On the weekend update from the Local Government News Roundup:
Winners from around the country in the annual National Local Government Awards;
News on CEO and GM appointments;
A council loses a high court challenge on GST payments;
Some massive rate rises approved in NSW;
Plus councillors removed from office; another directed to issue a public apology to a former CEO; and a former councillor banned from standing at the next elections.
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Transcript (with story links where available):
Hi, this is Chris Eddy, coming to you from the land of the Wadawurrung People with the latest from the Local Government News Roundup.
On the podcast today:
A wrap up of key outcomes from NGA week in Canberra;
Winners from around the country in the annual National Local Government Awards;
News on CEO and GM appointments;
A council loses a high court challenge on GST payments;
Some massive rate rises approved in NSW;
Plus councillors removed from office; another directed to issue a public apology to a former CEO; and a former councillor banned from standing at the next elections.
All of that and much more ahead in your bumper weekend update from the Local Government News Roundup.
Thanks for joining me for today’s podcast – brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association.
It was the week that the local government sector converged on Canberra for the annual National General Assembly – with record attendance and a number of key announcements made over the course of the week.
The Australian Local Government Association has hailed the announcement of a $100M community energy upgrades fund as a result of strong advocacy and leadership.
The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the new fund at the Australian Council of Local Government Forum on Friday.
ALGA President Linda Scott said the fund is a major win for local governments who have been long-term leaders and champions for climate action.
The fund has been developed to enable councils to deliver energy upgrades and bill savings for community facilities like local pools, sporting clubs and community centres.
Cr Scott said the sector would work with the Government to roll-out the new program and ensure the funding is delivered to where it is most needed.
Australian Local Government Association
In a further announcement on Friday, ALGA confirmed that the federal government will bring forward the payment of financial assistance grants in their entirety into this financial year.
The announcement means councils will receive 100% of next year’s allocation within the next two weeks.
ALGA said it had been advocating for this outcome as a way of providing job security in the sector.
Australian Local Government Association
Victorian councils have been well represented in Canberra during the week, with many taking the opportunity to meet with MPs to advocate for their key priorities.
Among them were the mayors of Latrobe, Wellington and East Gippsland Councils who, according to a report from the Herald Sun, met with Forestry Minister Murray Watt on Tuesday to discuss their concerns about the end to native timber logging from January.
Minister Watt was asked for extra support from the federal government.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has criticised the state government plan saying it would kill country towns and jobs in regional Victoria.
Latrobe City Council has again called on all levels of government to support job creation through the attraction of new industry and diversification of the local economy.
Its renewed call for government support follows the announcement of further job losses at the Maryvale Mill in August, which follows the cessation of white pulp and paper manufacturing in January.
Latrobe City Council; Herald Sun, 14-6-23
A highlight of NGA week was once again the announcement of the winners of the National Awards for Local Government, which are in their 37th year.
Victorian councils topped the leaderboard this year with wins in four categories.
Melton City Council’s Moving Melton Transport Prospectus was the winner of the Productivity through Infrastructure category; Mount Alexander Shire won the Indigenous Recognition category; the Disaster Preparedness winner was Buloke Shire for its Paddock Run initiative, including a range of support activities around the October 2022 floods; and Glen Eira was recognised for Addressing Violence against Women with its Glen Eira Mums early intervention service.
There were three NSW winners – Bayside Council for waste management; Blacktown City in the road safety category; and The Hills Shire for cohesive communities.
The Cities of Kalgoorlie-Boulder and Gosnells in WA picked up awards for Women in Local Government, and Creativity and Culture respectively;
And from Queensland, Moreton Bay Regional Council was a dual winner, with a regional growth initiative, and a virtual work experience program.
139 entries were received across the 11 categories from across Australia.
Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories
Greater Geelong City Council is reportedly nearing the end of the process to recruit its new CEO.
The Geelong Advertiser today quotes multiple unnamed sources who say the final two candidates will be interviewed this week.
The story confirms that Acting CEO Kaarina Phyland is not a candidate for the permanent position.
Meanwhile, an announcement on the appointment of a new permanent CEO at Stonnington City Council is getting closer.
The Council held a confidential, unscheduled meeting last night to discuss “changes to personnel and contracts.”
Geelong Advertiser, 17-6-23; Stonnington City Council
In more news out of Stonnington, the Herald Sun revealed this week that a complaint has been lodged with the Local Government Inspectorate alleging a breach or breaches of the Local Government Act in relation to a recent council decision.
The complaint relates to the influence of paid lobbying on the vote of the Council on a heritage overlay zone.
A property owner was seeking to have their property excluded from the overlay, and an amendment moved in the chamber to do that was defeated on the casting vote of the mayor.
Herald Sun, 4-6-23
Greater Shepparton Mayor Shane Sali was among the local government representatives at a Government House dinner this week, held to recognise the service of many communities during their response to recent disasters.
Governor-General the Honourable David Hurley and Mrs Linda Hurley hosted more than 20 mayors at the event, and Cr Sali said it was a real honour to attend on behalf of Greater Shepparton.
The recognition event follows a visit by the Governor-General to Greater Shepparton last October in the midst of the floods, where he viewed the devastation and the work of emergency service workers and volunteers first hand.
Greater Shepparton City Council
Now in today’s Victorian Briefs:
The City of Greater Geelong is calling for community feedback on cat curfews, as part of a review that is considering the option of 24 hour cat confinement.
The review is an action from the city’s new domestic animal management plan.
Geelong currently has a sunrise to sunset cat curfew in place.
Meanwhile, questions are being asked on whether a 30 year ban on cat ownership in Halls Gap has been effective.
The ABC reports that while no formal survey has been conducted to see whether the ban has protected native wildlife, Northern Grampians Mayor Kevin Erwin says it is working as there aren’t many cats around.
Parks Victoria has trapped 16 feral cats and 23 foxes in the area since July last year.
The VLGA has announced the results of this month’s board elections.
Current president Cr Denise Massoud from Whitehorse City Council and board member Cr Susanne Newton from Darebin City Council have been re-elected for a further three year term.
Victorian Local Governance Association
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Now for some of the stories making local government news from around Australia this week.
Hornsby Council has lost its High Court case, challenging the validity of council GST payments.
After the council paid $3100 notional GST on the sale of a vehicle, it argued that the GST liability was a tax on property belonging to the state, and that it was invalid.
AAP reports that the court heard the council could choose to pay the notional GST immediately, or have future grant payments reduced by the same amount.
The court found unanimously that the council’s inclusion of the notional GST in its BAS was not compelled by federal law, and dismissed the case.
Seventeen NSW councils have been given approval for special rate variations, clearing the way for rate rises in excess of the rate cap for next year.
Amongst the councils set to increase rate significantly is Strathfield Council, which plans to implement a 93% increase over four years – 35 per cent to come in the 2023/24 financial year.
At Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council, the increase will be 64% over three years; and Armidale Regional Council plans an increase of 59% over three years.
The biggest one year increase is on the way next year for Lithgow City Council, where rates will go up by 46 per cent.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that in reaching its decisions, IPART considered cost-of-living pressures on ratepayers, but also the impact on communities if councils were unable to deliver services.
The findings of an audit of financial management and governance at MidCoast Council were tabled in the NSW Parliament this week.
The report found that the council had not met all legislative and policy requirements for long-term financial planning, and that there were financial management and governance gaps in recent years – some of which have been addressed.
Council General Manager Adrian Panuccio said the findings did not come as a surprise, and that the recommendations in the report were consistent with the improvement path the Council has been on since early 2021.
Mr Panuccio expressed concerns with the narrow focus of the audit, and said there was a missed opportunity to provide significant value to the sector by taking a wider view.
A former Newcastle councillor has been banned from holding civic office for two years, and will not be eligible to stand at next year’s NSW council elections.
News.com.au and the ABC have reports on the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal order that Allan Robinson be prohibited from contesting the next election after being found to have made grossly homophobic statements about Deputy Mayor Declan Causen, and remarking on the weight of female councillors.
NCAT said that Mr Robinson’s conduct was clearly discriminatory, and found him guilty of eight allegations.
It said that such conduct diminishes public confidence in local government, and that there was an unacceptable risk that other councillors would be subjected to similar behaviour if he were to be re-elected.
Local councils in New South Wales have expressed concern over the state government’s decision to fast-track major housing projects worth over $75 million through the “state significant development” pathway, bypassing local councils and planning panels.
The move has been criticised by LGNSW President, Darriea Turley, who warned that it would be a denial of local democracy.
However, Cr Turley has obtained a commitment from the government that the local government sector would be involved in developing the framework to address the housing crisis.
She also emphasised that planning processes must not violate council-led local plans and should allow councils to play a key role in assessing overall strategic merit.
In South Australia, two City of Salisbury councillors have been officially removed from their positions after failing to attend Council meetings over recent months.
Grace Bawden, who opposed the installation of security cameras with face-recognition capabilities as part of the City of Salisbury’s Smart Cities program, was removed in a vote at a special council meeting on Tuesday.
Severina Burner was also removed unanimously after swearing at councillors during an online meeting and posting an image of a swastika on social media while the installation of the security cameras was being debated.
Mayor Gillian Aldridge told the ABC that the reason for the special meeting was not the councillors’ behaviour, but the councillors’ breach of the Local Government Act by missing three ordinary council meetings.
The South Australian Electoral Commission will set a date for council by-elections to replace the two councillors.
In Tasmania, The Advocate in Burnie has reported on the appointment of a new General Manager at Central Coast Council.
Experienced local government executive Barry Omundson, who previously worked at Central Coast in a director role, will commence a four year term as GM from July.
Mr Omundson was most recently the CEO of Walcha Council in NSW, and has also served in senior roles at Whitsunday and Mackay councils in Queensland; and as CEO of the Fiji Water Authority.
He succeeds Sandra Ayton, who stepped down earlier this year after 15 years in the position, and more than 40 years in the council organisation.
The Advocate, 15-6-23
A decision to ban certain newspapers from Council facilities in WA’s Town of Cambridge has been overturned after being revealed in media coverage this week.
It was revealed earlier this week that the PerthNow and the Post newspapers had not been available at its library or the council’s administration building for some months, over concerns that negative media coverage of the council represented a psychological hazard to staff.
The West Australian said the initial decision had been made last year by the town’s acting CEO Kelton Hincks, after concerns were raised by Mayor Keri Shannon with a council executive.
When revealed by the media this week, at least one councillor called for the policy to be reversed.
Cr Gary Mack said self-reflection about council decisions and whether there was sufficient community consultation would be a better approach than just banning papers due to bad coverage.
By Friday evening, a spokesperson announced that an administrative error and miscommunication were behind the removal of the papers.
They said the matter was now rectified and the papers were again freely available from the Cambridge library.
A former deputy mayor and councillor at the City of Cockburn has been found in breach of local government regulations, and ordered to issue a public apology.
The State Administrative Tribunal found that Lee-Anne Smith made a misleading and derogatory Facebook post in November 2019, that was intended to cause detriment to the Council’s then CEO Stephen Cain; and that she had failed to make an impartiality declaration on three occasions at special council meetings.
Ms Smith’s public apology was published on the City of Cockburn’s Facebook page last week, as per instructions from the Tribunal.
Briefly:
In WA, Shire of Mundaring CEO Jonathan Throssell has announced a move to the Town of East Fremantle as its new CEO.
Mr Throssell announced last month that he would not be applying to keep his position at Mundaring when his contract expired at the end of this year.
The Mayor of Tasmania’s Break O’Day Council, Mick Tucker, has been elected as President of the Local Government Association of Tasmania.
Mayor Tucker takes over from West Tamar Mayor Christina Holmdahl who has held the position for two terms.
He has been LGAT’s Vice President since 2021.
Local Government Association of Tasmania
Toowoomba Regional Council in Qld was this week forced to close two waste management facilities due to clean-up required from illegal dumping.
The Goombungee and Cecil Plains facilities are expected to be closed until at least mid next week, dependent on contractor ability to complete specialised clean-up works.
Toowoomba Councillor Nancy Sommerfield described the dumping of the wrong sorts of materials by members of the public as disappointing.
Now for today’s International Spotlight:
A Los Angeles City Councilman Curren Price Jr. has been charged with 10 counts, including embezzlement and perjury, by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The charges are related to having a financial interest in projects that he voted on as a council member and having the city pay nearly $34,000 in medical benefits for his now-wife while he was still married to another woman.
Price’s wife allegedly received payments totaling more than $150,000 from developers before Price voted to approve projects, and he is accused of failing to list the money his wife received on government disclosure forms.
Price has called the charges “unwarranted” and has stepped down from committee assignments and leadership responsibilities.
The council is reportedly considering taking action to suspend Councilmember Price, but is taking a cautious approach, and waiting for Mr Price to respond to the charges.
The LA Times reports that on two occasions since 2020, the council moved quickly to suspend two other council members – one of whom was arrested by the FBI, and another who was indicted on federal corruption charges.
More from Pix11.com and Los Angeles Times
The deputy leader of the Isle of Anglesey county council in North Wales, Ieuan Williams, has resigned after making a comment during a meeting that “all Tories should be shot”.
Williams, an independent councillor, has apologised for the remark and referred himself to the council’s standards committee.
His comment was made in an “emotionally charged statement” following a presentation on poverty on Anglesey, according to a report from The Guardian.
Williams said his comment was not directed at any individual, but was a reaction to hearing that food bank use on Anglesey had increased by 99% since November 2022.
Conservative politicians have condemned the remark and called for the council leader to take action, saying Williams’ comment was “out-and-out hate.”
Woking Borough Council has been found to have borrowed £160m for purposes outside regulations and had poor record keeping, leading to its bankruptcy.
Last week, the council revealed its debts were set to hit £2.6bn and issued a Section 114 notice, halting all spending on non-essential services.
The council will continue to pay staff and provide statutory services, including those for the vulnerable and homeless.
The council will require significant financial support from the government to balance its budget in the coming years.
The BBC reports that councillors will vote next week on recommendations arising from a review into how it fell into bankruptcy.
Meanwhile, a government-commissioned report has criticised Thurrock council for its dysfunctional leadership and for recklessly gambling hundreds of millions of pounds on risky commercial investments.
The council declared effective bankruptcy in December 2022 after running up a £500m deficit, triggered by a series of financial speculations funded by a £1.5bn borrowing spree.
The review concluded that the council’s failures amounted to an “abdication of responsibility” by politicians and senior managers.
The council is now under special measures and run by a government-appointed team of commissioners.
It is expected to have to approach the government for a bailout as it attempts to try to balance the books.
And to Scotland, where an independent review has criticised Renfrewshire Council as “grossly incompetent” for its handling of a miscalculation that left a village without enough primary school places.
The review found the council’s planning to be “woefully inadequate;” and its officials to have displayed arrogance and behaved in an amateur manner.
The BBC reports that the council has apologised for the error, which left the community up to 1,000 primary school places short, and is in talks with landowners to secure a site for a new primary school.
Parents have expressed disappointment with the report, noting that their concerns were previously ignored, and some now face splitting their children between different schools or moving home.
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That’s the latest from the Roundup for the 17th June 2023.
A reminder to Friends of the Roundup that you can listen to the June edition of Council Conversations right now – featuring interviews on how local governments overseas are tackling homelessness and what we can learn from them; and a look at a comprehensive study on how local governments in four countries responded to the pandemic.
That episode is available exclusively to subscribers for a short time, and will be released to all listeners this coming week.
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The Local Government News Roundup is recorded in the city of Greater Geelong, Victoria, on the land of the Wadawurrung People of the Kulin Nation.
I’ll be back with the midweek update on Wednesday. Until then, thanks for listening, and bye for now.