‘The Symphony of Local Government – Communities, Creativity, Harmony’
Once again the Local Government Annual Conference was jointly hosted by the Local Government Association of Tasmania, the Tasmanian divisions of Local Government Managers Australia and Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia and the Local Government Community Development Association of Tasmania.
The conference theme was ‘The Symphony of Local Government – Communities, Creativity, Harmony’. With ‘symphony’ meaning anything characterised by a harmonious combination of elements, elected members and senior managers coming together in the one statewide annual forum, demonstrating the theme in practice, was again a great success.
The Conference was officially opened by the Premier and Minister for Local Government, Jim Bacon. The Premier said that the State/Local Government relationship is more important than in the other States due to the decentralised population of Tasmania.
“Less than half our residents live in Hobart as compared to 90 percent of Western Australians living in Perth,” he said. “With so many significant communities across the State, Local Government is the key.
“People want to see State and Local Government working harmoniously. We have made considerable progress with our partnership agreements but it is a work in progress.
“This has never before been done in Australia so it is not surprising that it is taking a little longer. We are aiming, by the end of this year, to at least have started bilateral discussions on partnering with all Councils.”
In the opening address, one of Australia’s leading young musicians, Rixon Thomas, drew an analogy between the role of the orchestra conductor and Local Government.
“A conductor and orchestra is not unlike a Council and its community,” he said. “Just as different conductors have a different approach to the same piece of music, Councils will approach the same task differently.
“With so many individuals it is impossible to act as one without a leader. It is a juggling act. There will always be some who excel which is what makes society so interesting.”
President of the Local Government Association of Tasmania, Mayor Lynn Mason, said with the range of keynote speakers and variety of workshops, delegates had an enormous amount of information to take back to their communities.
“The key is to make sure the process keeps going,” she said. During the Conference, the William Adams Awards for Excellence were presented. Twenty two nominations were submitted for judging.
The winner of the Management Practice/Innovation category was Hobart City Council for its entry, Business Excellence.
Hobart City was also successful in two other categories, Technical Practices with Soil and Water Management in the Greater Hobart Region, and its Federation commemorative publication, 100 Hobart Houses, which took out the Communication/Consultation category.
Davenport City Council’s Imaginarium Science Centre won the Community Development section. Northern Midlands Council’s Rural and Remote Child Care Service was also awarded a merit in this category.
The Environment Award was won by the Tamar Valley Natural Resource Management Project, a joint project involving Launceston, West Tamar and George Town.
The overall Gold Award was selected from the above category winners. This year, the Gold Award winner was taken out by the Tamar Valley Natural Resource Management Project. Judges commended the three Councils for their willingness to pool resources and break down barriers.
