Budget 2020 summary | An extra $1b for LRCI program | $2b for road safety | ALGA News 9 October 2020

Image shows President David O'Loughlin smiling in front of a black background

President's column

Tuesday’s Federal budget was one that brought home the bacon for local government. An extra $1 billion for local infrastructure, new money ($2 billion) for road safety initiatives, and council access to a wage subsidy scheme worth $1.2 billion to employ new apprentices and trainees. Over and above those big-ticket items, there were many other+

Budget 2020-21: What it means for the Local Government Sector

This year’s Federal Budget has addressed many of the priority issues that ALGA has been advocating and campaigning for over many years. Moreover, the Budget has effectively maintained the level of Financial Assistance Grants, despite the significant economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. With declines in Commonwealth tax revenue, population growth and the Consumer Price+

Recycling designated as a national manufacturing priority

Recycling and clean energy have been identified as one of six priorities in a new manufacturing roadmap unveiled by the Morrison Government last week. Around $1.5 billion in new funding will be invested over the next four years in the Modern Manufacturing Strategy to “make Australian manufacturers more competitive, resilient and able to scale-up to+

ROSI corridors to share in $7.5b transport infrastructure spend

The Federal Government will invest $7.5 billion in national transport infrastructure to boost the national economy, deliver safer roads, and create new jobs. The announcement, made a day before the Federal Budget was handed down, contains a mix of new projects and additional federal funding for already announced upgrades, including Roads of Strategic Importance (ROSI).+

More News

Remote airstrip upgrades funding round opens, with $7m on offer

Applications for a new Remote Airstrip Upgrade Program (RAUP) funding round have opened as part of the Commonwealth’s commitment to maintaining and improving air links to the bush. Owners or operators of existing aerodromes in remote or very remote areas of Australia can apply for a grant of between $5000 and $500,000, with $7 million+

Mandurah an exemplar in entrepreneurial capacity-building

Local government’s small-business support role has never mattered more than it does now, and the City of Mandurah is an exemplar of what councils can achieve in this space. To help it to identify and encourage locals who were willing to start a business but who lacked the expertise needed to make it pay, the+

LGNSW pushes for uniformity on recyclables in roads

A guide for councils on the technical processes involved in incorporating recycled material into roads and pavements has been published by Local Government NSW (LGNSW). Intended to promote national uniformity and good practice in the specification and application of material reuse in roads and pavements, the guide was produced by the University of Sydney’s Waste+

$9.6m in further funding to disaster-proof Qld communities

Projects to improve local disaster resilience and risk reduction in communities from the Torres Strait to the Gold Coast are to share funding of almost $9.6 million. The 49 projects are being delivered through the $13.1 million Queensland Resilience and Risk Reduction Fund (QRRRF), a joint initiative between Australian and Queensland Governments. This $9.6 million+

Disaster recovery assistance for five flood-affected NSW councils

Disaster recovery assistance has been extended to the Hilltops, Liverpool, Central Coast, and Wingecarribee councils after storms and floods in July and early August. Assistance is being provided through the jointly-funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA). The NSW SES received around 200 requests for assistance in the Hilltops, Liverpool, and Wingecarribee LGAs after localised+

Five Qld councils sharing $6m to help fire-impacted communities

Five Queensland council areas heavily affected by last year’s bushfires are to share more than $6 million to deliver locally developed projects. They include the Livingstone Shire Council, the Mareeba Shire Council, the Noosa Shire Council, the Scenic Rim Regional Councils, and the Somerset Regional Council. The projects are being supported through the $36.8 million+

More LG support ‘needed to finish national transport reforms’

While national heavy vehicle safety reforms begun a decade ago are largely complete, a new report has revealed unresolved issues. These include slow and inconsistent approval processes for heavy vehicle access to local roads in some areas and unnecessary derogations from the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL). The Productivity Commission’s National Transport Regulatory Reform report+

Senate inquiry calls for funding of mitigation projects through ERF

The Federal Government has been urged to release funding for mitigation projects through the Emergency Response Fund “as a matter of priority”. An interim report into the lessons to be learned from the 2019-20 bushfire season tabled by a Senate committee this week has also recommended that the Commonwealth review the rate of the federal+

Record number of women running for Vic local government

The number of women who have nominated to contest this month’s Victorian local government elections has reached a new peak. Minister for Local Government Shaun Leane said that of the 2186 people who had nominated as candidates for the 24 October elections, 851 (or 39 percent) were women. At the 2016 elections, 34 percent of+

Council input sought on walking and cycling research priorities

Councils are being invited to take part in a joint Monash University/RMIT project funded by VicHealth to identify research priorities to advance active transport in Australia. University researchers are undertaking two related surveys, and potential respondents may elect to contribute to one or both surveys. The objective of the first survey (Phase 1) is to+

Apply now for $8 million in grants to deliver COVIDsafe Australia Day 2021

The National Australia Day Council (NADC) has announced $8 million in grants to help local councils deliver COVIDsafe events that encourage all Australians to reflect, respect and celebrate on Australia Day 2021.

In response to the challenges facing the local government sector resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the NADC is providing $20,000 grants to councils to meet the cost burden of making Australia Day events COVIDsafe.

The money can be used to fund resources and services to ensure events meet the relevant state and territory requirements for COVIDsafe events. This might include additional event staff, measures to enforce social distancing, additional cleaning or practical items like hand sanitiser. Guidelines and criteria are available here.

Councils can also upload free Australia Day-branded Reflect. Respect. Celebrate. event artwork here and apply for an addiitional $1000 grant for production of those materials including banners, bunting and posters.

For more information, including grand guidelines and applications, visit australiaday.org.au.

Xcellerate IT Webinar: Demystifying e-invoicing – the new ATO initiative (with guest speakers from Link4 and the ATO)

Date: Wed, 14^th Oct 2020

Time: 10.30AM-11.30AM (AEDT)

Electronic invoicing (or e-invoicing) is a more efficient, accurate and secure way to deal with your suppliers and buyers and will deliver lower costs, time savings, better reliability, tighter security, faster payment times and more.

E-invoicing is the automated digital exchange of invoice information directly between a buyer’s and supplier’s accounting systems. Xcellerate IT’s accounts payable automation solutions can manage the on-boarding of both traditional (email with attachments and paper-based) and e-invoices in one platform.

Join Howard Boretsky (Xcellerate IT), Robin Sands (Link4) and the ATO as we demystify e-invoicing.

Agenda

Overview, features and benefits of e-invoicing
The ATO perspective – the intent and status of the e-invoicing initiative
How to get started with e-invoicing
Live e-invoicing demonstration
Q&A

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND REGISTER.

20% off the nationally recognised PSP50616 Diploma of Procurement and Contracting for Local Government for enrolments before 16 October!

Workshop Dates

Workshop 1: 27-29 October 9am-4pm
Workshop 2: 18-20 November 9am-4pm
Workshop 3: 14-16 December 9am-4pm

Delivered across 9 days via virtual classroom by expert faculty and ex Chief Procurement Officer Rob Halsall FCIPS and featuring guest speakers from Treasury, anti-corruption bodies and the World Bank, this qualification delivered in partnership with accessUTS Pty Ltd (RTO 90811), a wholly owned entity of the University of Technology Sydney is the gold standard for public sector procurement and contracting specialists working across local government.

We are delighted to offer a 20% fee reduction to local government staff, making the course fee $4,950 incl. GST for enrolments before Friday 16th October.

Recognised by the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS), participants will gain 6 exemptions for the CIPS Diploma to fast-track the path to MCIPS recognition.

Join a global community of procurement specialists!

Click here to learn more and register.

A special Local Roads & Transport Congress: Be there in person or virtually!

Over the past 12 months, Australia has been impacted by widespread drought, devastating bushfires, and the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.

In the midst of these catastrophes, ALGA was forced to cancel its annual National General Assembly for Local Government – the premier forum for the tier of government that is closest to the Australian community.

With few opportunities left in 2020 for the Local Government sector to connect on a national level, ALGA has expanded its National Local Roads and Transport Congress to encompass the issues everyone’s talking about: natural disaster impacts, recovery and resilience, and the coronavirus pandemic.

The format has been extended to two full days to give delegates the opportunity to examine the issues impacting on Local Government and to work together to identify solutions that support all our communities while building their resilience.