The year has kicked off with a new round of challenges for local government, some not entirely unexpected, and others, such as the announcement of an early September election, coming slightly out of the blue.
Firstly, Local Government Focus would like to extend our support to all those local government areas affected by fires and floods, and to those battling through extreme temperatures and protracted drought.
Our front page tackles the issue of the financial and emotional cost to councils of repeated natural disasters, highlighting the crucial role local government plays in assisting communities to deal with climatic events, and the pressing need for councils to have secure avenues of funding to cope with relief, recovery and rebuilding.
There is, of course, a connection between the need for funding and the issue of constitutional recognition of local government. While the preliminary report of the Federal Government’s Joint Select Committee, released on January 24th, has recommended a referendum should be held in 2013, there are some signs of nervousness as to the chances of a ‘yes’ vote given the limited timeframe for the necessary public education campaign.
The deadline for the next round of submissions to the Committee is February 15th and the final report is due out in March. If a referendum is given the go ahead, this gives local government a mere five months, at best, to win over the Australian public to the cause; a massive task in light of the history of referendums in this country.
Perhaps, then, it is time for a concerted media campaign on the part of councils affected by this recent spate of disasters to draw specific attention to the very real financial costs of assisting, rebuilding and protecting their communities into the future.
While not directly referring to constitutional recognition, such a campaign would, at the very least, place the issue of the far-reaching financial responsibilities of local government in the minds of the voting population, of which many have been directly affected by recent events.
Finally, our feature focuses on human resources and occupational health and safety, with councils making huge leaps and bounds in terms of training, recruitment, staff retention, the prevention of accidents and illness in the workplace, and in contributing to the overall wellbeing of their workforce.
Local government’s commitment to not only acquiring and retaining the best employees for the job, but to the health of those employees, draws attention to the fact that the sector is fast becoming one of the most desirable workplaces in Australia. Indeed, it is notable that Local Government Focus, in all our dealings with both elected members and council employees, has not once encountered someone who is unhappy in their role.
Rather, as the stories in the feature demonstrate, councils are, in the majority, dedicated to assisting staff in achieving a positive and healthy work/life balance, job satisfaction, and to providing opportunities for training and advancement in the workplace.
Editor’s note: On page 25 of the December edition of LG Focus, in the article ‘Changing Waverley’s Values’, the picture caption cited Lorna Black as General Manager. Lorna’s correct title is Manager, Business & Service Improvement.
