6 August 2020

We welcomed the NSW government’s $250 million funding commitment to help councils improve and increase local public spaces this week. This funding is another boost for local government efforts to drive locally led stimulus while delivering well needed public amenities for our communities - parks, walking trails and open spaces.

It’s been great to see so many fantastic examples of this year’s Local Government Week (3-9 August) theme "Councils Do" on display this week. I encourage you to make use of the Local Government Week 2020 Digital Toolkit with fully customisable resources, if you haven’t already.

CONGRATULATIONS!
LGNSW is very proud of what you do for your communities, and we congratulate this year’s winners of the RH Dougherty Awards, Leo Kelly Art and Culture Awards and LGNSW Planning Awards, announced today.

Leo Kelly OAM Arts and Culture Award winners: Wagga Wagga City Council, Coffs Harbour City Council, Gunnedah Shire Council, Bathurst Regional Council and Sutherland Shire Council.

Planning Award winners: Cessnock City Council and City of Parramatta Council.

RH Dougherty Award winners: Parkes Shire Council, Clarence Valley Council, Ku-ring-gai Council, Wagga Wagga City Council, Northern Beaches Council, Tenterfield Shire Council, Tamworth Regional Council, Central Coast Council and Outstanding Individual Contribution Award winners Christiane Birkett of Gunnedah Shire Council and Julie Steele of Northern Beaches Council.

HELP AMPLIFY OUR SECTOR'S ADVOCACY WORK
LGNSW is calling on the NSW Premier to ensure local government is represented on National Cabinet. Thank you to Georges River, Randwick, Murrumbidgee, Broken Hill and Clarence Valley councils for joining Shellharbour, Blacktown, Albury, Parramatta, Lake Macquarie and Hilltops councils who passed a resolution to support our efforts. Refer to the Advocacy Kit and email Kelly Kwan, Executive Manager, Advocacy to let us know when your council has moved this motion!

WINS! This week we welcomed:

• Action to address homelessness: More than 2,750 families and individuals who were homeless or at risk of homelessness are now living in safe and stable housing as a result of the NSW Government’s latest pandemic response efforts. Councils have repeatedly resolved at LGNSW Annual Conferences to call on the NSW Government to take action to address homelessness across the State and we applaud this news in time for Homelessness Week. For further information, email Damian Thomas, Strategy Manager - Social and Community.
• National agreement on closing the gap: Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced 16 new targets to improve life outcomes for Indigenous Australians that replace the seven laid out in 2008. The new Closing the Gap partnership, signed by the Commonwealth, the states and territories, and the Australian Local Government Association places greater emphasis on working with Aboriginal people on the design and delivery of the services that will (hopefully) lead to better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people. For further information, email Damian Thomas, Strategy Manager - Social and Community.

GOVERNMENT CHANGES & UPDATES
Local government elections. I met with the NSW Electoral Commissioner this week regarding the potential impacts of the pandemic on the 2021 elections. We discussed council concerns about the costs of local government elections, and I reaffirmed universal postal voting should not be imposed. Refer to Office of Local Government Circular regarding 20-29 September 2020 mayoral elections. For further information, email Damian Thomas, Strategy Manager.

REMINDER
$12.5 million Greening our City funding applications close 19 August 2020. These Grants are available to local government organisations or council-led teams in Greater Sydney, to support tree planting and greening projects. For further information, email Susy Cenedese, Strategy Manager – Environment.

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