A surprise change in local government minister in Victoria is part of a portfolio reshuffle announced this week.
Also today: the local government inspectorate withdraws an application to have a councillor stood down; concerns raised about the culture at the City of Melbourne; more councillors declare a run at state parliament; and 30 new additions to Infrastructure Australia’s priority list.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, your national broadcaster for all things local government.
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Transcript with links:
Issue 135, LG News Roundup, 26th June 2022
A surprise change in local government minister in Victoria is part of a portfolio reshuffle announced this week.
Those developments lead this edition of the Local Government News Roundup.
Welcome to the bulletin for the 26th June. I’m Chris Eddy.
Also today: the local government inspectorate withdraws an application to have a councillor stood down; concerns raised about the culture at the City of Melbourne; more councillors declare a run at state parliament; and 30 new additions to Infrastructure Australia’s priority list.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, your national broadcaster for all things local government.
A weekend cabinet reshuffle in the Andrews Government has delivered changes to the key ministerial portfolios that work with local government.
Melissa Horne adds local government and suburban development to her responsibilities, which include Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, and Ports and Freight.
Former LG Minister Shaun Leane retains Veterans and takes on Minister for Commonwealth Games Legacy.
Member for Pascoe Vale Lizzie Blandthorn takes up the Planning portfolio, along with Leader of the House in the Legislative Assembly.
Harriet Shing is Minister for Water and Regional Development, while Lily D’Ambrosio retains Energy, Environment, Climate Action and Solar Homes
https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/statement-new-ministry
The Local Government Inspectorate has withdrawn its application to have a Yarra City Councillor stood down.
The Inspectorate made the application to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to stand down Cr Anab Mohamud, due to assault charges brought against her by Victoria Police
The Inspectorate said those charges would have rendered her ineligible to maintain her position as a councillor.
In a statement posted to its website, the Inspectorate says the relevant charges have been withdrawn by Victoria Police, and the hearing listed for 6th September has been vacated.
According to a report from the Age, the withdrawn charges related to an alleged incident in Dandenong in December 2020, and no reason was given for the withdrawal of the charges.
Cr Mohamud still faces separate assault charges relating to an alleged incident in South Yarra in April last year, and is due to appear in court in October where she is expected to plead not guilty to all charges.
https://www.lgi.vic.gov.au/application-stand-down-yarra-councillor-withdrawn
Greens councillor accuses police of bungling after assault charges dropped
Concerns have been raised about the culture at the City of Melbourne, with a report in today’s Sunday Age claiming almost one in four top executives have left in the past year.
The report includes claims by unnamed sources, including a councillor, of a toxic culture of fear and dysfunction, and comes at a time when Councillors are considering whether to extend the contract of CEO Justin Hanney.
The council has responded saying staff turnover is lower than other council organisations, while another anonymous says the council is highly functioning and operates smoothly.
Cr Brett Tessari from Bass Coast Shire has this week announced he will contest the seat of Bass at the upcoming State Election as a National Party candidate.
According to a report from BassCoastPost.com, the former mayor is expected to go up against another former Bass Coast mayor, Jordan Crugnale, who holds the seat for the ALP; and former South Gippsland deputy mayor Aaron Brown, who has been selected as the Liberal Party candidate.
It will be the first time the Nationals have contested the seat of Bass
A number of sitting and former councillors are believed to be contesting preselection for the Liberal Party in the upper house at this year’s election.
VLGA Chief of Staff Steve Cooper told me more on this week’s VLGA Connect Governance Update:
In today’s Victorian briefs:
Former South Gippsland Shire councillor Jeremy Rich has been found guilty of animal cruelty in the Latrobe Valley Magistrate’s Court this week of 16 charges including aggravated animal cruelty.
ABC Gippsland reported that he was fined $50,000 and banned from owning or managing any animals for 10 years.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-22/farmer-jeremy-rich-fined-over-sheep-cruelty/101173232
The Local Government Minister is being asked to intervene in the Moreland City Council renaming process.
The change.org petition was created by a group called Renaming Moreland, and as of yesterday had 643 signatures making a number of demands of the minister, the council’s CEO and mayor.
https://www.change.org/p/renaming-moreland-give-our-community-a-say
An announcement of a $9B investment in early childhood education over the next 10 years has been welcomed by Rural Councils Victoria, which has called on the state government to invest in rural childcare deserts.
RCVDeputy Chair Cr Jane Ogden said five of its member councils are among the highest childcare desert areas in Australia, and urged the government to ensure that rural Victorians get their fair share of the $9B investment.
A wind turbine installed on private property in Bass Coast Shire has prompted community concerns and a statement from the Council’s CEO.
Ali Wastie said the wind turbine did not require planning approval And the council had exhausted all planning avenues including asking the Minister for Planning to intervene.
She said the turbine will be monitored for any breaches of compliance requirements and pursue all available enforcement options as necessary.
https://www.basscoast.vic.gov.au/about-council/news-listing/statement-from-ceo-ali-wastie
A suite of new resources has been released to help councils, landowners, developers and community housing organisations work together to deliver more social and affordable housing.
CEO of the Community Housing Industry Association of Victoria, Sarah Toohey says there are two distinct streams of assistance in the resources:
The new toolkits are available now on the CHIA Vic website. And you can hear more of conversation with Sarah Toohey on a new episode of VLGA Connect coming out tomorrow on YouTube and podcast.
Still to come – 30 new additions to Infrastructure Australia’s priority list; a mayor admits to driving under the influence of alcohol leading to a car accident; and code of conduct breaches upheld against two councillors in Tasmania.
You’re listening to the Local Government News Roundup for 26th June 2022, brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association.
The recently released insights report into the culture review of Victorian local government has received some media attention this week. News reports and articles by Margaret Paul at the ABC have highlighted the legal costs at Hume City Council in dealing with conduct matters, and the level of councillor allowances that are paid among other issues.
The VLGA’s CEO Kathryn Arndt made a brief appearance explaining that councils provided a much higher number of important community services over and above roads, rates and rubbish…
Kathryn Arndt on the ABC, advocating on behalf of the sector for better awareness of the role of local government.
You can find out more about the services provided by the VLGA, and membership details, by visiting the website – www.vlga.org.au
Now for some stories making news around Australia in local government this week:
Infrastructure Australia has this week published updates to its independent infrastructure priority list, with 30 new proposals on the list.
The new listings highlight a need for greater focus on road and rail connections in regional Australia, enhancing efficiency and connectivity of transport networks, and promoting development in northern Australia.
Most of the new proposals are at early stage, but there are five that are either at potential investment stage or investment ready stage.
The update has been welcomed by the South East Queensland council of Mayors, which says the list complements investments included in the recently signed SEQ City Deal.
In WA, the cities of Cockbyrn, Fremantle and Melville say they are ‘buoyed’ by the updated list which includes further investigation of congestion busting road improvements; and public transport links from the Mandurah train line to employment, tourism and residential hubs in their cities.
Infrastructure Australia gives future transport links priority – City of Cockburn
Code of conduct breaches have been upheld against two councillors at Huon Valley Council in Tasmania.
A panel has described the actions of Cr Mick Newell and acting Mayor Sally Doyle as ‘naive at best’ in relation to the process to recruit a general manager, in which a relationship between the eventual successful applicant and the recruitment consultant was not treated as a conflict of interest.
There were no findings made against the other two members of the recruitment panel, former mayor Bec Enders or Christine Campbell, who have both since resigned as councillors.
The report also found that the candidates for the general manager position, including the successful candidate Jason Browne, were not treated fairly.
The panel has recommended the two councillors concerned be cautioned. They told the Hobart Mercury that they want to put the matter behind them and focus on the final four months of the current council term.
(Hobart Mercury, 26-6-22, p.15)
In Qld, the mayor of Redlands City Council, Karen Wlliams, was involved in a car accident on Thursday night and has admitted to driving after consuming several glasses of wine.
The ABC has reported that Cr Williams was taken to hospital with minor injuries after her vehicle left the road and struck a tree in Cleveland.
The mayor provided a statement to the ABC in which she admitted a serious error in judgement, apologised for her actions, and said she would seek counselling and assist police in their enquiries.
Qld Police Minister Mark Ryan yesterday told a press conference that an investigation is under way but no charges have been laid. He is reported on the Courier Mail website as saying there should be consequences for making the wrong choice.
Redlands Mayor Karen Williams crashes car ‘after drinking several glasses of wine’ – ABC News
(Courier Mail, 25-6-22)
Blacktown City Council has unveiled plans for new pools and cultural centres at a cost of $650M. The council has submitted a list of 16 projects to receive $34.5M in direct funding from the $400M WestInvest program, and is seeking a further $647M in WestInvest funding for 12 major infrastructure projects.
They include a $232M community resource hub and aquatic facility at Riverstone; the $50M Mount Druitt Swimming Centre renewal, and the $60M Blacktown Aquatic centre refurbishment and upgrade.
Blacktown is the biggest council area in NSW by population, and the fastest growing.
Blacktown City Council’s $650m plans for new pools, cultural centres | The National Tribune
A regional NSW mayor has called on his ratepayers with second homes to place their property in the local rental market to help address an immediate lack of rental properties in the community.
Euroballa Shire Mayor Mathew Hatcher said his community can’t wait years for homes to be built under the state government’s $500M, four year housing plan.
He said while there is potential regulatory action, as has been taken in Brisbane and Byron Bay, as a first step the council is writing to 8,500 non-resident ratepayers asking them to consider putting their holiday homes into the local rental market for 12 to 24 months.
Mayor Hatcher is hoping owners will repeat the generosity of post the 2019/20 bushfires when more than 80 homes were placed into the rental market.
https://www.esc.nsw.gov.au/news-and-events/latest-news/2022/mayor-continues-housing-crisis-push
The former Mayor of Queensland’s North Burnett Council Rachel Chambers has been appointed CEO of the state’s horticulture peak body, Growcom.
Ms Chambers has most recently been working as Lead Transports and Logistics with the Local Government Association of Queensland. She was Mayor of North Burnett for six years.
She takes up the new role tomorrow, 27th June.
Former Mayor and MP Marianne Saliba has nominated for the by-election in Shellharbour Ward A. It’s one of the by-elections triggered by the failure of the i-Vote system at last year’s council elections.
The ABC is reporting that Ms Saliba will run as an independent candidate if not endorsed as a Labor candidate. She ran for mayor but not councillor at the 2021 election, after serving nine years in the mayoralty.
She was previously the state member for Illawarra for 8 years until 2007.
https://amp-abc-net-au.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.abc.net.au/article/101179718
Briefs:
Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds has confirmed she will seek a second term at the upcoming local government elections in October.
Cr Reynolds told the Hobart Mercury that she had presided over a council with less conflict in the past four years, and a second term would help her make the best contribution to the future of Hobart.
(Hobart Mercury, 25-6-22, page 4)
Southern Mallee Council in South Australia has parted ways with CEO Jason Taylor with a year to run on his contract.
The ABC reports that the council wants a change of leadership ahead of November’s local government elections. The move follows the recent revelation of a $50K overspend on legal fees related to elected member conduct and governance issues.
https://amp-abc-net-au.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.abc.net.au/article/101176302
Hornsby Shire in NSW has again been named the nation’s top mobile phone recyclers.
For the fourth year in a row the shire has topped the Mobile Muster list of top collectors, with residents depositing 670kgs of unwanted mobiles and accessories over a 12 month period – a 34 per cent increase on the previous year.
Hornsby Shire is Australia’s top mobile phone recycler
The Shire of Gunnedah in NSW has signed a sister city agreement with Kolomotu’a in Tonga. Royal Highness Princess Angelika Latufuipeka Tuku’aho from the Kingdom of Tonga visited Gunnedah on Friday for the formal signing ceremony.
Gunnedah agricultural industries rely heavily on seasonal workers from Tonga, many of whom have established long term ties to the local area. Mayor Jamie Chaffey said the agreement will support the building of valuable cultural and education bonds between the two regions.
Gunnedah Shire to sign Sister City agreement with Tonga
International Spotlight:
The business community of Silicon Valley in California is mobilising to oppose a planned increase in the business tax that companies pay to the city of Santa Clara.
The city says an update to the business license tax structure will increase the current income of $900,000 USD into the millions. The model is based on industry and number of employees.
In a report from the San Jose Spotlight, the local chamber of commerce said the proposal would cause a nearly 700% increase in taxes for the largest local based companies. It plans to rally against the proposal ahead of a potential vote by residents in November.
Silicon Valley business group opposes proposed headcount tax
The city of Oslo has become the second Nordic city to join a fast track cities initiative aimed at ending the AIDS epidemic.
400 cities around the world are working locally on achieving a global goal of ending the AIDS threat by 2030.
According to UNAIDS.org, more than half of all people with HIV in Norway live in Oslo, and it is where most new infections in the country are being diagnosed.
Oslo joins the Fast-Track Cities initiative | UNAIDS
And finally, a data security horror story out of Japan this week, where a worker has lost a USB drive containing the personal data of all 460,000 residents of the city of Amagasaki.
The ABC reports that the man was working on a municipal pandemic relief program, and lost the USB during a drinks after work event that went well into the night.
The mayor and senior officials of the city have issued a public apology. They say the data is encrypted and password protected, and there no signs it has been accessed
Japanese worker loses USB containing Amagasaki citizenry’s personal data during night on the town – ABC News
That’s the latest from the Roundup, thanks to the Victorian Local Governance Association, your national broadcaster for all things local government. Subscribe to VLGA Connect on YouTube and podcast for regular sessions with local government identities and decision makers.
I’ll be back with more news from around the world of local government on Wednesday. Until then, thanks for listening and bye for now.