Today on the Roundup, the by-election result at Northern Grampians; more details on Moira’s Commission of Inquiry; a host of mayoral election results from Victoria and South Australia; Hepburn makes a final decision on the Rex; rising concerns over the safety of e-bikes and scooters; and we talk about digital transformation in the local government sector.
Listen to this episode here, and find the link for your podcast player here for any of the 171 episodes so far. Scroll down for the transcript for episode 171 with story links.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association,the national broadcast on all things local government; and by Technology One’s 2022 Local Government Digital Transformation Index – download the new report now to find out how your council shapes up.
Transcript (with story links)
Episode 171 LG News Roundup, 13th November 2022
Hello and welcome to the Local Government News Roundup. This is your update for the 13th November. I’m Chris Eddy.
Today, the by-election result at Northern Grampians; more details on Moira’s Commission of Inquiry; a host of mayoral election results from Victoria and South Australia; Hepburn makes a final decision on the Rex; rising concerns over the safety of e-bikes and scooters; and we talk about digital transformation in the local government sector.
And much more 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 Technology One’s 2022 Local Government Digital Transformation Index – new report out now.
First up today –
The results are in, from the Northern Grampians Shire by-election, triggered by the death of former mayor and councillor Tony Driscoll earlier this year.
The successful candidate is Karen Hyslop, who was formerly a councillor in the shire from 2012. She contested and was successful at the 2020 election, but elected not to be sworn-in, triggering a by-election at that time.
Cr-elect Hyslop was one of three candidates contesting the by-election, all of them women.
The makeup of the Moira Shire Council Commission of Inquiry is now known.
The commission, established to look into the effective functioning of the Council and its administration, will be headed by Frances O’Brien KC – a former commissioner at Ararat and Geelong.
Ms O’Brien is joined on the commission by former Ararat commissioner and Brimbank administrator John Tanner.
The commission of inquiry was announced just prior to the state government caretaker period, and has until 28th February to report back to the local government minister.
Two more councillors announced a run for State Parliament late in the week, with their councils announcing leave of absence arrangements in both cases.
At Bayside, Cr Clarke Martin has taken leave from his councillor duties while he contests the state election as an independent candidate in the seat of Sandringham;
While at Moyne Shire, Cr Jim Doukas is taking time away from the council to stand in the South West District.
Now for the latest mayoral election results – these had all come in since our last edition on Wednesday.
There’s a new mayor at Port Phillip.
Cr Heather Cunsolo was chosen to lead the council for the forthcoming term, and becomes the city’s 15th mayor.
The longest serving member of the current council, Andrew Bond, was elected as deputy mayor.
Rob Steane is back in the mayoral robes at Maroondah for the third time. He’ll be supported by Tasa Damante asdeputy mayor for the next 12 months.
Whitehorse City Council has a new mayor and deputy.
Mark Lane is taking over from Tina Liu as mayor, while Denise Massoud has passed on the deputy mayoral duties to Prue Cutts.
In the city of Kingston, first term councillor Hadi Saab will now be a first term mayor; and Chris Hill is the new deputy mayor.
Chris Potter is a second time mayor at Colac Otway. He previously held the role in 2016 during his first year on the Council. The council decided against having an office of deputy mayor.
At Buloke, Alan Getley, the former deputy mayor, is now the mayor for the new term, while former mayor David Pollard is the deputy.
The mayoral team at Hindmarsh Shire is Brett Ireland as mayor and Melanie Albrecht as deputy.
First term councillor Hanna El Mouallem has been elected to the mayoralty at Bayside City Council; he will be supported by Jo Samuel-King in the deputy mayoral role.
Jo Armstrong has been re-elected for a further mayoral term at Ararat Rural City Council, and Bob Sanders is deputy mayor.
Long time deputy mayor at Moira Shire, Peter Lawless was elected as mayor last week, just days after the resignation from council of former mayor Libro Mustica.
The deputy mayor is Julie Brooks.
The new mayor at Greater Dandenong is first term councillor Eden Foster, who served as deputy mayor last year.
Stepping up to deputy mayor this year is Lana Formoso.
And Friday night, Hobsons Bay elected Antoinette Briffa as mayor, and Diana Grima as deputy mayor. Cr Briffa held the mayoralty previously at Hobsons Bay in 2012.
Another 20 or so councils will hold their mayoral elections this coming week.
You can keep up to date with results as they become available on the Local Government News Roundup website.
Now to other news
Hepburn Shire has made a final decision to sell the Rex, an iconic Daylesford building purchased in 2016 for more than $6M.
The Bendigo Advertiser reports that the future of the building has been controversial in the community, with a survey earlier this year showing 66 percent of respondents opposed the sale.
It was intended to use the building for community facilities and staffing accommodation, but the council will now review its land and building holdings with a view to finding alternative solutions for those needs.
(Bendigo Advertiser, 12th Nov, p.18)
Despite an announcement of $558M in government funding for an upgrade of the Albury Hospital, Wodonga Council says it will continue to push for a new hospital on a greenfield site.
Mayor Kev Poulton said this week that an upgrade was a second-best solution, and the border communities deserved better.
In a statement, the council said it backs the purpose of a rally due to be held today, Sunday, as part of the push for a new hospital site.
Greater Shepparton City Council is to receive state government funding support for housing options for flood-displaced residents.
The council will re-establish the Aspen Lodge Caravan Park with up to 30 new units for affected residents, and it will be part of a new Shepparton Housing Taskforce being established to find the best housing solutions.
Early impact assessments estimate at least 260 households in the Shepparton area need access to extended temporary accommodation.
The CEO at Yarra Ranges Shire Council, Tammi Rose, has been reappointed for a further five year term.
The announcement was made by the newly re-elected mayor Jim Child at the council meeting this week. Ms Rose commenced in the role at Yarra Ranges in early 2019.
Meanwhile, Merri-bek Council is calling on the Australian Government to sign and ratify a treaty to ban nuclear weapons.
The council says it is one of 43 around the country to support the treaty, and it has joined the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons’ Cities Appeal.
Whitehorse City Council has announced that its newly redeveloped performing arts venue will be called The Round.
The redevelopment on the site of the Whitehorse Centre will include a 600 seat auditorium, studio theatre and soundshell, and is expected to be completed by late 2023.
Coming Up: mayoral election results coming in from South Australia; an adviser appointed and a performance improvement order issued to Kiama Council; rising concerns over the safety of e-bikes and scooters; and we continue our discussion about digital transformation in the local government sector.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, which will hold its Annual General Meeting this coming Thursday, 17th November.
The AGM will be held online, via Zoom, commencing at 4.30pm.
Along with the business of the meeting, you’ll hear from guest speaker Mike Gooey, the Executive Director of Local Government Victoria.
All Councillors of a VLGA member council are entitled to attend the AGM. You can find out more, including an agenda and registration details, on the VLGA website – link in the show notes.
Now in today’s National Roundup:
Results from South Australia’s local government elections are becoming known, as counting continues in some areas.
The Adelaide Advertiser has today reported on the electoral loss of newly installed Local Government Association President Erika Vickery, who has been unseated in Naracoorte Lucindale by livestock farmer Patrick Ross.
Ms Vickery had been mayor for 12 years.
The majority of incumbent mayors have been returned, but there have been some upsets also.
In Mid-Murray, long standing mayor of 12 years Dave Burgess was defeated by current deputy Simone Bailey.
Ella Winnall has taken the mayoralty at Berri-Barmera, ousting incumbent Peter Hunt on preferences; and at Port Augusta, Linley Shine defeated incumbent Brett Benbow in the mayoral race.
In other elections, the Advertiser says the Lord Mayor of Adelaide is a tight race between former senator Rex Patrick and former MP Jane Lomax-Smith, with incumbent Sandy Verschoor a chance once preferences are distributed.
The mayor of Unley, Michael Hewlitson has been re-elected convincingly; Matt Larwood has been successful in the Prospect mayoral race, with David O’Loughlin retiring after 16 years.
A number of mayoral races, and the outcome of the plebiscite on a potential merger of Mt Gambier and Grant District councils, are still unclear.
(Adelaide Advertiser, 13 Nov, p.10)
Kiama Council has received confirmation of a Performance Improvement Order, issued by the local government minister Wendy Tuckerman, along with the appointment of a temporary adviser.
The minister has acknowledged the work done by the council to date to address its financial situation, but said the actions are not enough to address the fundamental concern.
In her letter to the council, Minister Tuckerman said she had regard to evidence suggesting the Council may not be able to pay its debts as they fall due.
Mr Peter Tegart has been appointed as the independent adviser.
A review of the NSW Local Government Boundaries Commission has commenced, with the minister for local government calling on councils, community members and other interested stakeholders to contribute to the review.
The independent review is examining the composition, function and processes of the Commission, and will canvas options for improvement.
Review findings are due in the first half of next year.
WA’s Local Government Minister has introduced new provisions to allow councils to continue to hold virtual meetings.
The new provisions came into effect last Wednesday and will allow up to half of all council meetings to be held by electronic means, and for council members to attend virtually with approval.
Minister John Carey said while the changes provide needed flexibility, especially in regional areas, local governments should make every effort to hold their meetings in person.
The new rules will be reviewed after 12 months.
The new Devonport Council has been sworn in following recent elections.
Five new councillors were elected, joining four returned members who include Alison Jarman, the city;’s new mayor.
Mayor Jarman takes over from Annette Rockcliff, who has retired after 4 years as mayor and 15 years in local government.
The first meeting of the new Council will be held on the 28th November.
Dubbo Regional Council has withdrawn from participating in the NSW e-scooter trial.
It says the January 2023 timeframe impacted on its ability to implement a meaningful community consultation program and trial.
The Council will ask the government to consider a trial later in 2023, and will undertake further investigations of a potential e-bike trial.
Now to today’s International Spotlight, highlighting some stories of interest from beyond our borders..
A new international study has found that four out of every five cities in the world have experienced significant climate hazards this year.
Ecowatch.com has reported on the findings that show significant hazards such as extreme heat, heavy rainfall, drought and flooding have impacted 80% of cities.
For nearly a third of those cities, the extreme weather events threaten at least 70% of their populations.
Water supply in particular was said to be the most at-risk resource, followed by agriculture and waste management.
The report has been prepared by non-profit climate disclosure group CDP, which is calling on more cities to develop climate action plans based on science-based targets.
In New York, there are rising concerns about the fire risk from the proliferation of electric bikes and scooters.
The Associated Press reports that the city is considering new laws, following six deaths and nearly 200 blazes believed to have originated from the lithium-ion batteries in the vehicles.
A city council committee will hold a hearing this coming week on a range of proposals, including a potential prohibition on the sale of second-hand lithium-ion batteries, or those without certain seals of approval.
And finally to Rome, where hotel operators are complaining about an extension to the city’s ban on the use of central heating systems.
According to Reuters news agency, the government is trying to ease the energy crisis by extending the annual period during which residents are not permitted to turn on their heating.
The ban was due to come off last week, but it has been extended a further three weeks than normal. Heating will also have to be turned off sooner – March 31st next year, instead of the original date of April 7th.
There are also limits on the number of hours per day, and the maximum temperature allowed – which by the way is 19 degrees celsius.
The city estimates the measures will reduce household gas consumption by as much as 20%.
Hotel operators say their clients should not have to endure the cold, and the restrictions will be bad for business.
Now for our special Roundup extra feature, and the continuation of my conversation with Peter Suchting, General Manager Local Government at Technology One.
Peter has been telling us about the second annual release of the 2022 Local Government Digital Transformation Index, which measures SaaS migration in councils today.
We pick up the conversation with a look at the various external pressures faced by Councils, and the impact of those pressures on their digital transformation efforts.
I’ve been speaking with Peter Suchting from TechnologyOne about the newly released second annual Local Government Digital Transformation Index report, which has been prepared with the assistance of LG Professionals Australia.
You can download your free copy of the report now from the link in the show notes.
That’s the latest from the Local Government News Roundup.
You can find more information at our website – lgnewsroundup.com – including our regularly updated list of Victorian mayoral election results and CEO appointment news.
The Local Government News Roundup returns with more on Wednesday, brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government; and Technology One’s 2022 Local Government Digital Transformation Index – download your free copy now.
Until then, thanks for listening and bye for now.