Breaking News
Pathways for carers
Parliamentary Secretary, Anthony Carbine, walks with carers and volunteers.
The lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 epidemic have disadvantaged many with none feeling the effects more than the vast number of people who provide care at home, informally, usually fulltime and often unpaid, for family members and friends with a disability or debilitating illness. Read more >
Inland Rail raises some concerns
Mayor of Lockyer Valley Council, Queensland, Tanya Milligan has urged her community to have their say on the Inland Rail proposal draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) before the deadline on 23 June, warning the impact of the Helidon to Calvert (H2C) line section would be devastating for many in the region.
“At its capacity, our region will experience 1.8km double-stacked freight trains up to 50 times, day and night which will have a considerable impact on the townships of Helidon, Grantham, Gatton, Forest Hill and Laidley.
“Time is running out and we need our residents to wrap their heads around exactly what this project will mean for the future of the Lockyer Valley because it is exceptionally important for our region long-term.”
The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has predicted noise from the trains would cause sleep disturbance for residents living within one kilometre of the train line, currently about 175 houses. However, based on the World Health Organisation’s statistics this figure could be up to 4500 houses in the corridor by 2040.
With construction set to take several years, the project would also have a direct impact on the region’s road network, with the EIS indicating a significant increase in construction-based traffic on our roads.
“We are starting to really understand the full impact across our region including noise, vibration, land use, traffic and transport.
“This project will have a generational impact on our region and we’re yet to see any meaningful benefits to our community. National benefits shouldn’t come at the cost of our residents.”
The Inland Rail proposal aims to provide a rail network stretching some 1700 kilometres linking Melbourne and Brisbane using a combination of existing and new track alignments.
Festival off to a roaring start
Cane fires are symbolic of the Burdekin and North Queensland lifestyle.
Burdekin Shire Council, Queensland kicked off the 2021 Sweet Days, Hot Nights Festival with more than 2000 people attending the First Fire at the Home Hill Showgrounds on 27 May. Read more >
23rd LGIT Conference*
Coffs Harbour City Council is organising the 23rd Local Government Information Technology Conference at Opal Cove Resort, Coffs Harbour,
New South Wales, 3-5 November 2021.
LGIT2021 provides a forum for local government managers and support staff to network, learn and exchange ideas.
The program will feature key speakers from government, the private sector, online organisations, and the broader computer and communications industries.
Representatives of local, state and federal government agencies, and business corporations will be in attendance from throughout Australia.
This year’s topics include council case studies; cybersecurity trends in local government; Hybrid Enterprise cloud migration; Internet of things (IOT); artificial intelligence/ machine learning; latest tech trends for the Enterprise; imagining local government I.T. in a post COVID-19 world (future ways of working); smart city fatigue and what smart technology is actually worth investing in?
We invite you to submit an abstract for consideration as an oral presentation at the conference.
Please email your abstract (maximum of 200 words) to michelle@ccem.com.au. Please also include a brief background of yourself and your full contact details.
This year’s conference will feature high profile keynote speakers, including Future Crunch who are part of a global movement of scientists, technologists, hackers and creatives that think there are new and better ways of doing things in the 21st century.
Their expertise ranges from politics, economics, and bioinformatics to design, art and music.
They use their diverse knowledge to provide unexpected perspectives on the world, through the lenses of science, technology and social theory.
Their mission is to foster intelligent, optimistic thinking about the future, and to empower people to contribute to it.
An extensive trade exhibition and fun networking functions form an integral component of the conference.
Don’t miss this opportunity to network with industry suppliers and keep up to date with latest developments in industry products and services.
We would like to thank our gold sponsors: NBN Local, HPE Aruba and Microsoft.
Visit lgit2021.coffslgconferences.com.au for further information or contact Michelle Aubert from Countrywide Conference and Event Management – michelle@ccem.com.au or 0408 791 492.
*Copy supplied by Coffs IT
Sharing bush tucker
Clarence Valley Council delivered bush tucker plants to remote communities supporting reconciliation and resilience.
One hundred native and bush tucker plants were delivered to remote Aboriginal communities in Clarence Valley Council, New South Wales, to foster reconciliation and assist with bushfire recovery. Read more >
President’s comment – Councillor Linda Scott President Australian Local Government Association
As the world maps a recovery from COVID-19, communities are increasingly recognising the key role councils are playing in creating jobs and supporting local communities by leading a locally led economic recovery.
On behalf of councils, your Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has been highlighting the work local governments are doing to create employment, driving a locally led recovery, and advocating to ensure local governments are able to deliver on the expectations of our communities.
One example among many is the City of Mandurah’s
entrepreneurial capacity-building program, which is identifying and encouraging locals to start new businesses and inject money into the local economy.
During COVID-19, Council developed next-level courses to help previous participants assess their on-going business models and identity and address gaps.
The Federal Government has listened to ALGA’s advocacy, and as a result the Federal Budget has recognised local governments are powering this recovery, proving an additional $1 billion in funding for Local Roads and Community the Infrastructure (LRCI) program so that it can be extended a further year.
The money – together with $250 million in new funding for Building Better Regions, and $600 million for a new National Recovery and Resilience Agency and National Flood Mitigation Infrastructure Program – will enable councils to help Federal Government meet its Budget goal of putting ‘a four in front of the unemployment rate’.
Importantly, the funding will allow many councils to build new community assets, upgrade worn out roads, or rejuvenate old community facilities.
That all translates to our communities having improved access to sport, recreation and cultural activities, and being able to take advantage of more and better transport and mobility options.
Councils are also poised to make a major contribution to the development of a more circular economy in which better waste management leads to a greater recovery of valued resources, creates jobs, protects fragile ecosystems, and reaps economic rewards.
However, our financial sustainability remains a concern.
The Australian Local Government Association, backed by its members, is making a strong case for adequate state and federal funding support to back councils so they can orchestrate a locally-led economic recovery.
The Budget outcomes show we are cutting through.
There is much more to be done, however, which is why ALGA has planned a forward-looking National General Assembly of Local Government on 20-23 June. I hope to see your there as we shape the recovery.
The lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 epidemic have disadvantaged many with none feeling the effects more than the vast number of people who provide care at home, informally, usually fulltime and often unpaid, for family members and friends with a disability or debilitating illness.
