In each edition we feature the views of a Local Government Association President. The following is from Councillor Genia McCaffery, President of the Local Government Association of New South Wales.
The annual Local Government Association conference is just weeks away and is sure to include a series of interesting and at times impassioned debate.
Councils from across the State will consider over 250 motions on a range of subjects, from election costs, to the merits of bottled water and development application processes.
The conference is an important decision making forum for Local Government because the motions passed will direct Council policy, relevant to the needs and wishes of communities.
The theme of our conference, Anchoring the Future, is a response to our increasing role as providers of a majority of services and facilities that communities rely on day to day, and as planners for future generations.
One of the most complex challenges we will ever face, as citizens and community leaders, is climate change.
It affects us all, whatever our circumstances and wherever we live and work. Extremes of weather, longterm changes to natural resources, rising food prices, and animal and crop diseases impact the bottom line, whether we are considering the global and national economies, or the lifestyles and wellbeing of our local communities.
Local Government is already filling the void left by other governments, here and around the world, by addressing global change through a number of projects and programs.
Climate change is the focus of our Conference Saturday Forum. Prominent speakers from politics, business and academia will stimulate and challenge our perceptions of this issue and what we can achieve, informing our debate over the following days.
Another issue that I have a particular interest in, and that will be raised at the conference by various Councils, is planning. Planning Minister Frank Sartor is in the process of making changes to the current system – and proper consultation with relevant stakeholders is needed.
The scary reality is that some of the changes could lead to Councils and communities losing the ability to have a say about what is built next door to them, in the next street, or opposite the local park.
Several Ministers including Frank Sartor will address the conference, which is an important part of the program. The decisions made by the State Government significantly impact on Council autonomy and policy, and ultimately the lives of our communities.
