On Wednesday 31 March, ALGA President Councillor Geoff Lake will address the National Press Club (NPC) in Canberra from 11.45am to 1.30pm.
This will be the first time an ALGA President has addressed the NPC and the timing could not be better – it is an election year, the major parties are talking about a referendum to include Local Government in the Constitution, and councils are front and centre in many of the key contemporary policy challenges facing Australia.
Councillor Lake’s address will be televised nationally on the ABC and will focus on Local Government reform, climate change, health, transport and how councils can play a constructive role into the future.
He will argue that Local Government has a key role to play in realising ‘cooperative Federalism’, and will offer a perspective from his position as a member of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) on how intergovernmental relations have changed under the Rudd Government.
He will also share some of the findings from recent polling commissioned by ALGA into the public’s attitude towards the Constitution and constitutional change.
