LGNSW advocacy garners great outcomes
Tuesday 7 June 2022
I’m really pleased to be able to report back to you this week about some great outcomes for local government, following our advocacy on your behalf.
The first piece of good news came with the unveiling of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s new cabinet, which revealed the local government portfolio had been reinstated as a full Cabinet ministry, rather than an assistant ministry. This move follows the City of Canterbury-Bankstown’s successful motion at our 2022 Special Conference, which received unanimous support from the sector. We look forward to a strong relationship with the new Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King.
We were also delighted that the significant community leadership of our councils was recognised with the inclusion of local government in the outer ministry. The new Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories Kristy McBain is well known to many of us as the former Mayor of Bega Valley Shire. Her outstanding leadership during the devastating Black Summer bushfires in 2019/20 shows she will be a great champion in the 47th Australian Parliament.
Northern Rivers Rate Relief
There was more good news at a state level late last week, with the NSW Government announcement of a $40 million rate relief package for the owners of flood-damaged properties in the Northern Rivers’ seven worst affected local government areas.
Support packages like this continue to be desperately needed to help people rebuild their lives – and the advantage of rate relief in this form is that it does not further reduce councils’ capacity to fund recovery and reconstruction.
We thank the Deputy Premier, Local Government Minister Wendy Tuckerman, and the Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke, for recognising the needs of both individuals and the councils so terribly impacted by this flooding disaster. You can read the NSW Government’s announcement in full here.
New council funding for ePlanning: apply immediately!
In another win for our sector, councils can now apply for individual $80,000 NSW Government grants to help offset the cost of ePlanning.
Under the grant, councils will be able to purchase the digital tools that integrate the Planning Portal with council systems. The tools – known as APIs - save council staff from having to manually transfer data between the two systems, saving time and freeing up resources.
But to benefit we will all need to be quick: even though funds do not need to be acquitted until December 2023 we only have until this Thursday (9 June) to apply.
A special callout to Blacktown City Council, who successfully moved this motion at our Special Conference in February. Their motion, which was also supported by a motion from Murray River Council, was incorporated into our 2022 Key Advocacy Priorities, and I am especially pleased to be able to report this early result.
You can read more about the funding program and how to lodge your council’s application here.
Sunday Building Backdown
Metropolitan councils also have cause for celebration with the revelation that plans to allow construction seven days per week have been scrapped. Planning Minister Anthony Roberts previously said the temporary relaxation of standard construction hours during the pandemic would become permanent.
However, the Minister’s office on Friday told the Sydney Morning Herald the setting of construction hours was “firmly back in the hands of consent authorities, usually councils”. The newspaper said the Government was considering whether to allow councils to determine their own construction hours in greenfield areas where neighbours would not be disturbed.
LGNSW has long argued that councils are the closest level of government to the community and best placed to reflect the wants and needs of the communities they represent. Congratulations to Woollahra, Waverly, Randwick and Bayside councils for their work in bringing about a great outcome.
Exclusive Landcare NSW membership offer
LGNSW members are now eligible for discounted associate membership to Landcare NSW for 2022/23. Landcare NSW and LGNSW recently signed a memorandum of understanding to identify and work collaboratively on opportunities that deliver positive outcomes for our LGNSW members and the environment.
As part of our MoU, Landcare NSW is offering Associate membership to all LGNSW members for only $300 (instead of $2,000) for the 2022/23 financial year. This allows access to a range of benefits and services to connect directly with Landcare NSW’s grassroots-led, volunteer-driven movement. More information here.
Call for Nominations for StateCover Non-Executive Director Positions
Our friends at StateCover are seeking expressions of interest for eligible, suitably qualified councillors to represent LGNSW on the Board of StateCover Mutual Limited.
The Directorships will fill two Board vacancies from November 2022, with applications closing at midnight on 29 June. To be eligible applicants must serve as a councillor on an LGNSW member council which holds a StateCover policy.
Entries now open for the 2022 Excellence in Environment Awards
I'm pleased to announce that nominations for the 2022 LGNSW Excellence in the Environment Awards are now open! These Awards are a great chance to showcase your council's outstanding achievements in managing and protecting the environment between January 2021 and June 2022.
Winners will be announced at an Award forum and ceremony in Sydney on Tuesday 6 December 2022. For more information on the entry criteria, visit our website here. Entries close at 5pm Wednesday 27 July 2022.
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