I’ve been thoroughly enjoying my role as Local Government Managers Australia (LGMA) National Board President, after being sworn in at our LGMA Congress and Business Expo, held in Darwin in May 2015. Part of my role is to increase awareness amongst the sector about LGMA’s role, and how practitioners can become more involved in both their state and national activities.
LGMA National is a not-for-profit peak body established in 1936 representing the national interests of its members and local government professionals around Australia. LGMA National has been working to promote the interests of our members in the areas of professional development, advocacy and training.
LGMA is a federation with offices in NSW, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC and WA, and a national office based in Melbourne. Collectively, we are committed to the development and improvement of the local government sector. We encourage high professional and ethical standards in the sector and ensure that members are at the forefront of change and innovation.
It is a privilege to represent the professional officers within the sector at a national level. Some of the top priorities for the organisation in 2015 are:
- Delivering on a recently signed partnership between LGMA and the Australian Organisational Foundation Excellence Awards
- Promoting our professional development program, the Australasian Management Challenge, within the sector
- Planning for a successful 2016 LGMA National Congress and Business Expo, to be held on the Gold Coast
- Contributing to the advocacy agenda, on behalf of the Federation, through the Federation White Paper Reform process.
This last point is of particular importance and relevance to the sector. For 175 years local governments have played an important role in our country. The Prime Minister has instigated a White Paper process on the Reform of the Federation, and we believe it is important that local government practitioners are involved in this process. LGMA National is coordinating a submission to the Federal Government regarding the review of the Federation White Paper process to ensure that local government, and the issues and challenges facing the sector, are adequately considered.
Local government is the tier that is at the coalface of communities and therefore uniquely positioned to understand their needs. This is an opportunity for us to rethink the way local government supports its communities, in a rapidly changing world.
You can stay informed on the process and how to become involved by following us on Twitter @LGMANational, subscribing to our free digital magazine LG Manager, and visiting www.lgma.org.au/advocacy.
