New Year etiquette would suggest that today is perhaps a little late to send you good cheer for the new year, but as this is the first ALGA Newsedition of 2019, I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you a prosperous New Year and every success in the year to come! I trust you all managed to enjoy some time away from the pressures of the office over the Christmas/New Year period and spend time with family and friends.
This coming Tuesday is Safer Internet Day which gives us all an opportunity to inspire positive change and raise awareness about online safety. This is particularly important for the children and young residents in our community who increasingly experience bullying online.
We were reminded of the heartbreaking consequences of online bullying just this past Australia Day when Kate and Tick Everett were awarded the 2019 Local Hero Award. Following the tragic death of their teenage daughter, Amy ‘Dolly’ Everett in January 2018, following extensive bullying, Kate and Tick Everett founded Dolly’s Dream to create positive change and a legacy to their daughter. Their advocacy has resulted in governments taking childhood bullying and its devastating impacts more seriously.
It is worth a reminder that the office of the eSafety Commissioner has a suite of information and tools to assist local government-elected officials and staff in dealing with cyber-abuse.
In particular, there are tips and advice that are relevant to local government in the following areas:
- Cyber-abuse and the actions you can take
- eSafety for women
- Image-based abuse
Here are the relevant links:
- https://esafety.gov.au/esafety-information/esafety-issues/cyber-abuse
- https://esafety.gov.au/about-the-office/program-overviews
Please share them across your media platforms this week in recognition of Safer Internet Day.
Over the past week, we also celebrated the achievements of individuals from across the nation who were honoured in the Australia Day Honours list. There was a strong representation of those who have provided service to their community via local government. Among them was our current ALGA Board member Cr Lynne Craigie, President of WALGA and long-term mover and shaker in the Pilbara which has been recognised by her OAM.
Congratulations to Lynne and all local government recipients – thank you for making us proud!
Mayor David O’Loughlin
ALGA President