Councils keep services operating
Councils across the country are getting on with business and are continuing to provide services and infrastructure, while taking steps to protect their staff and residents from COVID-19.
The Budget offers part payment for Local Government
The Morrison Government’s 2019/20 Federal Budget, announced yesterday, falls well short of restoring Local Government’s Financial Assistance Grants (FAGS) to the 1percent of total revenue asked for by the sector.
Waste management provides opportunity
The Queensland Government has released the Draft Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy for public comment.
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Climate risk
In early February, a group of councillors and senior officers from Mornington Peninsula Shire, Victoria, attended a presentation about the financial and liability risks to Council, business and the community if climate change action and mitigation is not integrated across Council activities now.
Growing regional agtech startups
The Central Highlands Development Corporation (CHDC) and X-Lab will lead a ground-breaking new program to nurture the growth of agtech startups operating from inland Queensland and Northern New South Wales (NSW).
Key industrial site launched
The Muchea Industrial Park in the Shire of Chittering is set to become one of Western Australia’s largest and key industrial sites.
Shepp Square shows initiative
Greater Shepparton City Council, Victoria, took home the Special Projects Initiative award at the Local Government Professionals 2019 Awards for Excellence in Melbourne on Thursday, 21 February.
Another port needed to manage growth
The City of Kwinana, Western Australia (WA), has welcomed Infrastructure Australia’s 2019 Infrastructure Priority List, released 14 February, which continues to recognise the need to improve Port facilities to support the State’s container trade.
Cultural diversity week
Cultural Diversity Week will be celebrated throughout Hobsons Bay from 16-24 March with a program of free and fun activities celebrating the cultural diversity of the community.
Greater protection for Namadgi’s wetlands
Unique wetlands in Namadgi National Park are now listed as ‘endangered’ to help protect to native habitats and wildlife and the quality of drinking water in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
Big savings and great efficiency*
A new local government innovation is bringing impressive cost savings to the sector and dramatically improving information technology services.
Pick your sport in Port Pirie
Port Pirie Regional Council, South Australia, has delivered local residents an unparalleled gift with the opening of the town’s new sports precinct.
Childcare shortage addressed
Town of Port Hedland, Western Australia, has endorsed action to tackle growing concerns regarding increasing childcare shortages in the shire.
Kids hit their stride during walk to school
Baw Baw Shire kids have shown getting to school is a walk in the park with more than 1,190 local students from 12 schools participating in VicHealth’s Walk to School program.
Junior Landcare Warriors
Cessnock City Council, New South Wales, is a proud supporter of the ‘Junior Landcare Warriors’, 12 Kurri Kurri Scouts who have taken on a rehabilitation project in one of the local parks.
Women and girls invited onto the team
Lockyer Valley Regional Council has secured a $500,000 grant through the Female Facilities Program, offered through the Queensland Government’s Get in the Game funding program to see female-friendly amenities and change room at Gatton’s Cahill Park.
Rural road upgrades a priority
The City of Busselton, Western Australia, has successfully applied to the Federal Government to accelerate receipt of $3.7 million through Roads to Recovery 2019-2024.
Silo art trail grows
Goondiwindi Regional Council, Queensland, has announced the first stage of the Yelarbon Silo Art project will be completed by 30 June 2019.
Trial treatments for laneways
City of Palmerston, Northern Territory, is trialling treatments in 11 laneways across three Palmerston suburbs to discourage anti-social behaviour.
Safety boost for Douglas roads
Motorist safety has revved up after several guardrails have been repaired by Douglas Shire Council, Queensland.
A first for accessibility
New, fully accessible public toilets in Mornington, Victoria, are home to the first Exceloo Changing Places facility in the country.
Govhub gets green light
Central Bendigo is set to be transformed by the development of a $90 million GovHub.
Historic town hall revived
Albany City Council, Western Australia, has begun a program to activate and revitalise the city centre with the repurposing and rejuvenation of the historic Albany Town Hall.
Reporting rate soars
City of Karratha, Western Australia (WA), has developed an innovative reporting tool that has increased residents’ rate of reporting issues online by 17 times during its first calendar year.
Library funding on the up
Outback Letterbox Library Service has received a $500,000 boost from the New South Wales (NSW) Government.
Public sector increasingly embracing e-procurement*
Procurement was one of the last business areas to benefit from the application of technology. But e-procurement – the electronic purchase of goods and services, usually through an Internet-based platform – is rapidly becoming the status quo, especially within the public sector in Australia.
Submarine cable connection
Construction is underway on the $6.6 million cable landing station, which is the major land-based facility for the $35 million Sunshine Coast International Broadband Submarine Cable network.
Quad bikes pave the way
Randwick City Council, New South Wales, has used quad bikes with cameras and GPS tracking to systematically assess the condition of all local footpaths and shared access ways.
Sharing eMERGE
City of Perth has significantly enhanced the way it handles emergency and crisis functions both internally and externally using eMERGE portal - the City’s electronic (SharePoint based) Emergency Management Portal.
Robotics at the library
Residents of Mitchell Shire, Victoria, are learning how to operate, build and code robots thanks to an innovative program.
City App wipes graffiti costs
On Queensland’s Gold Coast, graffiti is at an all-time low with clean-up costs slashed by 40 percent in four years.
Another box ticked
Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council, New South Wales, inspected the Truck Wash and Electrical Upgrade Project at the Cootamundra Saleyards last month and declared them open for business.
Innovations in information technology
For information communication technology (ICT) services at Shire of Mundaring, Western Australia, innovation, creation and resilience are the order of the day.
Establishing connection
West Arnhem Regional Council has welcomed the installation of public WiFi to three separate sites in Gunbalanya, Maningrida and Warruwi as part of an Northern Territory Libraries (NTL) initiative.
Open data opens opportunities
Tweed Shire Council, New South Wales (NSW), has launched a Tweed Shire Open Data Hub, giving public direct access to selected non-private spatial data managed by Council.
Career advice at the library
Swan Hill Regional Library, Victoria, has established a careers support service for residents looking for work, exploring education or training options, or unsure about which career pathway to take.
Smart way forward
Rockhampton Regional Council’s Smart Way Forward Strategy has paved the way for creating a Smart Regional Centre in the Queensland town’s new Riverside Precinct.
Civil works mapping tool
City of Newcastle, New South Wales, has launched a new interactive mapping tool to help residents track the latest civil works projects happening across the local government area.
Smart tech to reduce drownings
A new world-first beach safety initiative will use cutting-edge technology in a bid to curb the growing number of deaths by drowning along the New South Wales (NSW) coast.
Tailored program tops for trees
An automated workflow developed by the City of Gosnells, Western Australia, has created a seamless flow for tree inspections and work requests, leading to healthier and safer trees across the City.
MAGIQ Documents Version 8.6 Released*
MAGIQ Software has announced a major new release of its MAGIQ Documents Suite of electronic document and records management software.
Virtual walking challenge a hit
Towards the end of last year, East Gippsland Shire Council, Victoria, ran its Annual Virtual Walking Challenge, encouraging staff to be more physically active and make healthy food and drink choices.
Online supplier tool
The City of Greater Bendigo, Victoria, has found an easier and quicker way to obtain quotes from local businesses for proposed goods, works or services by encouraging them to register their services on a centralised online tool.
Innovators represent the region
A new initiative will put cutting-edge regional businesses at the forefront of Queensland’s crusade to generate jobs of the future.
The fun of learning
Libraries are now instrumental in supporting STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education in younger children.
New online library experience
Round two of Penrith City Council’s prestigious DiG Creative Space Program has finished and the result is the innovative Fox Tales online platform, which was launched at Penrith Library, New South Wales, last month.
Customer service trial extended
Customer Service is now available 24/7 at Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, Victoria, with the introduction of the online Web Chat system.
Regional partners receive award
A web-based application (App) created in North Queensland has won a Planning Institute of Australia award for Excellence – Queensland, for the Best Planning Ideas – Small project.
Year One Reading Club is back
Year One Reading Club has returned to The Hills Shire Library Service, New South Wales, to inspire Year One students to become habitual readers.
Successful cyber seniors
Alexandrina Libraries are well versed in catering for the community in fields that go beyond the typical book and magazine loans.
Reducing the cost of water for small towns
Narrabri Shire Council, New South Wales (NSW), completed the Baan Baa water supply project in mid 2017, receiving an Excellence Award from Local Government Professionals Australian NSW and a Highly Commended from the IPWEA Engineering Excellence Awards.
Ku-ring-gai Monopoly passes go and collects
A version of the Monopoly board game set in Ku-Ring-Gai, New South Wales, sold out within months of being launched late last year, raising $84,227.
Salute to library’s friends
As the song goes, ‘You gotta have friends’, and in Upper Lachlan Shire, New South Wales, feelings are oh so strong for the Crookwell Library Friends.
Your library wherever you are
Tea Tree Gully Library, South Australia (SA), in Adelaide’s northeast has embraced the rapid advancements in library technology.
