The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has appointed Ian Chalmers as its Chief Executive. With qualifications in political science and economics, Ian was previously the Executive Director of the Australian Private Hospitals Association.
Servicing 480 hospitals across the nation, during his five years as Executive Director, this Association successfully lobbied for changes to the health industry, including the 30 percent rebate and more recently life time insurance cover.
Commencing his career with the Armed Forces, Ian said his interest in government and its workings resulted in him taking a position with a Canberra based Public Affairs Consultancy firm when he left the Army in 1988.
“Representing a range of interest groups, including the textiles and footwear industry, telecommunications, agribusiness and financial services, required the engagement of government in a substantive and meaningful way,” Ian Chalmers said.
“Bridging the policy and regulatory interface between government and sectorial interests is both exciting and challenging.
“Industry groups can be at the leading edge of policy change. Rather than resist the inevitable, the key is to manage an outcome that is acceptable to all – the government, consumer groups and sectorial interests of those being represented.”
As CEO of the Australian Life Writers Association from 1991-1994, Ian advanced his skills in the area of financial services.
Following this he also worked as a specialist policy adviser in investment markets, financial services, competition policy and superannuation at Federal Parliament. Attached directly to the Parliament rather than a political party, this position saw him working with both Ministers and Shadow Ministers as well as the minor parties.
“Local Government is the layer of government that touches every Australian,” he said. “I have represented many different groups but this is the first time I will be working for a sector that scans the whole community. It is a very exciting opportunity.”
He said that interest groups are a key part of our political process. It is vital that their views are presented effectively and credibly to federal and state governments ensuring decision makers are taking account of legitimate community concerns.
“Representing Local Government interests to the Federal Government must be both robust and credible,” Ian Chalmers said. “Policy recommendations must be able to stand up to searching scrutiny and be able to be implemented. Wild ambit claims are not realistic. We must have positive, value added relations, that are policy driven not partisan, with the Government, Opposition and minor parties.”
He said that ALGA has many runs on the board particularly with successes in the areas of GST, and more recently, the Roads To Recovery program with funding directly to Councils.
Ian Chalmers sees areas of immediate concern to be Financial Assistance Grants and the need for Local Government funding to have a built in growth component, and natural resource management, including dryland salinity, water quality, renewable energy and waste management.
