Australia's National Local Government Newspaper Online

NT Govt usurps local democracy
On 14 November, the Treasurer of the Northern Territory Government, Mike Reed, and Minister for Local Government, Tim Baldwin, informed Yulara Town Council it would be dissolved. This is not merely a case of another sphere of government dismissing an elected Council for a period of time. Yulara residents have been told that they no longer have any need for a third sphere of government or local democracy.

Editorial
Being a large nation with a small population, the tyranny of distance has always been a handicap, but rapid development of telecommunications and information technology is fast bridging the gaps. Australia is one of the front running nations in the development of information technology, and in particular the Internet. In setting up our FOCUS Web site in 1996, we believed this was an excellent way to assist Councils across Australia to share ideas and keep up to date with key issues. We were also keen to provide a link for Councils around the world to share their ideas and successes, as well as view what Australian Councils are doing. During November, we launched FOCUS Forum. This increases the interactive capacity of our site enabling people with an interest in Local Government to directly exchange ideas, pose questions or engage in debate on policies, issues or events Online.

National award for skate park
Maroochy Shire Council in Queensland recently won the National Healthy Hearts Award for the best Outdoor Recreation Facility in Australia.

First Aus President for IULA-ASPAC
Councillor Peter Woods has been elected President of the Asia-Pacific region of the International Union of Local Authorities (IULA-ASPAC), Local Government's peak worldwide body. Elected recently at the IULA Executive meeting in Tokyo, Peter is the first non-Asian elected to this position.

Victor Harbor - jewel of the south
Like many coastal areas, the District Council of Victor Harbor in South Australia manages a municipality with a 'split personality'. While for much of the year the district's 10,000 permanent citizens live a relatively quiet life, the advent of the tourist season in the warmer months of the year can see the population increase four fold.

Reconciling past racism
A move of reconciliation with non Indigenous victims of past racist actions has been supported by various Councils across Australia. Last year, Young Shire Council voted unanimously to establish the Lambing Flat Chinese Tribute Gardens 'in recognition of the contribution of the Chinese people to the settlement of Young in the 1860s and to the ongoing contributions of the Chinese community to Australia as a nation'.

Reader Survey - what you had to say
Our 1997 Reader Survey was included as an insert in the October edition. Respondents were asked how often they read FOCUS, how they rated the publication, what they liked about it and what they would like to see changed. This analysis covers respondents who receive the Gold edition, from South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland and Northern Territory.

Preparation and legislation the key to corporatisation
Before Councils rush to corporatise their workforce in preparation for National Competition Policy, they should be aware of the potential pitfalls. In the absence of specialist legislation to enable corporatisation, Leyon believes Councils can run into many legal, political and administrative complications. Many of these arise from the lack of autonomy Local Government works under. This compromises the ability of Council business units to effectively compete.

Improve your planning with CDATA96
Once every five years the Australian Bureau of Statistics conducts a Census of Population and Housing. The Census is a snapshot of the nation on Census night. This data forms a vital information source for organisations who make important planning decisions throughout Australia.

Gosnells' efficiency drive
The City of Gosnells in Western Australia is setting itself ambitious targets in terms of improving the efficiency of Council's operations. In June of this year, the organisation was restructured along commercial lines. This included a new management team brought in to improve efficiency and ensure the provision of best value services.

Councils share bonus from sound investment
Once again Councils in South Australia are set to benefit from their investment in the South Australian Local Government Finance Authority (LGFA). This year the LGFA paid a $1 million bonus to member Councils from a $4.1 million before tax profit.

Port Phillip Council improves efficieny with new financials*
Following the City of Port Phillip's amalgamation in 1995, a key strategy for the new Council was to start with a sound IT infrastructure. Council decided to replace its old system with an integrated Financial Management Systems (FMIS) and workflow from Computron Software.

Infopack assists development
An 'Infopack' developed by the Town of Albany in Western Australia has not only streamlined Council operations but brought time and cost savings for clients. Comprising a series of brochures, it is designed to assist people with subdivisions, health ventilation requirements and septic tank specifications.

Achieving maximum efficiency
A major problem facing Councils is the number of places where information can be stored. Work may often be duplicated, and accessing and distributing relevant material can be time consuming resulting in out of date information. Furthermore, security may be compromised. With a document management system like Advanced Document and Administration Manager (ADAM), all Council's important documents and files can be stored securely in one place, making it quick and easy for authorised users to find information.

Call for entries now on for 48th Annual Report Awards
More and more, Australia is leading the world in quality annual reporting with some of this country's reports rivalling the best in the world. Driving the surge in quality annual reporting in Australia and, increasingly, New Zealand has been the prestigious Annual Report Awards (ARA). Now in their 48th year, the Awards have established a benchmark for excellence in annual reporting that has been accepted by some of the country's largest publicly listed companies as well as many government and not for profit enterprises. 

Customer service award for Redland
In competition with some of Australia's major companies, Redland Shire has been named Queensland winner of the Australian Customer Service Association Awards. Demonstrating that Local Government can be as efficient and responsive to customer needs as the private sector, Redland outdid companies including David Jones and Pacific Dunlop to take this award.

Leadership and vision rewarded
Tony Lawson, City Manager at the City of Mitcham and Bob Fidock, General Manager of Corporate Services at the City of Adelaide, have been honoured as the joint winners of the 1997 Graeme Dimond Memorial Award. The South Australian Award recognising service to Local Government, is granted on the basis of the recipient's leadership, ability, ethics and vision.

Expediting infringement payments
Xpedite has announced the release of a next generation Penalty Control System (PCS). PCS has been developed in conjunction with users to assist Councils and other enforcement agencies manage parking, litter, animal and local law infringements.

Community democracy
In his President's Address, John Campbell also welcomed numerous international visitors, acknowledging the importance of community to community relationships in the global economy.

Celebrating our future
In officially opening the 4th National General Assembly of Australian Local Government, Governor General, Sir William Deane, congratulated the Australian Local Government Association on its Golden Jubilee. With an annual budget in excess of $10 billion and employing 150,000 people, the Governor General said that Local Government is certainly big business.

LG where democracy is born
Local Government is the most accessible democratic institution we have, said Moira Rayner. Ordinary people find it quite easy to participate, not just by voting Councillors in and out of office, but by influencing their decisions between elections. Fewer voters mean more impact, a Local Government representative is likely to be more sensitive to citizens' views.

Declaration on the Role of Australian Local Government
We elected members of Australian Local Governments gathered at the 1997 National General Assembly of Local Government in Canberra on 24 November 1997; recalling the Worldwide Declaration of Local Self-Government renewed by the International Union of Local Authorities in Toronto in June 1993; now proclaim the following Declaration on the Role of Local Government as a standard to which all Australian governments should aspire in their efforts to achieve a more effective democratic process and secure the environmental, social and economic wellbeing of their constituents.

Recognising Native Title
While across Lake Burley Griffin the debate on Native Title was charting a rocky course, ALGA delegates at the National Convention Centre got down to the business of coming to grips with the reality of Native Title and how to make it work for a better and just society for all Australians.

What the politicians said
A snapshop of comments made by Federal Politicians during the Assembly.

Olympic campaign goes national
Following endorsement at the General Assembly, Councils across Australia have been invited to join a major fundraising initiative that will assist our Australian Olympic Team to prepare for Sydney 2000 Games. A totally voluntary initiative, Councils participating simply encourage their residents to contribute 50 cents each year for the next three years, or make a one off $1.50 payment.