Welcome to this edition of the National Perspective. I took much pleasure in launching the 2002 National Awards for Local Government at the Local Government Managers National Congress and Expo in Sydney on 13 May 2002. This year’s projects promise to showcase the creativity, resourcefulness and leadership exhibited across Local Government today. I encourage all Councils to share their experiences by entering the Awards.
The Awards offer opportunities for other Councils to learn from prize-winning initiatives through the Business Development seminar programme, through which Councils are briefed on innovative and leading practices implemented elsewhere. Entries close on 1 July 2002 and the National Award winners will be announced at the Australian Local Government National General Assembly in early November.
The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting in April was a landmark event in terms of its recognition of the key role of Local Government in natural resource management. COAG agreed to support arrangements including Local Government representation on regional bodies and involvement in the development of natural resource management plans. This edition of National Perspective includes details of Commonwealth-Local Government cooperation in natural resource management and information about the new Federal Envirofund programme.
COAG also agreed to address concerns about the rising costs of public liability insurance from a whole-of-government perspective and endorsed the outcomes of a March Commonwealth-State ministerial meeting on this matter. The President of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), Councillor John Ross, attended the meeting on behalf of Local Government. All relevant Commonwealth, State and Territory Ministers and the President of ALGA will meet again in May to progress issues associated with public liability, medical indemnity and terrorism insurance.
I recently convened a Roundtable of State and national Local Government Association representatives, so I could listen to their views directly on key issues of current concern. I plan to make this exchange an annual event to ensure regular high-level dialogue with Local Government leaders from across Australia. I have also taken the opportunity to meet elected and executive staff at many Councils around the country to discuss future policy initiatives at the Commonwealth level. These include our election undertaking to inquire into the incidence of cost-shifting on to Local Government by the States.
I have also been working to achieve more transparency in petrol pricing and recently wrote to all Councils encouraging them to take advantage of the Shell company’s new wholesale and retail pricing scheme to promote arrangements aimed at securing better fuel prices for their communities. I will continue to highlight the inequity in fuel prices between country and city.
Wilson Tuckey MP, Minister for Regional Services, Territories and Local Government.
