Joint organisations may not stop council mergers

Pilots begin in regional NSW.

17 November, 2014

SA Communities map a pin-up after Esri award

Resources handbook scoops GIS gong.

2 October, 2014

Go digital or die, Australia’s cultural institutions told

Technological D-Day for galleries, museums, archives and libraries.

18 September, 2014

Public libraries fight to keep Aussie authors in e-book stores

Public libraries

12 August, 2014

Rates rise for Vic councils as federal budget cuts bite

$2.6bn infrastructure and asset gap opens up.

7 July, 2014

Councils unite in attack on Fed’s $925mil grants grab

Local governments across Australia have issued an overwhelming public rejection of federal Budget funding freezes likely to prompt rates hikes hit pensioners.

16 June, 2014

Technology is the comfort zone, leadership is the battle zone

Brisbane’s first Chief Digital Officer has issued a call to action on digital leadership.

10 June, 2014

Revolt over $925 mil Budget raid on councils

Rates rises and big cuts to local community services set to roll as Financial Assistance Grants frozen.

16 May, 2014

Vic councils slam Labor policy to cap rates at CPI

The local government sector in Victoria will be gearing up for a bout against the Labor Opposition after its controversial election proposal to cap rates and force councils to justify any further increases.

6 May, 2014

Catastrophic impact warning from councils over axing of federal funds for local government

The National Commission of Audit’s recommendations to dump dozens of government programs could cut off cash flowing from Canberra to councils if direct funding programs are eliminated.

5 May, 2014

NSW councils fleeced by half billion in annual cost-shifting

A new report by Local Government NSW has laid bare rampant cost-shifting which has forced councils to pick up a $521 mil tab in the 2011/2012 financial year.

13 March, 2014

Call to overhaul Victorian library system

By Julian Bajkowski Victoria’s network of council run public libraries could soon be set for a centralised overhaul after a key government report recommended the adoption of a single state-wide library card, radio-frequency tracking of books and new platform to allow digital resources like e-books to be borrowed. The biggest review of public libraries ever […]

5 December, 2013

Miners claim to shovel $37bn into communities

By Julian Bajkowski The minerals and mining industry is digging deep to produce evidence that its activities contribute far more to communities than the ill-fated Minerals Resource Rent Tax (MRRT) could ever collect. As the Abbott government prepares the MRRT for burial by repealing its legislation, powerful peak body the Minerals Council of Australia has […]

19 November, 2013

Libraries lend a hand to Sydney e-waste collection

By Paul Hemsley Low energy light bulbs might be a bright idea to cut household electricity bills, but the City of Sydney is now being forced to come up with innovative new ways to keep literally tonnes of the otherwise toxic lamps out of household rubbish bins. As the volume of small scale e-waste explodes, […]

15 October, 2013