performance based approach to urban development and provides a practical alternative to outdated prescriptive methods. The Commonwealth is funding States and Territories to employ full time AMCORD Promotion Officers to facilitate the implementation of AMCORD in their respective States/Territories. The following is an up-to-date look at where States and Territories are in the process of implementing AMCORD into their regulatory planning and environmental frameworks for widespread use in Local Government and in the residential industry. For further information contact Phil Harvey at the National Office of Local Government on (02) 6274 1900.

Innovation Awards on the Net
Information on the Tenth National Awards for Innovation in Local Government (NAILG) is now available online through the National Office of Local Government (NOLG) website. The Awards provided an excellent opportunity for local councils to demonstrate their resourcefulness and creativity.

Local Government and the Internet
Research indicates that councils, particularly in rural and regional Australia, are acutely aware of the need to gain access to online services for their own needs, as well as assisting broader access within their local communities. A strategy has been developed through the Australian Local Government Information Network (ALGIN) implement a national network to promote and coordinate the efficient exchange of information electronically between local government associations, individual councils, regional groupings of councils, other spheres of government, business and the community.

Council survey on continuous improvement
The National Office of Local Government (NOLG) is proposing to conduct a survey of councils to get some feedback on the impact of its support for benchmarking and other continuous improvement activities in local government.

Local Government National Report
The Local Government National Report was published for the first time in December 1996 and was prepared in accordance with Section 16 of the Local Government (Financial Assistance) Act 1995. The Report relates to the 1995-96 financial year - a year in which the Commonwealth provided $1.164 billion in untied financial assistance grants to local government.

Environment action
SITEWISE is a best practice model for implementation and monitoring of erosion and sediment control funded under the Local Government Development Program (LGDP). The model has been produced by the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC) and the NSW Department of Land and Water Conservation in cooperation with twelve councils.