Today on the Local Government News Roundup, Melbourne to push for a change of date for Australia Day; two more Victorian Councils going to market for a new CEO, and another gets a contract extension; a merger of two South Australian councils to be put to a plebiscite; the cost of councillor complaints revealed at Adelaide City Council; and the European council banning the advertising of meat.
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Transcript (with links where available):
Hello and welcome to the Local Government News Roundup. This is your midweek update for the 7th September. I’m Chris Eddy.
Coming up in this edition: Melbourne to push for a change of date for Australia Day; two more Victorian Councils going to market for a new CEO, and another gets a contract extension; a merger of two South Australian councils to be put to a plebiscite; and the European council banning the advertising of meat.
Just some of what’s ahead on the Local Government News Roundup, brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government; and by the Local Government Show 2022 – on the 8th to 10th November at the Accor Stadium in Sydney.
The city of Melbourne is joining the movement for a change of date for Australia Day, after this week endorsing a paper that explored options for approaches to 26th January.
The paper includes the outcomes of an independent survey which showed majority community support for Australia Day to be celebrated on a different date.
The council will continue to hold citizenship ceremonies on the 26th January, and will deliver a community information campaign to enhance community understanding of Aboriginal sentiments relating to the date.
The CEO at Northern Grampians Shire has resigned this week, citing personal reasons.
Liana Thompson has held the position since late 2019, after moving from a director position at Whittlesea City Council.
Her resignation was noted by Mayor Murray Emerson at this week’s council meeting on Monday night.
It’s understood Ms Thompson will take up a director level position with the City of Wyndham next month.
At Warrnambool, the Council has decided to test the market for its CEO position ahead of current CEO Peter Schneider’s contract expiring early next year.
Mayor Vickie Jellie told the Warrnambool Standard that the councillors had considered all the options and decided to explore the market.
Mr Schneider has not indicated if he intends to apply for the position. His contract was terminated in 2020 by the previous Council, a decision he successfully challenged in the Supreme Court before returning to the job in June last year.
(Warrnambool Standard, 6-9-22)
Long term CEO at the Rural City of Wangaratta has received a contract extension after a unanimous Council last week.
Brendan McGrath joined Wangaratta in 2014 after 6 years as CEO at Indigo Shire. The new 5 year contract will extend his tenure through to February 2028.
Councillors at Latrobe City have called for a report exploring options to deal with urgent animal complaints relating to dog attacks, and dealing with aggressive and dangerous dogs.
The move follows concerns from some community members that a quicker response is needed to issues with aggressive dogs.
A unanimous resolution of the Council requires officers to bring forward a report with benchmarking on how other councils manage the seizure of dogs, and consideration of a modified fees and charges cost recovery model for seized dogs.
Emotional support training for Council’s first responders involved in dog attacks will also be explored.
The report will be tabled at a future Council meeting as soon as reasonably practicable.
Here are today’s Victorian Briefs:
Latrobe City Councillor Tracie Lund has announced she is standing as an independent candidate at the state election in the seat of Morwell.
Ms Lund is a first term councillor and is also manager of the Morwell Neighbourhood House.
A countback at Horsham Rural City Council has been conducted. The computer countback returned Robert Redden as the likely new councillor from two unsuccessful candidates from the October 2020 election.
Mr Redden’s election to the council will be confirmed once the necessary eligibility declarations are completed.
Nominations for the Mallee by-election in Buloke Shire open tomorrow. Prospective candidates have until 12 noon on Tuesday 13th September to nominate. Election Day is Saturday 15th October.
And Strathbogie Shire Council is taking to the airwaves with a new monthly radio show. The program, discussing Council news with Mayor Laura Binks, debuted this morning on community station Seymour FM.
Just ahead: a merger of two South Australian councils to be put to a plebiscite; the cost of councillor complaints at Adelaide City Council; and the European council banning the advertising of meat.
You’re listening to the Local Government News Roundup for 7th September 2022, brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association.
With a state election looming, VLGA Connect is presenting a series of live panels and discussions with key players over the coming weeks.
The series comprises moderated live panel discussions, with audience Q&A so that you can ask your questions of panellists on issues of relevance to the local government sector.
The first live panel featured shadow ministers for Local Government, Housing and Planning; Richard Riordan and Ryan Smith; and it’s available for playback on the VLGA Connect YouTube and podcast channels now.
Look out this week for an interview with Dr Jonathan Spear from Infrastructure Victoria about the state’s infrastructure needs and priorities.
And on the 16th September, Local Government Minister Melissa Horne will participate in a live panel event which you are invited to be part of.
Visit the Events page on the VLGA website for details and registrations for the 2022 State Election Series, brought to you by the VLGA.
Heading the National Roundup today:
A potential merger of two councils in South Australia will be put to voters in November as part of the upcoming local government elections.
Premier Peter Malinauskas has announced a plebiscite will be held proposing the merger of Mt Gambier and Grant District councils as a test case, with the potential to merge further councils in the state in the future.
The vote would not be binding and any merger would be subject to further consultation and independent analysis.
The CEO of the Local Government Association of South Australia, Clinton Jury said his group is seeking further details from the Premier on the details of the process.
He said there will need to be informed debate and voters will need time to consider the issues.
The Mayor of the District Council of Grant, Richard Sage, told the ABC that there was no need for a merger and the state government’s proposal was a slap in the face for local governments.
In Adelaide, the legal costs for dealing with councillor code of conduct complaints in the current term have been revealed to be in excess of $130,000.
The Adelaide Advertiser has reported that 21 code of conduct complaints have been investigated over the last four years, of which 9 were substantiated.
(Adelaide Advertiser, 6-9-22, p.5)
The pending closure of a community hospital in Lithgow is causing great concern in that community,
Lithgow Mayor Maree Statham is calling for the ongoing provision of the service currently provided by Lithgow Community Private Hospital, which will cease operation by the end of the year.
The hospital board has made the decision to close, in part due to stresses on the functioning of the 23 year old hospital brought about by COVID-19.
Launceston City Council has released figures on development applications from the last financial year, showing nearly a quarter of a billion dollars worth of development approvals.
$238M across 674 applications was down on the previous year, which included significant pandemic response stimulus money from all levels of government.
Over five years, the city has approved $1.2B in development across more than 3,400 projects.
Here are today’s National Briefs:
A reward is being offered by Griffith City Council after more vandalism this week in which a local park, community gardens and public toilets were damaged.
The city has been hit by a string of vandalism attacks in recent times. $5,000 is on offer for information leading to a conviction.
(Area News, 7-9-22, p.4)
Blue Mountains City Council is fast tracking emergency road repairs, approving $33M of expenditure pending the receipt of state government grant funding.
One third of the city’s road network was damaged in flooding in March, with much of the emergency repairs from that event needed to be redone after more major flooding in July.
A group of NSW Councils are tackling food waste with a new recipe book project.
Inside Local Government reports that Bathurst, Blayney, Cabonne, Orange, Forbes and Parkes councils are calling on residents to share their left-overs inspired recipes, and tips to reduce food waste.
The recipe book will be made available for free download via the councils’ websites.
Just ahead of the International Spotlight, I’m pleased to announce that the Local Government News Roundup is a media partner for the Local Government Show 2022, coming up in November in Sydney.
The event features four knowledge streams on digital technology, parking, resource recovery and smart communities, with a stellar lineup of speakers assembled.
Register by 9th September save up to $700 per delegate, and Roundup listeners can get an extra 10% off the registration fee by using the VIP code LGNR10
More details on the link in the show notes, for the Local Government Show 2022 – 8 to 10 November at Accor Stadium in Sydney.
Now to today’s International Spotlight:
As you’ve no doubt heard, the UK is about to have a new prime minister in Liz Truss, and the local government sector has been quick to call for a reaffirmation of the government’s commitment to levelling up and devolution.
Localgov.co.uk reports that the County Councils Network has said the most immediate challenge for the Government is the cost of living crisis and boosting the economy; and that more powers and funding need to be given to local authorities.
The UK Local Government Association said the change of PM was a perfect opportunity to bring central and local government closer together on devolution and deliver services that reflect local needs and ambitions.
The Dutch city of Haarlem will become the first in the world to ban advertisements for meat in public spaces.
EcoWatch.com reports that the city, west of Amsterdam, has added meat to a list of goods that contribute to climate change.
The prohibition on advertisements for meat will commence in 2024. It will mean advertisements for meat will not be permitted on buses, shelters or screens in the city’s public spaces.
While on the subject of climate change, I have some recommended reading for you from NPR in the US.
They’ve published a piece about the role of parkland in protecting people from the effects of global warming, but also about the effects that global warming is having on those spaces.
Scientists and local governments are working together on ways to make parks more resilient, and the move to employ more people in parks-related roles to meet those demands.
That wraps up another Local Government News Roundup, brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association.
Remember to subscribe to VLGA Connect on YouTube and podcast for regular episodes highlighting local government initiatives, plus the flagship weekly news review on the Governance Update with Stephen Cooper.
I’ll be back with more news from around the world of local government on Sunday . Head to lgnewsroundup.com for breaking news updates and extra interview content.
Until then, thanks for listening and bye for now.