By Julian Bajkowski Bitter factional infighting has torn apart public Coalition support for a Constitutional change that would guarantee federal funds can flow directly to more than 500 local governments after key hard-right elements publicly railed against the case for a ‘yes’ vote in a torrid Senate debate. After more than a year of publicly […]
19 June, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski Opponents of Constitutional recognition for local government have accused the federal minister leading the multi-party push for a ‘yes’ vote of trying to buy the referendum result by giving $31.6 million to supporters and just $500,000 to opponents of direct funding for councils. Conservative dominated group ‘No Power Grab’ claims that the […]
18 June, 2013
Opinion: Nick Minchin For the third time in less than 40 years, the Federal Government is trying to persuade the Australian people that they should approve an amendment to the Australian Constitution relating to local government. The ALP, having failed in 1974 and 1988 to change the Constitution, is trying again at the 14 September […]
18 June, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski The electorally popular, multi-billion dollar Roads to Recovery program should be permanently funded and councils dealt into any new road-user charging schemes a pre-election list of demands issued by Australia’s peak body for local governments says. As the federal poll date draws closer, councils across the nation have put both sides of […]
18 June, 2013
By Paul Hemsley Going to the bank for a loan doesn’t ordinarily require the extra screening of a tender process, but the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) is doing just that to get financial help to fund a Defined Benefit Plan that is troubling councils which urgently need to top-up their employees’ superannuation shortfall. MAV […]
18 June, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski Embattled Prime Minister Julia Gillard has bluntly warned Australia’s 560 councils and shires that the forthcoming referendum on Constitutional recognition for local government will be their final chance to guarantee direct funding for projects from Canberra. Speaking at the opening of the 2013 National General Assembly for Local Government in Canberra, Ms […]
17 June, 2013
By Paul Hemsley and Julian Bajkowski The Victorian Auditor-General’s Office (VAGO) has issued a stern warning that “small councils” could be left financially unsustainable due to their increasing dependency on state government and Commonwealth grants and rate hikes still not being enough to pay for rising costs. The wake-up call is contained in a new […]
13 June, 2013
By Paul Hemsley and Julian Bajkowski The City of Sydney has pulled the plug on its landmark $500 million project with energy services provider Cogent Energy to develop a home-grown trigeneration energy program, blaming the federal government’s decision to lower the future carbon price, regulatory changes, inflexible electricity networks and the removal of ‘precinct’ based […]
12 June, 2013
By Paul Hemsley Federal Minister for Industry and Innovation Greg Combet has attacked state and local governments for not buying enough Australian-made cars for their vehicle fleets, suggesting that 70 per cent of local government purchases come from foreign manufacturers. Mr Combet’s sharp criticism over the low purchasing rate of locally-made cars comes as Ford […]
11 June, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski A referendum that could give financial uncertainty to federally funded local government projects like Roads to Recovery is again in doubt after another outbreak of internal attacks within the Labor that threaten to topple Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Less than week after crucial legislation to hold a referendum finally cleared the House […]
11 June, 2013
By Paul Hemsley The ubiquitous sight of wheelie bins cluttering-up the footpath on rubbish night could soon be a thing of the past for sardine-style residents of inner-city Sydney if an experiment that banishes household refuse to underground hoppers goes to plan. City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has announced a novel trial of […]
7 June, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski Opponents to a change in the Constitution that could give financial recognition to local government through a referendum at the 14th September federal poll have launched their official campaign with an attack by former Howard government minister Peter Reith on the Nationals leader in the Senate,. Barnaby Joyce. After months of sniping […]
3 June, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski The Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sports has come under fire from the Opposition during Senate Estimates over the rate of progress in its efforts to mount a civics campaign to inform Australians about the looming referendum on whether or not to give financial recognition to local government in […]
30 May, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski The New South Wales Department of Premier and Cabinet has moved to clear up confusion over whether or not strict new prohibitions on the use of council resources for partisan election campaigning would also capture local governments pushing for a ‘yes’ vote in the forthcoming referendum. According to a statement from the […]
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