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Session Outcomes

The Australian Council of Local Government (ACLG) held its first meeting on 18 November 2008 in Canberra.

As part of the meeting, mayors each participated in a choice of two of ten policy sessions, based on their individual preferences. These sessions provided an important opportunity for mayors, Commonwealth Ministers, and Members of Parliament to engage in dialogue on issues of importance to local government. A summary of the outcomes of their discussion is below.

Investing in local, regional and national infrastructure

Chair: The Hon Anthony Albanese MP

The Commonwealth's current funding for Local Government was welcomed, including untied Financial Assistance Grants (FAGs) of $1.9 billion in 2008-09, the new community infrastructure initiatives announced by the Prime Minister today, and increased road funding of $26 billion over 6 years.
Particular mention was made of the benefits that can be derived from greater joint working relationships between local governments on a regional or issue by issue basis.
The importance of a sustainable funding source for local government was noted, with the Roads to Recovery program a useful model for further discussions.
There were calls for one-off funding grants for specific infrastructure projects.
The diverse and complex needs of local government were recognised, with particular mention of the need for equitable funding across small and large councils.
The important role that local government can play in decision making on infrastructure investment was noted.

Making our major cities more liveable, productive and sustainable

Chair: The Hon Wayne Swan MP

It was agreed that Local Governments should consider collaborating with other Local Governments and their State Government to make joint proposals to the Commonwealth on larger scale initiatives in order to receive funding.
It was agreed that there is a need for all Local Government to review and reform their governance and planning framework, and decision making processes.
A focus on sustainable development through effective town planning including improved building & urban design. In particular, Transport Orientated Development would allow improved connectivity between places of work, home and recreation, and ensure better access to services. This will enable greater productivity and improvements in liveability.
It was agreed that a shared research effort should be developed to quantify costs and benefits of current key challenges, for example, urban congestion, and solutions to meet those challenges. Research outcomes would then be available to inform LG decision making.
Leveraging of funding to achieve better outcomes through partnerships between councils; state government; and/or the private sector, was discussed.

Working towards more efficient & sustainable local government

Chair: The Hon Lindsay Tanner MP

The view was expressed that all spheres of government should look at reviewing and realigning service delivery based on sustainable and efficient government.
Local and federal government needs to give consideration to sources of local government revenue, including the methodology for rates assessment.
Some of the key ways to improve local government performance were discussed, including better information sharing, benchmarking and regional collaboration.
The need for national consistent standards and processes for local government was discussed.

Partnering to make housing more affordable, including more effective planning and development processes

Chair: The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP

The key theme for this Group was improving interaction between federal and local government to achieve more affordable housing outcomes.
There was recognition of the need for a better definition of the roles and responsibilities between the two spheres of government in pursuing affordable housing outcomes.
The importance of demographic and population information to planning future housing was mentioned.

Facilitating social inclusion in our communities

Chair: The Hon Brendan O'Connor MP

All three spheres of government must work with communities.
Local government is well placed to provide information on local social issues to other spheres of government.
Prefer place-based or regional approaches that link to a national strategy.
Remove red tape whilst retaining accountability.

Indigenous leadership, training and employment

Chair: The Hon Jenny Macklin MP

The group canvassed a number of topics focused on closing the gap in Indigenous life outcomes.
The group discussed the importance of having a job and agreed that local government will partner with business and with the Australian Government to get more Indigenous people into work. Participants noted that Indigenous job seekers needed intensive mentoring and support to become work ready.
A number of participants highlighted the critical need for infrastructure, clean water, roads and housing in Indigenous communities.
And finally, the group highlighted the need to improve relationships with the Indigenous community and engage local Aboriginal leaders more actively in local government. Local gathering places and reconciliation action plans were both raised as ideas, along with forming friendship alliances and staff exchanges with remote councils.

Improving engagement of local and federal governments, including constitutional recognition

Chair: The Hon Anthony Albanese MP and the Hon Robert McClelland MP

This Group noted the importance of enhancing recognition of local government as a legitimate and independent third sphere of government.
The clarification of the roles and responsibilities of local government remain a concern for all.
There is much work to be done by local government before a referendum takes place on this issue.

Adapting to our changing local environments

Chair: The Hon Peter Garret MP and Senator the Hon Penny Wong MP

The challenges of water and climate change were the focus for this group.
The need for collaboration and partnerships between spheres of government and councils on these issues was noted.
Participants discussed the possible role that renewable energy may play in meeting our future local energy needs.
The importance of access to information and programs for community education and participation was recognised.
There was also a discussion on development and sharing of standardised codes and data on risk and vulnerability assessments; renewable energy projects; and whole of water cycle management practices in growth areas.

Strengthening regional economies, including broadband and communications and tourism

Chair: The Hon Gary Gray MP

A clear message from this group was the crucial role that regional Australia plays in keeping our economy strong.
The large number of new government bodies and funding programs to provide more tailored services to regional Australia was noted.
There were calls for the Commonwealth to continue its increased engagement with regional economies going forward.

Improved wellbeing in our communities

Chair: The Hon Nicola Roxon MP

This group examined some of the issues that need to be addressed to improve wellbeing in our communities.
They canvassed a number of issues to help achieve this, including getting more doctors into regional and remote areas; delivering better aged care services and helping local government support people with mental illnesses.
The need to engage young people in activities to promote better mental health was noted.