Heatwaves injure and kill more people in Sydney than any other shock event: assessment. [/caption]
Heatwaves pose the greatest threat to Sydney, followed by storms and bushfires, according to an international benchmark of cities’ capacity to handle shocks and stresses.
Infrastructure failure, the collapse of financial institutions, terrorist attacks and digital network failures are all identified as potential “acute shocks” facing Sydney but its heat that presents the greatest threat to Australia’s most populous city, according to a new assessment.
Since 2015 Sydney and Melbourne have been leading local governments, businesses and community groups in the development of a resiliency strategy for their cities, through their involvement in the 
Local governments are seeking to make their communities and services accessible.[/caption]
As councils across Australia seek to make their communities more accessible for residents living with disability, advocates point to the importance of stakeholder engagement.
Activities for children with autism and charging ports for electric wheelchairs are just some of the elements of disability inclusion programs being developed and implemented by local governments in Australia.
In Victoria, Golden Plains Council has been running a weekly lego club to foster social and creative skills in children with autism.
Mayor Helena Kirby said the initiative stemmed from council’s disability inclusion plan which sought to respond to the large proportion of children aged 10 to 19 with a disability in the area.
“Children with autism often do not feel comfortable in mainstream activities and recreational programs and as such are at risk of social isolation, so activities such as Let’s Go, Lego provide a great opportunity for autistic children,” she said.
Brisbane City Council is another council working on disability inclusion, having spent more than $150 million on its plan that includes programs such as a braille trail, all-abilities playgrounds and a wheelchair accessible bus fleet.
Similarly, Victoria's Maroondah Council is offering charging ports to help people with electric scooters and wheelchairs get outside and rest assured their wheelchair battery won’t run out.
Golden Plains Council has been running a lego club for children with autism[/caption]
He says it’s crucial that councils identify the needs of individual communities by consulting through advisory groups at all levels of planning.
“People need to stretch their thinking and listen to the needs of the community. Councils will find there’s an incredible diversity of actions they can take that will make people’s lives easier,” Cr O’Loughlin tells Government News.
Consulting with service clubs, community groups and community development officers are all useful ways of engaging with those living with a disability in the community, he said.
The ALGA’s 2016 
Rough sleeping rates increased 20 per cent in five years, a new analysis shows.[/caption]
A national strategy tackling the myriad issues contributing to Australia’s worsening homelessness should be included in the next national agreement between the Commonwealth and states, an expert says.
As the federal and state governments negotiate a key National Housing and Homelessness Agreement a major new analysis has warned that the downgrading of key policy and initiatives by successive governments has led to a surge in homelessness and rough sleeping in the past five years.
While the decade to 2011 saw the situation remain “fairly stable,” the 
Hal Pawson[/caption]
Lead author Hal Pawson, a professor of housing at UNSW, told Government News that the new agreement between governments should contain a multi-layered national strategy to tackle the worsening situation.
The first element of such a plan would provide “more assertive outreach” for the 8,000 people sleeping rough every night, he said.
“You then need to look at prevention measures that address the immediate causes of homelessness - issues like domestic violence, discharge from institutions, low income people living in private rental,” Professor Pawson said.
“Then there’s the much wider set of issues around proper indexation of benefits, and the supply of affordable housing.”
Professor Pawson said the new agreement presented an opportunity to incorporate cooperation between the federal and state governments, as well as targets for preventing and reducing homelessness.
He praised Treasurer Scott Morrison’s work on bond aggregators as an emerging mechanism to enable not-for-profit housing providers to access private finance on better terms.
“It enables community housing providers to access debt and to build additional affordable housing at better rates of interest and longer terms of loan than they can currently get from the banks,” he said.
In an overview document accompanying the release of the monitor, Launch Housing said the findings showed the Commonwealth must “lead and develop a coordinated policy response” with the state and territory governments.
“We urgently need an alignment of efforts to implement dedicated housing, income support and homelessness policies,” the group said.
Liveability targets: Perth is creating more walkable streets but lagging behind on dwelling density. [/caption]
Consistent, evidence-based policies across state and local governments are essential to creating healthy communities, new research shows.
A new evaluation of the progress to improve liveability in Perth has highlighted the importance of targets for key domains as well as integrated planning across government departments and agencies.
The report by researchers at the University of Western Australia, RMIT University and Australian Catholic University builds on last year’s measure of liveability in Australia’s capital cities.
It found that while Perth had made progress in some areas, including walkability and access to bigger parks, it was lagging behind in others.
Perth is doing well in creating smaller, walkable streets and providing access to larger neighbourhood parks within 400 meters of residences.
But it’s lagging behind on dwelling density and proving access to activity centres, the report found.
The city is achieving its transport target – that 60 per cent of residents should be within 400 metres of a bus stop of 800 meters of train stop – but the researchers note the policy is “modest” compared to other state capital cities.
The report found:
Brimbank City Council is calling for stronger enforcement of Victoria's gambling code.[/caption]
Brimbank City Council says its residents have lost $1.4 billion on electronic gambling machines in in the past decade. Now it’s calling for fines and limits on withdrawals.
After years of writing to state and federal ministers calling for stronger gambling regulation, working with clubs to help reduce their reliance on pokies revenue and running various community education campaigns, Brimbank City Council is now pushing for tougher enforcement of the state’s gambling code.
The council has lodged a motion to Victoria’s State Council meeting on Friday that would see the Municipal Association of Victoria lobby the Victorian Government to adopt a “public health approach” to reduce the harms caused by pokies gambling.
“We have the highest gambling losses of any municipality in Victoria, with a staggering $134 million lost on electronic gambling machines, or pokies, each year,” Mayor Margaret Giudice tells Government News.
As the third most disadvantaged area in Victoria, the Brimbank community cannot tolerate the devastating financial and social damage caused by these huge losses, Cr Giudice argues.
Under the motion, the Victorian Government would reduce the maximum cash withdrawal limit from EFTPOS facilities at gaming venues from $500 to $200 in a 24-hour period.
It also calls on the government to strengthen regulatory enforcement of the Victorian Responsible Gambling Code of Conduct.
The council points to government-funded research in 2015 that found people with gambling problems withdrew an average of $318 per gambling session, making the current daily EFTPOS withdrawal limit of $500 too high to have an impact on reducing harm.
“A limit of $200 would help reduce the harm to problem gamblers while having minimal impact on other patrons,” the council’s motion says.
While Victorian legislation requires gaming venues to have an approved Responsible Gambling Code of Conduct, the law doesn't clearly identify minimum standards of conduct or specific penalties for breaches.
“A model of regulation similar to that covering venues with liquor licenses should be introduced for gaming venues in Victoria. This should include the provision of fines, and license cancellation/suspensions for specific action or inaction deemed illegal under the Act,” the council's motion says.
The Northern Territory Government 's budget has a $1.2 billion deficit forecast.[/caption]
The Northern Territory Government’s budget cuts to the public sector wage bill have been criticised while its $28 million boost to local government and rural infrastructure has been praised.
In a bid to return its budget to surplus, the NT Government will introduce a voluntary redundancy program across non-frontline roles, which the public sector union estimates could result in 250 job losses.
The government will also reduce wage increases in the public service from 2.5 per cent to 2 per cent for future enterprise agreements as of October, while also placing a freeze on new jobs, according to its budget handed down on Tuesday.
But the NT Community & Public Sector Union (CPSU) says that more job losses should be expected given the budget’s cut to departmental budgets as part of its efficiency dividend.
The union's NT regional secretary Kay Densley criticised the cuts as “short-sighted”, saying they will hurt communities and service delivery.
Assertive outreach services and a new social impact investment are among the elements of a $1 billion homelessness package to be included in NSW’s budget today.
- a new minimum royalty scheme for all mines in the NT and the investment of $2.4 million to attract new mining projects
- a new minimum price of $1.30 per standard drink for alcoholic beverages as well as $11.8 million to tackle alcohol abuse.
- $229 million to reform the NT’s child protection and youth justice system, including $12.9 million on local youth programs.
- $1.5 billion on health including cancer services, a new hospital, specialised alcohol treatment and maternity services.
- $626.4 million to upgrade Territory roads
- $9.9 million to the volunteer bushfire brigade, $4.5 million towards the construction of a new Bushfires NT response centre and $ 1 million towards flood mitigation digital modelling
- $11.9 million to build a new adventure cycling track in West MacDonnell National Park, $11.3 million for Litchfield National Park and $5.6 million to construct a five-day walking track in Central Australia.
- $66 million to revitalise the Darwin and Alice Springs CBDs, including an adventure splash park, head wave mitigation strategy and a new fine art gallery.
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[post_title] => NT budget: public sector job and wage cuts condemned [post_excerpt] => The Northern Territory Government’s cuts to the public sector wage bill have been criticised while its $28 million boost to local government and rural infrastructure has been praised. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => nt-budget-public-sector-job-and-wage-cuts-condemned [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2018-05-04 11:40:33 [post_modified_gmt] => 2018-05-04 01:40:33 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://www.governmentnews.com.au/?p=30161 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [7] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 30157 [post_author] => 674 [post_date] => 2018-05-04 11:05:08 [post_date_gmt] => 2018-05-04 01:05:08 [post_content] => [caption id="attachment_30183" align="aligncenter" width="572"]
The Victorian budget have record spending on infrastructure.[/caption]
Local government, transport and health groups welcome the Andrews Government’s record investment in infrastructure and community services.
Victoria’s councils have said the state budget's spending on state and local infrastructure will help them provide services and facilities to a growing community.
The Municipal Association of Victoria singled out the $100 million in funding for local roads and $43 million to help councils with early childhood infrastructure as standout measures in the State Government’s election-year budget handed down on Wednesday.
Councils in rural Victoria will also benefit from a new $20 million Rural Council Transformation Program that will seek to improve their efficiency, while regional Tourism Boards will get an extra $2 million.
A boost of $50 million to the Growing Suburbs Fund will support local governments in providing new and upgraded community facilities in key suburbs, according to the budget.
However, despite the big spend on infrastructure, MAV president Mary Lalios said the peak was disappointed there was no reinvestment of landfill levies in projects that would develop the state’s recycling capacity.
Asset sale contributes to infrastructure spend
The Victorian Government has ramped up its total infrastructure spend to $13.7 billion, a dramatic increase from the $5 billion a year being spent as recently as 2015. With Victoria leading the country both in terms of economic and population growth, the State Government announced $4.3 billion for roads across the state and $1.9 billion on public transport, as well as big spending on regional and local infrastructure. On the back of economic growth of 3.3 per cent (above a national average of 2 per cent), the Victorian Government has predicted a $1.4 billion budget surplus in 2018-19. Half of the $2.1 billion the State Government received from the Commonwealth for its share of the Snowy Hydro Electric will fund key projects such as the Shepparton Line upgrade ($313 million) and Ballarat Base Hospital redevelopment ($462 million) as well as a $929 million program of new or upgraded schools. The state’s freight and logistics industry welcomed the budget’s spend on construction and upgrades to Victoria’s transport networks. “We are especially pleased that significant funding has been allocated for roads and transport infrastructure that will ease congestion for freight operators, and improve productivity and efficiency,” said Peter Anderson, chief executive of the Victorian Transport Association.Historic spend on mental health
In health and community services, the budget committed an unprecedented $705 million for mental health services and support. Among the initiatives will be “crisis hubs” in emergency departments and more support services in regional areas. The budget provides $2.1 billion for extra staff and capacity in the health system, and $1.2 billion to build and expand hospitals across the state. The Victorian Healthcare Association, representing public healthcare providers in the state, said it applauded the “historic” spend on public and community health, which represented an increase of 6.9 per cent on the previous year. The peak’s CEO Tom Symondson said the significant investment in mental health was much needed and would go some way towards addressing the massive impact to hospitals and to the community. “We’re delighted to see the investment in initiatives such as the crisis hubs in emergency departments, but a significant gap remains in community-based mental health and we hope to work with the government ahead of the November election to identify solutions to this important issue,” Mr Symondson said. Among its education measures, the Victorian Government has allocated $172 million to fund free tuition across 30 TAFE and pre-apprenticeship courses in growth industries.Boost to regions
In the regions, the budget commits $760 million to the state’s nine regional partnerships, with $153 million going toward the Geelong City Deal. The government has allocated $2.2 billion for roads in Melbourne’s northern and south-eastern suburbs, and $941 million to upgrade the regional road network, while a new country roads body will be established with staff in every regional centre. Other measures in the budget include $25 million to tackle the digital divide in regional and rural Victoria, $25 million on local crime prevention initiatives and $24 million to strengthen Victoria Police’s response to organised technology-enabled crime.Comment below to have your say on this story.
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[post_title] => Victorian budget: Infrastructure, regions the big winners [post_excerpt] => Local government, transport and health groups have welcomed the Andrews Government’s record investment in infrastructure and community services. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => victorian-budget-infrastructure-regions-the-big-winners [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2018-05-04 11:40:17 [post_modified_gmt] => 2018-05-04 01:40:17 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://www.governmentnews.com.au/?p=30157 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [8] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 30121 [post_author] => 675 [post_date] => 2018-04-30 16:52:07 [post_date_gmt] => 2018-04-30 06:52:07 [post_content] => [caption id="attachment_30117" align="aligncenter" width="505"]
The Seed Women group funded by the WA Government’s Ranger Program.[/caption]
An indigenous ranger employment program in remote south-western Australia is tackling rural unemployment while rehabilitating native plants through traditional indigenous agricultural techniques.
Under the program, announced last week by the West Australian Government, 12 indigenous Noongar people will be recruited by the government.
West Australian Minister for the Environment Stephen Dawson says the ranger program, a first for the state government, will deliver on cultural, environmental and economic outcomes.
“This will be an integral step towards improved community wellbeing and health, reducing poverty and cycles of dependency through economic opportunities and building leadership in remote and regional communities.”
The 12 new positions are part of the West Australian Government’s broader $20 million five-year program to create 85 new jobs and 80 training opportunities, including 47 female ranger jobs, for indigenous rangers across Western Australia.
'The Seed Women'
Rehabilitating native plants on land destroyed by mining and dispersing culturally significant Arnhem seeds are some of the initiatives to be undertaken by the Ninyma Uninypa “Seed Women” in the Central Desert, one the groups funded by the State Government program. Earlier this year the group worked on dispersing seeds of the Quandong tree, a native indigenous plant that was used as a food source for thousands of years and features heavily in indigenous mythology but has been progressively destroyed by the local camel population. Samantha Doudle, program coordinator of the Seed Women program, said the initiative is crucial to addressing rural unemployment and facilitating intergenerational exchange of indigenous agricultural knowledge. She told Government News:“A lot of the ranger programs are in extremely remote places where the people have an intimate knowledge of the land, plants and animals, so it’s just the most logical thing on earth that one of the main employment opportunities should be looking after these huge strips of land on behalf of future generations.”As part of the program the Seed Women will be trained by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions in plant identification, drying and storage and germination while also using traditional indigenous techniques to help rehabilitate native plants.
Closing the employment gap
Western Australian’s program is one of the latest initiatives that aims to address the longstanding under-representation of indigenous people in the public sector. [caption id="attachment_30118" align="alignright" width="198"]
One of the Seed Women at work.[/caption]
Earlier this year the West Australian Public Service Commission released itsi employment strategy, citing a commitment to a 3 per cent growth in Indigenous employment in the public sector by 2018, up from 2.6 per cent currently.
Professor Ken Smith, CEO of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government, said that recognising the value of indigenous culture and knowledge is crucial to improving Indigenous representation in government.
“Without listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and working with them to design and deliver policy we will never be able to close the gaps between Indigenous communities and the rest of Australia.”
Improving employment pathways and economic outcomes for indigenous people relies on procurement and employment programs, says the Western Australian Public Sector Commission.
“The Western Australian public sector employs approximately 138,000 people, which provides the opportunity to make a significant contribution towards providing career opportunities for Aboriginal people, while building a capable workforce that is both diverse and inclusive,” it said.
Ms Doudle says that similar ranger programs should be mirrored in other states, so that states and local government are encouraged to work closely with Indigenous communities to create employment opportunities.
The next round of funding for the second phase of the Indigenous Ranger Program will be available in 2019.
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[post_title] => Aboriginal ranger jobs a boost for native land conservation [post_excerpt] => An indigenous ranger employment program in remote south-western Australia is tackling rural unemployment while rehabilitating native plants through traditional indigenous agricultural techniques. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => aboriginal-ranger-jobs-a-boost-for-native-land-conservation [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2018-05-01 11:54:10 [post_modified_gmt] => 2018-05-01 01:54:10 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://www.governmentnews.com.au/?p=30121 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [9] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 29954 [post_author] => 674 [post_date] => 2018-04-17 10:18:21 [post_date_gmt] => 2018-04-17 00:18:21 [post_content] => [caption id="attachment_29955" align="aligncenter" width="569"]
A new national taskforce will coordinate recovery from natural disasters.[/caption]
New national resilience taskforce welcomed but councils seek federal mitigation program to fund local recovery.
In the wake of recent floods, cyclones and fires that have impacted communities across Australia, the Commonwealth has announced a National Resilience Taskforce to reduce the impacts of natural disasters.
Minister for Law Enforcement and Cyber Security Angus Taylor said the new taskforce, to sit within the Home Affairs Department, would lead national reforms to reduce the impact and financial burden of disasters on communities and the economy.
Natural disasters are estimated to have cost the Australian economy on average more than $18 billion per year for the past 10 years.
The taskforce’s first priority will be to develop a five-year national disaster mitigation framework in consultation with state and territory governments and the private sector, including insurance and finance, to limit risks, provide prevention strategies and improve decision-making.
It will also establish a risk information capability framework to equip decision-makers with the knowledge they need to prepare for natural disasters.
"The Australian Government is committed to working with the states and territories to prepare for future disasters, and will continue to provide more than $26 million per year for Natural Disaster Resilience,” said Minister Taylor.
The taskforce will be led by former director general of Emergency Management Australia Mark Crosweller and will have 20 staff from across the Home Affairs Portfolio.
Need for ‘mitigation program’
While the new taskforce is welcome, David O’Loughlin, president of the Australian Local Government Association, said that emergency planning arrangements needed a stronger focus on resilience planning to strengthen local capacity. “There needs to be a greater emphasis on community engagement and a better understanding of the diversity, needs, strengths and vulnerabilities within communities,” he told Government News. Local governments typically know what infrastructure will likely be impacted in a natural disaster but federal funding cuts, rate capping and other budget pressures made it challenging for most councils to undertake infrastructure maintenance let alone disaster proofing, he said. ALGA’s 2018-19 Budget submission called for a Commonwealth investment of $200 million per year for four years in a targeted “natural disaster mitigation program.” “A partnership to fund a targeted mitigation approach would be most welcome and would pay dividends for all levels of government over time. “Disasters do not impact everyone in the same way, and it is often our vulnerable community members who are the hardest hit,” Cr O’Loughlin said.COMING SOON: Government News takes an in-depth look at community recovery from natural disasters - appearing next month.
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[post_title] => New body to coordinate natural disaster recovery [post_excerpt] => New national resilience taskforce welcomed but councils seek federal mitigation program to fund local recovery. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => new-body-to-coordinate-natural-disaster-recovery [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2018-04-17 10:18:21 [post_modified_gmt] => 2018-04-17 00:18:21 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://www.governmentnews.com.au/?p=29954 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [10] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 29928 [post_author] => 674 [post_date] => 2018-04-16 11:07:33 [post_date_gmt] => 2018-04-16 01:07:33 [post_content] => [caption id="attachment_29929" align="aligncenter" width="579"]
Amid concerns of a sportsground shortage, some NSW public schools have opened their gates this week.[/caption]
More than 80 public schools in NSW have opened their gates during the school holidays to allow community groups to use their playgrounds, ovals and courts, the State Government has announced.
The move, which follows a successful trial during the summer, comes amid mounting concerns over a looming sportsground shortage in parts of the state.
Earlier this month Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils released a report showing sportsground capacity in its region needed to increase by 40 per cent by 2036 in order to meet increasing demand fuelled by population growth.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Education Minister Rob Stokes last week launched the $30 million Share Our Space Program, which will open up 81 school playgrounds and ovals during the holidays.
Participating schools will receive a $5,000 grant they can use to help upgrade their facilities.
The government said the expanded schools' program followed an earlier $120 million commitment to secure strategic open spaces for public use and to build more than 200 new and improved playgrounds.
Mr Stokes said by making school facilities accessible outside of the term they could provide a broader benefit to the whole community, including opportunities for sport on school ovals.
The greater use of existing facilities, including school ovals, was among the potential initiatives outlined in the report commissioned by Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils.
However, such measures would only increase sportsground supply by up to 20 per cent, or just half of what’s required by 2036, that report found.
Ms Berejiklian said the move to open up school facilities was part of the NSW Government’s new $290 million Open Spaces and Green Sydney package, with further announcements to come.
Related coverage: Councils come together on sportsground shortage
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[post_title] => School ovals open for holidays as concerns of sportsground shortage mount [post_excerpt] => More than 80 public schools in NSW have opened their gates during the school holidays to allow community groups to use their playgrounds, ovals and courts, the State Government has announced. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => school-ovals-open-for-holidays-as-concerns-of-sportsground-shortage-mount [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2018-04-17 10:19:16 [post_modified_gmt] => 2018-04-17 00:19:16 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://www.governmentnews.com.au/?p=29928 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [11] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 29834 [post_author] => 675 [post_date] => 2018-04-10 10:56:17 [post_date_gmt] => 2018-04-10 00:56:17 [post_content] => [caption id="attachment_29848" align="aligncenter" width="530"]
Randwick Council is taking steps to alleviate pressure on domestic violence shelters[/caption]
Randwick Council has announced a plan to allocate affordable housing units to reduce the pressure on shelters, becoming the latest local government to help tackle domestic violence.
Randwick Council mayor Lindsay Shurey argues that local government has a key role to play in breaking the cycle of domestic violence by leveraging affordable housing assets.
The council currently operates 20 affordable housing homes, which are made available to eligible workers at a subsidised rate.
“If we can allocate some of our suitably located affordable housing homes to women and children exiting out of domestic violence, it will free up refuge space for clients requiring crisis accommodation and related support services,” Clr Shurey said.
A Randwick Council spokesperson said the initiative represents the first effort by a council in New South Wales to make a portion of affordable housing portfolio available for women and children leaving short-term domestic violence refuges.
With police responding to 373 incidents of domestic violence in Randwick City between 2016 and 2017, 11.2 per cent higher than the state average, Clr Shurey says it is crucial that local government tackle the issue head first.
“This is a new approach for local government,” she said.
Shelters a key issue: report
[caption id="attachment_29858" align="alignright" width="147"]
Lindsay Shurey[/caption]
A recent report by the Department of Social Services provides some evidence for Randwick Council’s scheme, citing the provision of domestic violence shelters through social housing as a key factor in reducing domestic violence.
According to Clr Shurey, the resources will ease the pressure currently placed on short-term crisis centers and buffer women against being locked out of the housing market.
“Many refuges are full with women and children who have experienced domestic violence staying for an extended period of time because of the difficulties in securing medium term housing in the private rental market,” she said.
The proposal comes after council provided a funding boost to the local domestic violence support organisation, enabling it to operate for longer hours. With the recent proposal to boost domestic violence housing supported in principle at a meeting last week, the scheme could commence as soon as this year.
Examples of councils ‘playing their part’
The Australian Local Government Association says that given councils' significant reach within the community they are in a unique position to support awareness raising and prevention initiatives. [caption id="attachment_29845" align="alignright" width="127"]
David O'Loughlin[/caption]
“Although the capacity of each council differs, there are some empowering examples across the country of councils playing their part to change attitudes and prevent violence at the local level,” ALGA president David O’Loughlin told Government News.
He points to the City of Whittlesea in Victoria, which developed a Family Violence Workplace Support Policy and was one of the first councils to introduce a family violence clause into its enterprise agreement in 2011.
“Given it’s estimated that two-thirds of women who experience family violence are in the paid workforce, it’s vital for organisations, including councils, to make available workplace support to those experiencing violence.”
Fellow Victorian council, Monash City Council has used its library to promote primary prevention messages developed through their Generating Equality and Respect Project, he added.
Most state and territory local government associations have also worked cooperatively with state and territory governments to support state-wide initiatives.
“The Local Government Association of Queensland joined in the Queensland Government’s push for new legislation on domestic violence after the Queensland domestic violence inquiry -The Criminal Law (Domestic Violence) Amendment Act,” Cr O'Loughlin said.
Federal action
Meanwhile, at the federal level, a Fair Work Commission ruling last month prompted the Federal Government to introduce five days unpaid family and domestic violence leave, and a $100 million funding injection, among new measures to help tackle the issue. However, Australian Council of Trade Unions Secretary Sally McManus said the Commonwealth’s policy would do nothing to help people move to a safer home. Despite increased public attention on the issue in recent years, and a range of measures at various levels of government, ABS data last year showed that one in six women continue to be subjected to physical and/or sexual violence by a current or cohabiting partner. According to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare figures, more than 100,000 men, women and children sought homelessness services due to family violence in 2016-17. If you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence, contact 1800RESPECT.Comment below to have your say on this story.
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[post_title] => Council’s bid to combat domestic violence shelter shortage [post_excerpt] => Randwick Council has announced a plan to allocate affordable housing units to reduce the pressure on shelters, becoming the latest local government to help tackle domestic violence. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => councils-bid-to-combat-domestic-violence-shelter-shortage [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2018-04-10 12:09:52 [post_modified_gmt] => 2018-04-10 02:09:52 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://www.governmentnews.com.au/?p=29834 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 1 [filter] => raw ) [12] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 29316 [post_author] => 655 [post_date] => 2018-03-05 15:23:39 [post_date_gmt] => 2018-03-05 04:23:39 [post_content] => [caption id="attachment_29317" align="aligncenter" width="518"]
The new platform could help councils identify and support local initiatives says Matiu Bush[/caption]
An Australian innovation could help local councils tackle worrying rates of social isolation in their communities, particularly among seniors living alone.
The One Good Street initiative, created by Matiu Bush, the design integration lead at major community care provider Bolton Clarke, uses social networking to give neighbours the opportunity to offer assistance to older people and their carers through a supported platform.
A street accreditation process provides a way of rewarding neighbours for their participation.
The concept was developed after feedback from the organisation’s frontline care workers who identified social isolation as a significant factor affecting the wellbeing of seniors living at home.
Mr Bush, who recently won an innovation challenge for his initiative, told Government News the platform could enable local councils to identify and leverage off the numerous informal supports and programs already helping seniors in their area.
“In most neighbourhoods there are highly accessible and inclusive activities that provide opportunities to reduce social isolation and loneliness. These initiatives share knowledge, spaces, resources and equipment to help older people.
“The issue is that currently organisations and local government often have little by way of relationship and neither knows what the other has to offer,” he said.
Local government currently has limited organised infrastructure to support the numerous initiatives in their neighbourhoods, but the platform could enable councils and community initiatives to leverage off each other, Mr Bush said.
“Councils are able to see what streets are accredited and how much activity is occurring in the suburb. This visibility has previously been limited. As councils try to discern which initiatives to invest in, based on their impact with seniors, One Good Street provides opportunities to see which initiatives are most successful and in what combination."Discussing how the platform worked, Mr Bush said that older people did not need to engage or use technology to benefit from the tool. Currently, One Good Street is a Facebook group that is suburb based, he said. Late last month the social networking tool won Queensland University of Technology’s Senior Living Innovation Challenge.
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[post_title] => Home alone: tool helps connect isolated residents [post_excerpt] => An Australian innovation could help local councils tackle worrying rates of social isolation in their communities, particularly among seniors living alone. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => home-alone-tool-helps-connect-isolated-residents [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2018-03-06 09:33:36 [post_modified_gmt] => 2018-03-05 22:33:36 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://www.governmentnews.com.au/?p=29316 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [13] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 29014 [post_author] => 673 [post_date] => 2018-01-30 10:04:13 [post_date_gmt] => 2018-01-29 23:04:13 [post_content] =>Public hospitals
In 2015-16, Australia had 701 public hospitals. About two thirds (69 percent) had 50 or fewer beds, with these smaller hospitals representing only 14.0 percent of total available beds. There were 60,957 available beds for admitted patients in public hospitals, equivalent to 2.6 beds per 1,000 people. The RoGS reports says the concept of an ‘available bed’ is becoming less important in the overall context of hospital activity, largely because of the increasing significance of same day hospitalisations and ‘hospital-in-the-home’ care. There were approximately 6.3 million separations from public (non-psychiatric) hospitals in 2015-16, of which just over half were same day patients. Nationally, this translates into 246.9 separations per 1,000 people. A key metric in the report is the proportion of patients in emergency departments who are attended to within various triage levels. All patients at level 1 (need for resuscitation) were seen immediately, with proportions declining with each level. NSW has the best result for wait times at level 2 (emergency), with 81 percent of patients seen within ten minutes. Overall wait times in all jurisdictions except Western Australia and Queensland have improved over the last few years, with around 70 percent of patients Australia wide now spending less than four hours in emergency. Waiting times for elective surgery are also measured – NSW does worst. Other metrics include accreditation to various standards, number of adverse events (infections, falls, etc.), patient satisfaction, readmission rates, and workforce sustainability (e.g. average age of nursing staff). There are also many cost metrics. One key metric – mortality rates in hospital – was not available.Primary and community health
The major provider of primary healthcare in Australia is through general practice physicians, heavily subsidised through the Australian Government’s Medicare — mainly as fee‑for‑service payments via the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS). Additional funding is provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs and through initiatives such as the Practice Incentives Program (PIP) and Primary Health Networks (PHNs). State and territory governments also provide some funding for such programs, mainly to influence the availability of GPs in rural and remote areas. The remainder comes mainly from insurance schemes and patient contributions. The Australian Government also funds the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) – around 70 percent of prescriptions for PBS listed medicines attract a PBS subsidy. This sector also includes government subsidised dental services, maternity and child health services, community health services, and a number of other health services such as subsidies for physiotherapy, psychology, occupational therapy, audiology, podiatry and osteopathy. In 2015‑16, of the $32.1 billion government recurrent expenditure on primary and community health services, around three-quarters was funded by the Australian Government and one-quarter by state, territory and local governments. The Australian Government spent $9.1 billion on general practice, another $9.1 billion through the PBS and RPBS on prescription medicines, and $704 million on funding health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. GP services per person were significantly lower than the national average in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and the ACT. People deferring visits to the GP because of the costs was highest in Tasmania and the ACT. The report looks at immunisation rates, public dentistry waiting times, cancer screening, GP accreditation, patient satisfaction, and a number of efficiency measures.Ambulance services
Nationally in 2016-17 there were 3.5 million incidents resulting in 4.4 million ambulance service responses to attend to 3.3 million patients. Recurrent expenditure across Australia was approximately $3.2 billion, or $130 per person). There were 16,980 full time equivalent paid personnel, 6,575 volunteers and 3,178 community first responders in ambulance service organisations. Ambulance response times were highest in the Northern Territory and Tasmania, and lowest in the ACT. Other metrics include pain management, ‘sentinel events’ (process deficiencies), patient satisfaction, workforce attrition, cardiac arrest survival rates, and expenditure per person.Mental health management.
$8.5 billion was allocated to mental health services in 2015‑16, equivalent to $355 per person. State and territory governments made the largest contribution ($5.4 billion or 63.1 percent, which includes Australian Government funding under the NHRA), with Australian Government expenditure of $3.1 billion. In 2015-16, 1.8 percent of the total population received state and territory government specialised mental health services and 9.6 per cent of the total population received MBS/DVA subsidised mental health services. [post_title] => PC Report on Government Services – Health [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => pc-report-government-services-health [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2018-01-30 10:04:13 [post_modified_gmt] => 2018-01-29 23:04:13 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://www.governmentnews.com.au/?p=29014 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) ) [post_count] => 14 [current_post] => -1 [in_the_loop] => [post] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 30804 [post_author] => 655 [post_date] => 2018-06-19 08:48:13 [post_date_gmt] => 2018-06-18 22:48:13 [post_content] => [caption id="attachment_30670" align="aligncenter" width="658"]
Health, education and infrastructure are big ticket items in NSW's 2018 budget.[/caption]
Assertive outreach services and a new social impact investment are among the elements of a $1 billion homelessness package to be included in NSW’s budget today.
Tailored support will be provided to rough sleepers, young people and victims of domestic violence under the package.
The program includes $20 million over four years to a social impact investment on homelessness to tap into the expertise of the private and not-for-profit sector.
It will provide for more assertive outreach services for rough sleepers, strengthened risk assessment to address individuals’ circumstances and enhanced support to maintain a tenancy.
Included in the program is $9.1 million for additional transitional accommodation, $6.9 million on co-located homeless and health services and $6.2 million to expand the Staying Home Leaving Violence program to five new sites.
The NSW Government’s budget will also contain $1 billion in new recurrent health funding to employ an extra 1370 workers, including 950 nurses and midwives, 300 doctors and 120 allied health professions.
The State Government says that brings the budget’s total health spend to $23 billion.
In education, the government will announce “the largest investment into schools by any state government in history” with funding of $6 billion over four years to deliver more than 170 new and upgraded schools. The budget contains funding for an extra 20 new and upgraded schools, the planning for which will begin this year.
Work will commence on 40 new and upgraded school projects this year.
In transport, the budget will outline a $1.5 billion investment in bus services throughout the state, which will see more than 2,000 extra bus services rolled out in the next 12 months.
The number of trains running in the morning and afternoon peaks on the T4 and T8 lines will be increased with an $880 million investment in technology to modernise the Sydney Trains network.
The key southern Sydney route Heathcote Road will get a $173 million package to improve safety and traffic flow, while $40 million will be spent sealing the last stretch of the Cobb and Silver City highways, meaning every major highway in the state will now be sealed.
In resources, the budget will also contain $23 million for the recently established Natural Resources Access Regulators to increase water compliance and enforcement.
The Australia Museum will undergo a $50 million refurbishment before it hosts Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh, the largest Tutankhamun exhibition to ever leave Egypt, for a six-month run in early 2021.
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New framework guides governments on risks
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Consultation key to accessible communities, say disability advocates
As councils across Australia seek to make their communities more accessible for residents living with disability, advocates point to the importance of stakeholder engagement.
‘Policy inaction’ leading to homelessness rise
A national strategy tackling the myriad issues contributing to Australia’s worsening homelessness should be included in the next national agreement between the Commonwealth and states, an expert says.
Integrated planning key to liveable cities: report
Consistent, evidence-based policies across state and local governments are essential to creating healthy communities, new research shows.
Council calls for action on problem gambling
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NT budget: public sector job and wage cuts condemned
The Northern Territory Government’s cuts to the public sector wage bill have been criticised while its $28 million boost to local government and rural infrastructure has been praised.
Victorian budget: Infrastructure, regions the big winners
Local government, transport and health groups have welcomed the Andrews Government’s record investment in infrastructure and community services.
Aboriginal ranger jobs a boost for native land conservation
An indigenous ranger employment program in remote south-western Australia is tackling rural unemployment while rehabilitating native plants through traditional indigenous agricultural techniques.
New body to coordinate natural disaster recovery
New national resilience taskforce welcomed but councils seek federal mitigation program to fund local recovery.
School ovals open for holidays as concerns of sportsground shortage mount
More than 80 public schools in NSW have opened their gates during the school holidays to allow community groups to use their playgrounds, ovals and courts, the State Government has announced.
Council’s bid to combat domestic violence shelter shortage
Randwick Council has announced a plan to allocate affordable housing units to reduce the pressure on shelters, becoming the latest local government to help tackle domestic violence.
Home alone: tool helps connect isolated residents
An Australian innovation could help local councils tackle worrying rates of social isolation in their communities, particularly among seniors living alone.
PC Report on Government Services – Health
The Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services (RoGS) has a large section on Health. The sector is broken into public hospitals, primary and community health, ambulance services, and mental health management. Total government expenditure across Australia in 2016-17 for health services was estimated to be over $96.7 billion in 2015-16, around 43.2 per cent of […]