The Local Government Focus RSS feed is now available for viewing. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/rss/index.xml en http://www.lgfocus.com.au/images/smlogo.gif http://www.lgfocus.com.au/rss/index.xml 140 51 With the 2010 Federal election taking place on 21 August, both the Minister for Local Government, Anthony Albanese, and Shadow Minister, Warren Truss, were approached by FOCUS on 30 July for a statement on their respective Party’s policies relevant to councils and local communities. We present their policy positions provided on 6 August. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/election.php> While the rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN) has only just begun, the benefits may be short lived. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/editorial.php In each edition we feature the views of a Local Government Association president. The following is from Mayor Genia McCaffery, President of the Local Government Association of New South Wales. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/presidents.php Pedicabs are set to return to the main streets of Port Douglas after a decade long hiatus. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/pedicabs.php Moorabool’s food and wine industry will directly benefit from a local initiative which is promoting the area’s fresh produce, wine, cafes and restaurants via a new Shire wide website. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/moorabool.php Tweed Mayor Councillor Warren Polglase has been honoured by the New South Wales Government with an Outstanding Service Award. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/tweed.php Julia Gillard says a re-elected Labor Government would give a $200 million boost to affordable housing via a Building Better Regional Cities program. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/brown.php Keep Australia Beautiful (KAB) Week kicks off on Monday 23 August and this year’s campaign aims to help increase the recycling rate of beverage containers in public places. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/recycling.php On 30 July, around 200 residents attended a meeting to hear about the future of their towns at the Shire of Ashburton’s Tom Price Community Hall. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/ashburton.php As the growth of cycling for both transportation and recreation shows no sign of abating, the need to cater for this growth has never been greater according to Harry Barber, CEO of Bicycle Victoria. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/bikes.php Councillor Profiles is a regular feature. This month we feature two Councillors from the Queensland. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/profiles.php Alpine Shire Council is one of a group of councils in Victoria to install a video conferencing facility. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/alpine.php Hobart is set to undergo a facelift with internationally acclaimed architect and urban designer Professor Jan Gehl commissioned to help with their Inner City Development Plan. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/hobart.php At the 2010 Local Government Managers Australia National Congress in Adelaide, Local Government FOCUS invited delegates to nominate individuals or teams from their councils who are improving operations or enhancing service delivery for their local community. In this edition, we showcase the next two of our high achievers for 2010. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/achievers.php Ballarat’s Lake Wendouree will receive a boost in water levels with the Redan Wetlands to Lake Wendouree pipeline officially commissioned last month. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/ballarat.php The Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia (NSW) announced its Excellence Awards 2010 in conjunction with its annual conference in Wollongong from 16–19 May. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/wollondilly.php The Australian Drilling Industry Association (ADIA) will be staging its bi annual conference and expo from 22 to 24 September 2010 in Adelaide. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/drill.php Problematic waste streams, illegal dumping and food organic trials were on the agenda at the South Australian Local Government Association’s Zero Waste Forum in July. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/waste.php The world’s largest manufacturer of submersible pumps, Tsurumi Manufacturing Company Limited, has appointed Australian Pump Industries as sole distributor for Australia and Papua New Guinea. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/tsurumi.php There is clear recognition that there are too many vulnerable people and families receiving services from innumerable public agencies, which fail to work effectively together. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/morley.php The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) released its audit of the Strategic Projects Component of the Regional and Local community Infrastructure Program (RLCIP) on 27 July. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/audit.php The theme for the 2010 National Local Roads and Transport Congress is Building the Case for Transport Investment, which is the goal of Local Government in transport – more investment for the full range of transport infrastructure, such as roads, public transport, and foot and bike paths, in order to support our communities and industry. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/roads.php Victorian councils are taking the lead in improving access to healthy foods with the State Government’s VicHealth ‘Food for All Program’. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/food.php Australian’s tend to take their recreation services and facilities for granted. I was recently in Cambodia and it was a real eye opener. No ovals, no boat ramps, very few recreation centres or sporting facilities, and very few formally organised health and fitness activities. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/milligan.php Prior to water restrictions some councils used 70 per cent of their total water consumption for irrigation. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/dillon.php The Australian Sports Commission has launched a nationwide campaign aimed at getting kids involved in club sports. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/clubs.php Brewarrina Shire Council has led the way in rural and remote dental care services through its dental project. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/dental.php Hornsby Shire Council has been Highly Commended at the Institute of Public Works and Engineering (NSW) Excellence Awards. The northern Sydney council received the award for the upgrading of its Cherrybrook Community Centre. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/hornsby.php Graffiti is a scourge on scarce public funds that are needed badly elsewhere. So why not eradicate the graffiti problem and redeploy the public money it consumes? How? http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/vandalism.php Ipswich City Council is celebrating its first all abilities themed playground, which was recently installed at Browns Park. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/playground.php Unley’s Tennis SA Millswood Complex received a major facelift earlier this year making it one of South Australia’s most popular venues. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/unley.php A new premier triathlon facility in Macquarie Fields is set to put Campbelltown residents’ healthy lifestyles on track. The $500,000 Macquarie Fields Triathlon Track is jointly funded by Campbelltown City Council and the Federal Government’s Jobs Fund. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/campbelltown.php The Digital Guard Cam with its small size (130x85x60mm) is a stand alone portable still or video infrared digital security camera with motion sensor, ideal for discrete surveillance where photographic evidence is required. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/camera.php The City of Casey has taken out the National Infrastructure Development Category at the 2010 National Awards for Local Government for its Casey Fields Development Project. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/casey.php This new suite of furniture has a name of significance, the Fulcrum; meaning, a prop, a support, a pivot point. The Fulcrum suite caters to all of these meanings within community meeting places, such as parks and gardens or busy streetscapes. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/furphy.php With school attendance a big issue for outback communities, West Arnhem Shire Council at the top of the Northern Territory has come up with a way to get more children to school each day. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/attendance.php Manly Council on Sydney’s northern beaches has installed a new outdoor gym at one of its reserves. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/manly.php Grand Prix is the first Australian couch grass released onto the market that is the result of a classic breeding program conducted in Australia for Australian conditions. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/grandprix.php Melbourne’s Knox City Council is encouraging residents to embrace their native flora and fauna through its Gardens for Wildlife program. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/knox.php Many local authorities and councils recognise the environmental, social and economic benefits that flow from greener urban areas – making buildings, parks, pedestrian zones, highways and other public open spaces more attractive to residents, businesses and tourists. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/monaplant.php Ensuring resident safety is a priority for Logan City Council in southeast Queensland. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/logan.php Northern Tasmanian Mayors are united in their support for Tasmania’s home of AFL, Aurora Stadium. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/stadium.php They may not be in the MasterChef Australia top 10, but the skills of Port Augusta’s newest graduate ‘foodies’ will change the way local Indigenous residents buy food and prepare meals. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/foodies.php Marrickville Council’s Children and Family Services team has received the best possible review assessment under the current National Accreditation System. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/marrickville.php On behalf of all 12 councils in the South West region I offer all delegates and partners who attend the Australian Local Government Association’s National Road and Transport Congress in Bunbury, the warmest welcome. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/mayor.php First settled in 1829, the City of Bunbury is now the commercial and residential heart of the prosperous South West region of Western Australia, one of the most diverse and dynamic growth regions in the nation. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/growth.php Throughout the year Bunbury hosts a range of events that attract people from far and wide. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/city.php During 2007 and 2008, work undertaken during Stage 3 of the Bunbury Coastal Enhancement Project transformed Ocean Drive, running the length of the Back Beach, into an attractive boulevard. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/beach.php The Port of Bunbury is growing in popularity as a cruise ship stopover destination. The first visit was from the Virgo in 2003. Every year since then there has been an increase with nine ships pulling into Bunbury between last November and March this year. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/cruise.php Established in 1994, Bunbury’s Dolphin Discovery Centre enables some 60,000 visitors per year to gain a better understanding of dolphins in their natural environment. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/dolphins.php Officially opened in December 2009, Mayor David Smith descibes the Bunbury City and Regional Library as a purpose built leading edge provider, a ‘smart’ building in its own right as well as a community resource and meeting place. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/smart.php Council’s recently completed $3.6 million Regional Athletics Track is the only one of its type in Western Australia outside of Perth. This puts Bunbury at the forefront of regional athletics. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/track.php Film and animation company, Vue Group, in a joint venture with ISA Technology, has established a new company in Bunbury to promote digital innovation. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/digital.php A must visit area of Bunbury is its Marlston Waterfront. Construction of seawalls, pathways and parks, together with white sandy beaches and spectacular views of Koombana Bay, has resulted in a vibrant precinct of mixed retail, commercial offices and residential apartments. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/waterfront.php The City of Bunbury is lobbying the other spheres of government for funding to construct an outer ring road. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/road.php Bunbury is a port town and since the 1860s its Port has been a major player in the growth and prosperity of the city and the South West. http://www.lgfocus.com.au/index.php?view=editions/2010/august/harbour.php