Today on the Local Government News Roundup, aVictorian Mayor considering a landmark defamation case against Chat GPT; CEO news from Victoria and Western Australia; redundancies proposed due to budget pressures at Greater Geelong; double duty for some NSW councillors elected to State Parliament; a WA council draws criticism from the Local Government Minister; a NSW council the first to move on banning Tik Tok; and much more local government news.
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Transcript (with story links where available):
Hi, this is Chris Eddy, with the latest from the Local Government News Roundup.
On the podcast today:
A Victorian Mayor considering a landmark defamation case against Chat GPT;
CEO news from Victoria and Western Australia;
Redundancies proposed due to budget pressures at Greater Geelong;
Double duty for some NSW councillors elected to State Parliament;
A WA council draws criticism from the Local Government Minister;
A NSW council the first to move on banning Tik Tok;
And much more ahead in the latest update from the Local Government News Roundup.
Thanks for joining me for today’s podcast – brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association.
Here are some of the Victorian council related stories making news in recent days.
A Victorian mayor is considering suing the owner of the ChatGPT – the automated language tool driven by AI technology that launched last year.
It has been widely reported that Brian Hood, mayor of Hepburn Shire, was named by the tool as a guilty party in a foreign bribery scandal when he was the one who alerted authorities.
According to the Guardian, Cr Hood’s lawyers say he was never charged with a crime, and he is concerned about reputational damage from Chat GPT’s false claims.
Chat GPT’s owner, OpenAI, has been given an opportunity to fix the errors or face a possible defamation suit.
His legal firm says it would likely be a landmark case in that it would be seeking to apply defamation law to a new era of artificial intelligence.
Source: The Guardian
A reported 19 positions are set to be made redundant at the City of Greater Geelong.
The Geelong Advertiser says budget pressures are driving structural changes, in a bid to make the organisation more financially sustainable and efficient.
The positions to go are believed to include office based positions in community service areas such as social equity, social housing and multicultural diversity.
The changes are part of a restructure process aimed at reinvesting in services most aligned to community needs , according to acting CEO Karina Phyland.
The council’s latest financial report shows a forecast operating deficit of $1.4M for the year.
A spokesperson for the Australian Services Union told the Advertiser that the proposals display a lack of managerial compassion and poor executive judgement.
Source: Geelong Advertiser, 6-4-23
Corangamite Shire Council has appointed its next chief executive officer.
David Rae, a former director at Corangamite, will return to the council in the top job in late May.
He is currently Director Community and Corporate Services at Moyne Shire Council.
Michael Tudball will remain as interim CEO until Mr Rae’s commencement.
Source: Corangamite Shire Council
Meanwhile, at Manningham City Council, CEO Andrew Day has been reappointed on a new five year deal.
Mr Day took up the role in September 2018.
The contract renewal was resolved unanimously by the Council at its March meeting.
Source: Manningham City Council
Melbourne’s Bayside City Council is considering next steps for some of its infrastructure projects, after concerning news about one of its contractors.
The Council was notified late last month that the Lloyd Group had placed itself into voluntary administration.
Lloyd Group had been delivering the Dendy Street Beach Pavilion project and the expansion of the Tulip Street Basketball Stadium.
In a statement, the Council said it shares the community’s disappointment with delays to the delivery of these important facilities.
Source: Bayside City Council
28 Victorian councils will share in $1.6M in grants announced by the state government this week, as part of the TAC Local Government Grant Program.
Minister Melissa Horne was in Glen Eira on Tuesday where one of the 35 road safety projects will be delivered.
18 of those projects are infrastructure, while the remainder are analysis projects investigating safety and speed management issues and concepts.
Applications for the 2023 funding round will open in June.
Source: Victorian Government
Now in today’s Victorian Briefs:
The cultural and natural history of Hobsons Bay will be celebrated later this month when 25 events will be held as part of the Heritage Hobsons Bay Festival.
The festival, from 17 to 30th April, forms part of the month-long National Trust Australian Heritage Festival. Most events are free.
Source: Hobsons Bay City Council
The Federal Local Government Minister Kristy McBain was in Gippsland last week, meeting with Councils and community organisations, and being briefed on a range of local projects.
Among those to host a visit were South Gippsland, East Gippsland and Latrobe councils.
Source: Kristy McBain, LinkedIn
Mainstreet Australia has launched its annual conference program, with the theme of Think Big, Act Local.
Community builders, urban designers, placemakers and economic development experts will converge on Hobart from the 2nd to 4th August this year.
Conference details and ticket bookings are available now at mainstreetaustralia.org.au
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Now for some of the stories making local government news from around Australia this week.
Western Australia’s Local Government Minister John Carey wants the Town of Cambridge to reconsider its decision to switch to attendance voting at this year’s council elections.
The minister has expressed concerns about a lack of community consultation leading to the decision at a special council meeting called for 8am on Wednesday of last week.
He says the change will make it more difficult for people to cast their votes, while the WA electoral commission estimates it will see voter participation drop from 30 to 10 per cent.
Town of Cambridge Mayor Keri Shannon told the ABC the move was about giving voters more options and to improve the integrity of the vote due to concerns about ballot harvesting in a postal election.
Previous elections have been entirely postal, and Mayor Shannon said ratepayers would still be able to apply for postal votes or cast early votes.
Source: Minister for Local Government; ABC News
A number of sitting councillors in NSW were elected to state parliament at last month’s state elections, and some are planning to hold on to their councillor positions until September 2024.
However, one such councillor – the Lord Mayor of Parramatta, Donna Davis – is under pressure to step down as lord mayor amid concerns about conflicts of interest and the capacity to do both jobs at the same time.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports this morning that councillors are set to debate a motion this week, brought by independent councillor Lorraine Wearne, calling on Cr Davis to resign as mayor.
So far, Cr Davis is resisting the calls to step down.
At Northern Beaches, mayor Michael Regan has said he will remain on council but will resign as mayor, after being elected as an independent in the seat of Wakehurst, previously held by former Health Minister Brad Hazzard.
A number of other councillors elected to parliament, including at Penrith, Liverpool and Wollondilly, are expected to retain their council positions. Legislation allows them to continue until their term ends, or for two years, whichever is shorter.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald
Mosman Council has formally decided to ban the use of the controversial Tik Tok app on Council-issued devices.
The ban comes into effect with the adoption of a new IT and Cyber Security Policy at last week’s Council meeting.
The new policy follows a review of its cyber security policy framework, in response to an internal audit report received last year.
The Council has also adopted an updated Social Media Policy.
Source: Mosman Council
The City of Melville will part ways with its Chief Executive Officer Marten Tieleman later this year, after the Council rejected his request for a contract extension.
Mr Tieleman had proposed a 10 month extension through the end of September 2024 to support the city through a period of change.
Mayor George Gear said that the Council has decided to stick with the original contract period, which ends on the 20th November this year.
He said the details of a chief executive officer recruitment process will be worked through in the coming weeks.
Source: City of Melville
In Alice Springs, the Mayor has come in for criticism for signing a letter expressing Council support for a controversial project without consulting fellow councillors.
ABC News reports that a proposed horticultural precinct at Singleton Station would see the granting of Australia’s largest ever water licence, raising concerns about environmental impacts amongst traditional owners and others.
Project supporters point to the creation of jobs and a huge economic injection of millions of dollars.
Mayor Matt Paterson has apologised for the wording of the letter, which commits support from Alice Springs Town Council despite not bringing the matter before the Council for formal consideration.
He said it was a simple error of wording that he has rectified.
After 98 submissions were made, the project has been referred to an environmental impact statement process.
Source: ABC News
At the NT’s Barkly Regional Council, voting in one of two by-elections will proceed next month to fill two vacancies; while a further two vacancies in a separate ward have been declared filled after only two nominations were received.
The vacancies arose after the surprise resignation of four councillors in December.
The council’s CEO Emma Bradbury also resigned recently while on leave, and its Mayor Jeffrey McLaughlin was charged for a second time with driving under the influence of drugs.
The NT Independent reports that Cr McLaughlin continues to maintain his innocence. The Council’s website currently lists the CEO position as TBA.
Source: NT Independent; Barkly Regional Council
News that double-stacked trains will not travel through the City of Logan has been welcomed by Mayor Darren Power.
An independent review of the Inland Rail project has recommended an intermodal terminal be constructed near Ipswich, which would effectively end the route at that point for double stacked carriages.
Mayor Power said the recommendation, which has been supported in principle by the Federal Government was a small and long overdue win after years of the community’s concerns being ignored.
Source: Logan City Council
The last Council-operated aged care home in Perth will close its doors on 30 June.
The City of Canning was unable to find a buyer for the 42 bed Canning Lodge facility, and has now resolved to close the home and support residents to transition to new care providers.
According to the Weekly Source, financial losses at the home were expected to increase this year, prompting the search for a buyer.
Mayor Patrick Hall said it has been a struggle to fill the beds since the onset of COVID-19, and changing regulatory requirements had increased the inherent risk in running a high care facility.
Source: The Weekly Source
Briefly:
A former long term mayor has been appointed as Minister for Local Government in NSW, following the recent state elections.
Ron Hoenig was mayor of the former city of Botany Bay for 31 years before being elected to State Parliament in 2012.
Source: NSW Government
There’s been a councillor resignation at WA’s City of Wanneroo.
Natalie Sangalli is stepping down as Central-West Ward councillor after eight years on the council, during which she served as Deputy Mayor from 2017-2019.
The Council is considering options to fill the vacancy in accordance with the Local Government Act.
Source: City of Wanneroo
Adelaide City Council is reportedly planning to cease the practice of reciting a Christian prayer at the start of its meetings.
Vision Christian Media reports that the Australian Christian Lobby has launched a petition against the plan.
It’s understood the Council will retain an Acknowledgement of Country at its meetings.
Source: Vision Christian Media
The Australian Local Government Association is asking the Federal Government to make $10M available in its upcoming budget to help councils prepare for and deal with cyber attacks.
In a budget submission, ALGA has also asked for a dedicate local government Chief Information Security Officer to be appointed in the Australian Cyber Security Centre.
Source: Australian Local Government Association
Now for today’s International Spotlight:
The fallout from a controversial marketing campaign at a Canadian city continues, with calls for the resignation of the Mayor and the CEO of a council tourism agency.
The proposed rebranding at the city of Regina was short lived after a massive backlash to the use of slogans such as “the city that rhymes with fun” and “show me your Regina.”
CBC reports that the controversy has attracted attention across Canada and internationally, making news on the BBC, in the Washington Post, and on VLGA Connect and Local Government News Roundup.
The city council was blindsided by the campaign launch. Some councillors have been highly critical, calling for its removal, and protesters have been mobilising calling for heads to roll.
They’ve also called for a full inquiry, and for immediate inclusivity and sexual harrassment training and education for all at the city and its agencies from the mayor and councillors on down.
Source: CBC News
A world first in Scotland, with the launch of self-driving buses to serve a busy public transit route from next month.
The Guardian reports that five single decker buses will cover a 14 mile route between a Park and Ride facility in Fife to the Edinburgh train and tram interchange.
While the buses will uses sensors to travel on a pre-determined route, current legislation means two members of staff will be required to monitor the technology and assist passengers. That’s twice as many as a normal bus.
The government, which has supported the initiative financially, says it is working on an updated legal framework.
Edinburgh is the first of at least four European cities planning driverless buses. Cities in Switzerland, Germany and Norway are expected to have driverless electric minibuses in service by 2025.
Source: The Guardian
And in New Zealand, the extent of the problem with falling street lamps in Wellington is far greater than first thought, with the city council now seeking government help to deal with the problem.
We previously reported that a very small batch of street lamps had a fault which could cause the 15kg lamps to collapse, presenting a very real safety risk to the public.
The small number was increased to about 1,000, but its now believed to be a number that is significantly higher.
Stuff reports that city councillors are growing impatient, as they’re yet to be briefed on the full extent of the issue, finding out about the problem through media reports.
Source: Stuff.co.nz
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That’s the latest from the Roundup for the 10th April 2023.
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I’ll be back soon with more of the latest local government news. Until next time, thanks for listening, and bye for now.