On the latest summer edition of the Local Government News Roundup,
Councils across the country in emergency response and recovery mode;
More councils move citizenship ceremonies away from 26th January;
A council library service hit by a cyber attack;
The most complained about councils in NSW revealed;
CEO recruitment news;
and we can even help if you’re looking for a good book to read this summer.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government.
Listen to this episode here, and find the link for your podcast player here.
Transcript for episode 289:
As 2024 gets underway, many councils are in full-on emergency response and recovery mode after more extreme weather lashed many areas down the eastern seaboard of the country.
In East Gippsland Shire, the town of Buchan was hit hard by flash flooding on Boxing Day. It claimed the lives of two people and caused significant damage to public and private infrastructure.
The council was called on to establish a relief centre and the Buchan Caves Reserve was closed.
Mayor Cr Tom Crook said it had been devastating for the community and holiday makers, and he called for people to adhere to warnings, road closures and other advice from emergency services.
Council facilities and infrastructure in South Gippsland Shire were impacted by the torrential rain and council officers have been working to clear and stabilise roads and support impacted residents.
Severe weather in southeast Queensland this week has seen rainfall totals in the hundreds of millimetres and serious impacts across many council areas including Gold Coast, Scenic Rim and Logan.
Redland Council opened sandbagging stations for the community on New Year’s Day ahead of more severe weather warnings.
Many local roads and tracks and trails in all conservation areas on Redlands Coast were closed until further notice.
Gold Coast Council said the extreme weather had left a mammoth clean-up task, with crews out clearing fallen trees after 250mm of rain was recorded in 24 hours.
The city said it is working on a plan for large green waste and storm debris in impacted communities.
In Logan, heavy falls in the catchments are leading to minor and moderate flooding in the city, but peaks are not expected to reach those experienced last year or in 2017.
More than 100 roads across the city of Logan have been impacted or were closed as of late yesterday.
On the Sunshine Coast, the council’s disaster hub currently lists 49 roads closed due to current conditions and flash flooding.
The number of councils choosing not to hold citizenship ceremonies on the 26th January is growing and attracting media attention.
There have been numerous stories this past week from the likes of the Herald Sun, Sky News and the Daily Mail reporting “fury and dismay” at the trend which will now see more than 81 of the nation’s 537 councils hold ceremonies on alternative dates.
They include the City of Sydney and the City of Adelaide.
15 of Victoria’s 79 councils are understood to have relocated ceremonies away from the 26th January, in line with new commonwealth guidelines.
There are 18 in NSW, 10 in Queensland, 7 in South Australia and Tasmania, and two in the Northern Territory according to a list published by media outlets.
Woollahra Council has been the subject of a cyberattack, targeting its library systems.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that library account holders had been told via email about the attack and the potential exposure of their data.
The cyber attack on 15th December took some library functions offline, and the software provider has since secured the system.
Eastern suburbs council warns library users of potential data breach
Central Coast Council has topped a list of the most number of complaints about councils to the NSW Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman’s 2022/23 annual report shows 121 complaints were received about Central Coast, while Lane Cove Council had the highest rate of complaints per resident population.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the rate of complaints at Lane Cove was driven by an online petition which the Ombudsman said had automatically generated complaints about controversial sports complex and green space issues.
The story also includes concerns from councils about the reporting of complaints and the fairness of the data, and resident concerns about the effectiveness of the Ombudsman’s complaint handling approach.
A suspended Gold Coast councillor is intending to contest the upcoming council elections, despite being charged with the murder of his stepfather last year.
ABC News and the Gold Coast Bulletin ($) have reported on Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden’s plans to try and retain his council seat, and fight any further suspensions if he is re-elected in March.
Mr Bayldon-Lumsden is on bail and took a voluntary suspension with full pay while the matter goes through the courts.
The case has been adjourned until later this month and he says he will be pleading not guilty.
The local government minister, Meaghan Scanlon, has said Mr Bayldon-Lumsden’s eligibility to contest the election will depend on when the charge is determined by the courts.
The Cairns Post has published a story on spending by candidates in the lead up to the council elections.
Collectively candidates have so far spent nearly $100,000 with ten weeks to go.
Campaign spending is capped at $15,000 for councillor candidates, and up to $116,540 for mayoral candidates.
A councillor’s proposal to discontinue the Acknowledgement of Country at meetings of The Barossa Council has failed to attract a seconder in the chamber.
The motion was brought forward by Cr Bruce Preece and flagged in local media ahead of time.
Mayor Bim Lange said he had nothing but praise for the response in the Chamber last month, which “spoke volumes in its silence”.
He said the 10 councillors who refused to second the proposed motion spoke loud and clear.
It follows decisions at two other South Australian councils last month to remove or reduce the use of an Acknowledgement of Country at meetings and in official documents.
Phillip Cassell, the chief executive of the Shire of Halls Creek in WA has resigned after allegations were raised against him during a closed-door session at a council meeting, according to ABC News.
The council has not disclosed the nature of the allegations, but it has confirmed the engagement of an independent investigator.
Shire president Malcolm Edwards and other councillors have declined to provide information to the ABC about what are understood to be multiple allegations.
Through a spokesperson, the council said it had made the local government minister Hannah Beazley aware of the matter.
The ABC also has the story of the WA council that has erected large signs advising drivers to ignore GPS directions which have been sending them down unsealed and potentially unsafe roads.
The Shire of Quairading, two hours east of Perth, says it has tried to have the online maps corrected to no avail.
The signs tell drivers, “You’re GPS is wrong, this is not the best route to Perth”, and to turn around and take an alternative route.
A temporary chief executive has been appointed at the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River.
Stephanie Addision-Brown, who recently resigned the position, has taken her leave entitlements and departed the organisation ahead of an official finish date in February.
Arthur Kyron, a former CEO at the City of Canning, was appointed as temporary CEO last month for a 6 month period while a recruitment process is undertaken.
Recruitment is underway for council CEO positions in South Australia and Western Australia.
Thee District Council of Peterborough, the mid-north of the state, is looking for an experienced senior executive, with applications invited now through McArthur.
Coober Pedy council has renewed its call for applications for the CEO position. That recruitment is also being handled by McArthur.
WA’s Shire of Woodanilling has also called for applications for the CEO position by 17th January. FitzGerald Strategies is handling the recruitment process.
UK councils have been warned about the potential for foreign interference in local government elections to be hold this year.
Localgov.co.uk reported that the ministers have written to councils warning that recent malicious cyber activity by Russian intelligence services was not isolated and could extend to local elections.
A London council will require companies to prove their commitment to LGBT inclusion values to be eligible to get work from the council, according a report from the Telegraph.
Camden Council says it is building LGBTQ+ equality into its procurement processes, as part of a range of measures to ensure internal policies and processes are inclusive.
A Canadian councillor has been given more time to respond to an edict from a government minister to either comply with sanctions or resign from the council.
Murray Harbour councillor John Robertson has been at the centre of controversy since erecting signs that denied the existence of mass graves around former residential schools and Indian hospitals across Canada.
He was suspended by the council, and asked to pay a $500 fine and write a letter of apology.
He has refused to comply, and the responsible minister gave him until New Years Eve to do so.
According to CBC News, the Minister has now said he will allow more time for the councillor to decide on how to proceed.
And finally, if you’re looking for some reading recommendations this summer, look no further that the City of Boroondara’s annual Hottest 100 adult fiction titles list.
The council’s library has published the list of the most borrowed books in either physical or digital form.
For the third time, Australian author Jane Harper has topped the list with her book Exiles.
The author with the most titles on the list is Taylor Jenkins Reid, with four entries.
You can find the list on the council’s website – link in the show notes.