UTS Seminar – Local government in post-crisis Australia: are we entering a new era?

Online event: 12:30pm-1:30pm, Tuesday 17 November 2020

“2020 has been particularly challenging for local government – from natural disasters to the COVID-19 pandemic. Often the first point of contact, councils have played a key role in supporting communities and businesses through recent crises by rapidly adapting to change.”

A seminar jointly hosted by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion (CSJI) and the Institute for Public Policy and Governance  (IPPG) will discuss what influence 2020 is having on future directions in local government. A panel facilitated by Carol Mills (Director, IPPG) and Verity Firth (Executive Director, CSJI) will consider:

• How has local government responded during the recent crises?
• What challenges and opportunities have emerged as a result?
• What are the lessons learned, and how can the positives be taken forward?
• How can we ensure councils have the resources and capacity to deliver for their communities into the future?

The panel includes:

• Monica Barone, CEO, City of Sydney
• Mayor Tracey Roberts, City of Wanneroo, and President of the WA Local Government Association
• Mayor Jerome Laxale, City of Ryde
• Claire Sullivan, CEO, Local Government Professionals Australia

For further information and to register, please visit the seminar web page

Local Government responds to the COVID-19 crisis: JULY 2020 UPDATE

Local Government across Australia is playing a key role in the national efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19 and to manage the enormous health, social and economic impacts on local communities – especially those that were so recently ravaged by fires and floods. Working closely with federal and state governments, councils are developing and implementing policies to support social distancing while maintaining essential services, protecting community and staff safety and where possible easing some of the financial pressure on local businesses and residents.

It isn’t possible to detail all the initiatives undertaken by individual councils, but some key announcements and links made by Local Government Associations, state local government agencies, professional and other council groups are outlined below. A link to the Australian Government’s infrastructure support program for councils is also included.

LGiU Australia has also started publishing a regular Global-Local Pandemic Bulletin, with updates relating to councils and coronavirus. These bulletins include content from England, Ireland and Scotland as well as Australia. This material is normally available only to LGiU Members but is being provided free of charge during the crisis. The bulletins can be accessed by signing up via the LGiU Australia website. LGiU has also developed a Councils and corona resource page which is available free after signing up.

Please note: this is a brief summary of local government sector and related responses as at 31 March 2020 (updated 11 July 2020) to the COVID-19 crisis and is not intended to be a comprehensive overview. In addition the situation continues to change rapidly; the links outlined below may become quickly outdated, so no responsibility is taken for the accuracy of this material. Everyone viewing this page should also visit the relevant health department and other sites relating to COVID-19 nominated by governments in each jurisdiction.

National

• Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Local Government, Australian Local Government Association (ALGA): summarises the roles and responsibilities of Local Government in the national Emergency Response Plan for Communicable Disease Incidents of National Significance.
• Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LCRI) Program, Australian Government Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications: The fact sheet outlines the Australian Government’s commitment of $500 million to the LRCI Program “to support jobs, businesses and the resilience of local economies”. From 1 July 2020, councils will be able to access funding to support delivery of priority local road and community infrastructure projects. All local councils are eligible for funding.

New South Wales

• Councils and the Coronavirus (COVID-19), Local Government NSW (LGNSW): advice on the virus and the role of local government in helping to ensure community safety. LGNSW, the New South Wales Local Government, Clerical, Administrative, Energy, Airlines & Utilities Union (USU), Local Government Engineers Association (LGEA) and Development and Environmental Professionals Association (depa) have also adopted a Joint Statement to provide guidance to Local Government employers and employees on how to respond to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
• COVID-19 Local Government Resources, NSW Office of Local Government: the state government’s resource page for councils with information on legislative changes relating to council elections and meetings, regulatory advice, information and resources, planning, continuity and recovery plan templates, quick links to key pages on other government websites and the latest COVID-19 related OLG Newsletters and media releases.
• Covid-19 Resource Centre, Local Government Professionals NSW: provides a range of resources for NSW councils, including relevant Office of Local Government circulars, media releases and other resources.

Northern Territory

• COVID-19 Information and Resources for Members, Local Government Association of the Northern Territory (LGANT): provides a range of links and other information for member Councils.
• COVID-19 Support for Local Government Sector, Northern Territory Government Minister for Local Government: Outlines initiatives announced by the Territory government to support Local Government.
• LGANT President COVID-19 Circular (13 March 2020), Local Government Association of the Northern Territory (LGANT): describes LGANT’s response to the crisis and provides advice to members on COVID-19 and the role of Local Government in helping to ensure the safety of staff and communities and plan for the continuation of service delivery.

Queensland

• COVID-19 Key information for Councils, Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ): information for members only – requires log-in.
• Novel coronavirus (COVID 19) – latest advice, Queensland Department of Local Government, Racing and Multicultural Affairs: provides councils and the wider community with links and other information.
• COVID-19 Roadmap to easing restrictions: Local government guideline – June 2020, Queensland Government. The Guideline has been developed to “assist local government identify their role with regard to the easing of COVID-19 restrictions through the establishment of a set of overarching principles to apply to the monitoring and enforcement activities for of COVID-19 restrictions to provide a consistent approach for regulators.”

South Australia

• COVID-19 – Information for LGA members, Local Government Association of South Australia (LGASA): information for members only – requires log-in.
• Public Health Emergency Powers, Government of South Australia Department of Planning Transport and Infrastructure: describes the steps taken by the State Government to ensure councils can continue to operate during the COVID-19 emergency.

Tasmania

• COVID-19, Local Government Association Tasmania (LGAT): links to a range of resources for Tasmanian Councils.
• COVID 19 and LGAT Updates, Local Government Association Tasmania (LGAT): outlines important announcements regarding LGAT operations and impacts of COVID-19.
• COVID-19 Resources, Local Government Professionals Australia – Tasmania: contains links to a number of pages relevant to Tasmanian Councils

Victoria

Please note that some of the information below predates the reimposition from 8 July 2020 of Stage 3 Stay at Home Restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire. Please visit the relevant Local Government Victoria and Health and Human Services pages for the latest information.

• Bulletin: 48/2020 – Updated Directions for COVID-19 Restrictions from 8 July 2020, Local Government Victoria: outlines the Stage 3 Stay at Home restrictions now in place across the 31 municipalities of metropolitan Melbourne and for Mitchell Shire. Please see also the Department of Health and Human Services Victoria’s Restriction Levels page for further information.
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information, Local Government Victoria: information and advice for Local Government about coronavirus, including relevant bulletins to Local Government and Department of Health information.
• COVID-19 update for MAV key stakeholders, Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV): outlines arrangements for contacting MAV staff and event cancellations.
• Councils and COVID-19, Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV): discusses the affects of COVID-19 on Victorian Councils, particularly in relation to job losses and the impacts on Council revenue.
• VLGA COVID-19 Update, Victorian Local Governance Association (VLGA): outlines arrangements taken to ensure the safety of members and staff.

 Western Australia

• Coronavirus update from LG Professionals WA, Local Government Professionals Australia – WA: summarises the response by LG Professionals WA, with links to key WALGA and State Government pages.
• COVID-19 – Information and Resources for Local Government, Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA): quick links to various resource pages including State Emergency Declarations, maintaining business systems and governance, council initiatives to support communities and current COVID-19 news items relevant to Local Government. A more detailed information page for Local Government can be found here.
• Covid-19 responses, Government of Western Australia, Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries: provides information on legislative changes to the Local Government Act and regulations relating to COVID-19, as well as a list of relevant local government alerts, circulars, media statements and useful information and resources..
• COVID-19 information for business, industry and local government, Government of Western Australia, Department of Health. The Local Government section contains links to a number of fact sheets and other material regarding Covid-19 which are relevant to Local Government.

 

 

 

“Cities in an Age of Disruption and Innovation” key theme for SOAC 2019 Conference

The “ever accelerating array of technological, political, economic, environmental and social upheavals” faced by Australian cities and regions will be the central theme for the 2019 State of Australian Cities (SOAC) Conference which will be held in Perth from 3 to 5 December 2019.

Registrations have opened for the conference, which will be co-hosted by Curtin University and the University of Western Australia. Responses to issues such as the “rise of the sharing economy and the smart city agenda” and the “emergence of new socio-political movements and innovations in governance at a variety of scales” will inform the conference agenda. The 2019 SOAC Conference website also notes that:

The complexity of the challenges posed by disruption and innovation necessitates inter- and trans-disciplinary responses. To this end, we invite scholars, policymakers, and practitioners from all fields with a focus and/or interest in Australia cities and regions to join in the conversation and debate about advancing knowledge and practice in the age of disruption/innovation.

The SOAC conferences which are held every two years are organised by the Australian Cities Research Network (ACRN). Papers from previous SOAC conferences are available through the Analysis and Policy Observatory (APO).

 

 

Notes from the Adelaide Round Table on Place-Based Governance and Local Democracy

8 March 2018

By Kate Jessep and Tony Lawson

Introductions

The Roundtable was chaired by Tony Lawson, LogoNet’s South Australia Co-convener. Tony gave a welcome to country and welcomed the participants including Council CEOs and senior staff. Tony introduced Jane Russo of Enabling Solutions who facilitated the meeting. (Note: Jane is an associate of Ian Dixon who led the 1999 amalgamation process in South Australia).

Tony Lawson provided an introduction to LogoNet and the genesis of its National Dialogue on place-based governance and local democracy. He pointed to a number of “big ticket” issues impacting Local Government in South Australia:

• Ageing population
• Reshaping of national and local economy including impacts from digitisation and climate change
• Trend to disengagement by community
• Perspective that Local Government is not fulfilling its leadership potential …
• Providing opportunities for women in both political and management roles (noting the event was held on International Women’s Day)
• Level of trust in Local Government is low – opportunity to improve
• 2013 Council of the Future study – what’s happened since?
• Recent Productivity Commission Report – need for benchmarking = need for consistent national approach
• Local Government is still seen as administrative arm of other levels of Government – not necessarily a tier of Government in its own right
• Local Government in South Australia facing spectre of introduction of rate-capping if Liberals win office in the State election.

An overview was provided on definitions around place-based governance and local democracy.

Discussion

Discussion ensued around a number of topics.

Challenges

• Legislative systems and processes impact on capacity to operate effectively
• Lack of equity and power imbalance – being aware of this particularly with community, for example marginalisation of locals by influential individuals backed by large community groups
• What does meaningful engagement look like?
• Is it the role of Local Government to deliver assets or is to listen, or both?
• How do we establish a process to get to an outcome in a timely manner?
• Why partner?
• How do we decide who we are to partner with and how do we choose?
• Caution expressed re serving objectives of a particular cohort rather than the needs of the greater community.

Melbourne Roundtable on National Agendas for Local Government

This informal meeting was held on 8 August 2017. It was convened by John Hennessy of the Municipal Association of Victoria and facilitated by Graham Sansom, a member of LogoNet. The meeting was timed to coincide with a visit to Australia by Barry Quirk, a very highly regarded local government CEO and policy adviser to central government in the UK. It also included a video link with Dr Mike Reid, Principal Policy Adviser with Local Government New Zealand (the national association).

 The discussion highlighted the importance of strengthening local government’s role and legitimacy as the champion and leader of place-based and community-focused governance.

PURPOSE: An informal exchange of information and ideas amongst key individuals and organisations with a national focus, in order to consider:

• emerging issues and trends affecting local government across Australia
• the need for fresh thinking about councils’ future roles and place in the system of government, and their relationships with local communities and stakeholders
• framing a more strategic and visionary national agenda.

 BARRY QUIRK: ‘Future of Local Government’

•  Fundamental importance of place and context: place-based leadership to reflect and maintain local values
• Diversity of places and communities must be recognized, but beware excessive/unwarranted variation in local government practice (false claims of ‘uniqueness’)
• LG must be open and connected, NOT closed and parochial: increasingly global mindset of citizens and stakeholders
• Danger of focusing on the In Here (what we can control within organisations) as opposed to the Out There (trends and issues in the wider realm of economy, society and government)
• Accelerating waves of innovation (2-3 or more waves of major disruption during people’s working lives)
• Key challenges of public risks, economic dislocation and social inequality
• Local government must therefore constantly refresh its political legitimacy and managerial competence: blending capacity in the Art of Politics, Craft of Management and Science of Policy
• Core civic virtues into the future: Empathy, Ethics and Efficiency