Australia's National Local Government Newspaper Online

Newcastle declaration goes to the UN
A draft declaration, prepared in the lead up to Newcastle Council's Pathways to Sustainability International Conference, was presented to a special session of the United Nations on 16 April. UN support as a signatory to the final declaration at the culmination of the Conference on 5 June is being sought. . The declaration will be officially signed by Local Government representatives at the International Conference, being held in Newcastle on 1-5 June.

LG's role in health and community services
The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) is currently conducting a major examination of the role of Local Government in health and community services. The context for the project are reforms currently occurring in Local Government and foreshadowed by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG).

Editorial
Five years on from the Rio Earth Summit, Newcastle has secured the right to host 'Pathways To Sustainability', a Conference which will deliver the final phase in the international review of Local Agenda 21. It is a great compliment both to Australia, and particularly Newcastle, to have been selected to host this important international forum. As the international community ratifies the vital role of Local Authorities in planning and delivering on initiatives through Local Agenda 21, how long will it take the Federal and State Governments to include Local Government as a full partner in governance not merely an agency?

Public Sector Games
In April 1998, Melbourne is to host another major event. The City will host the inaugural Australasian Public Sector Games. The Games will bring together athletic, and not so athletic public sector workers from all over Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. Anyone working in a public capacity including all spheres of government, statutory authorities and educational institutions is welcome to participate.

Flagging a century of Federation
As we approach the centenary of Federation, the City of Greater Bendigo in Victoria has resurrected the historic Federation Flag, formally adopted as the flag of the Federation Movement in 1892. Cr Megan Weston, Mayor of Greater Bendigo, believes any national celebrations of Federation need to recognise the significance of the contribution Bendigo made to the achievement of nationhood.

Glenelg invents its future
Like many areas, Glenelg Shire in Victoria's south west is still suffering from the economic downturn, particularly in the rural sector. The return of elected representatives in March last year, the new Council realised it had to do something different. With job creation being the key goal, a major development for Glenelg has been the establishment of a Capital City presence.

Eating out safely
Recent outbreaks of salmonella and other food contamination in mainland States has focussed attention on Local Government responsibilities in the regulation and monitoring of food production and retailing outlets. Kingborough Council in Tasmania's south east already has a policy in place. It seeks to encourage not only hygienically prepared food but goes further in encouraging local food outlets to offer healthy alternatives on their menu.

Elected representation post amalgamations
In March, 54 of Victoria's 78 Local Government areas elected their first Council. All but one Council have now returned to elected representation following Statewide amalgamations. Surf Coast Shire was one of the first Councils to return to democratic representation. It also had the shortest period under State appointed Commissioners, with just 12 months. Most Councils were without elected Councillors for closer to two years and sometimes longer. Elected in March 1995 and now two years on, Surf Coast's Communications Coordinator, Jon Breedveld, spoke to three of the Shire's Councillors about their impressions of elected representation post amalgamations and prepared this report.  

Australia's strategic gateway
Hume City Council, located in the northwest region of Melbourne, is promoting itself to potential investors as one of the lowest cost, highest revenue areas in the world. Working with Business Victoria and a number of Commonwealth bodies, the City of Hume recently secured a $50 million investment by Belgium based global giant, UCB SA. A speciality plastic film plant to be located at Craigieburn will create 100 permanent jobs.

Alternative to amalgamating
In 1992 when Tasmania was undergoing a restructure process, as an alternative to amalgamating, Kentish and Latrobe Councils in the northwest of the State received Ministerial approval to enter a formal Resource Sharing Agreement. After a successful three month trial, the two Councils have now formalised this arrangement by putting in place a joint five year contract for the General Manager. This paved the way for a Joint Authority providing all administrative and technical requirements for both Councils. The Joint Authority operates as a contractor to both Councils for both service delivery and project implementation.

Vital resources for good design and performance based planning
Two Local Government Development Program funded publications, Australia's Guide to Good Residential Design and Education and Training Modules for Performance Based Residential Development were launched by Warwick Smith, Commonwealth Minister for Sport, Territories and Local Government, on 29 April. Both publications are complementary materials to the national resource document for residential development known as AMCORD.

Macedon increases accessibility
While Council amalgamations have enabled cost savings in service delivery a hidden drawback can still exist for residents in some rural Shires. Residents with a query or problem to resolve can find themselves needing to travel long distances, or alternatively incurring high telephone bills if they are outside the local call area of the Shire offices. Macedon Ranges Shire Council in Victoria has addressed the problem by introducing a new 'quick call' 1300 telephone number for a range of Council business.

Easy way to pay
In working towards achieving a customer satisfaction benchmark, Warringah Council on Sydney's Northshore has introduced a range of payment options for all its goods and services. Council's 'Easy Way to Pay' aims to improve access to Council services. Payments are accepted by credit and debit cards through an EFTPOS facility, or by cash, cheque or money order.

Skilled for change
Since 1988, Gosford City Council's Water and Sewerage Sections have been running a staff development program. The program now focuses on quality/best practice, empowerment of employees and training to meet the new national competency standards.

Catering for customers
With a view to providing the best possible customer service, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council has just launched its new Customer Management System (CMS). Serving a population of 112,000, CMS will assist Council to manage its business more efficiently and cost effectively. Alongside new Customer Service Centres designed to give clients easy, friendly access to Council facilities and advice, the new system provides efficient and timely responses to inquiries, requests and correspondence.

Something for everyone ...
The 9th National Local Government Engineering Conference, in conjunction with the International Congress of Public Works, draws its theme from the very reason for Local Government's existence; to deliver the community's aspirations. Speakers from Australia, the United States and New Zealand will address engineering management, technical and Local Government reform issues.

Is your Council customer-driven?
All Councils are service organisations, although you wouldn't think so the way some Councils treat their customers says Manningham City Council Chief Executive Bob Seiffert. As one of the speakers at the National Engineering Conference, Bob will be challenging delegates to question whether their Council is customer-driven.  

Creating quality of living
Keynote speaker David Rhodes has spent 20 years in Local Government. As Director of Public Works in the City of Boulder, Colorado, since 1985, David has responsibility for four divisions employing 320 people and with an annual budget of $40 million. Ensuring Local Governments are fully prepared for emergencies and natural disasters is one of David's areas of professional expertise. And it is knowledge based on practical experience - David was one of the key officials responsible for the Public Works emergency responses in the 1980 Mount St. Helen's volcanic eruption.

More than 80 experts
More than 80 speakers will be sharing their expertise at the Local Government Engineering Conference. These are just some of the papers being presented.

Topics
The conference topics have been carefully selected to respond to the needs of Local Government beyond 1997. Local Government engineering is about the best use of technology, and the best management of people and the resources available. The conference program incorporates a very significant emphasis on engineering management which complements the technical role of engineering in Local Government.