Victoria bends to meet piped gas deadline demands

By Paul Hemsley The Victorian government has granted energy companies in the state more time to come up with bids for an $85 million tender to pipe natural gas to Murray River communities and other selected towns that were promised mains supplies during the last election campaign. The extension to providers heads-off what was threatening […]

Victoria’s councils fight to stop efficient streetlight funds being switched off

By Julian Bajkowski The Municipal Association of Victoria has called on the Abbott government to ring fence and guarantee federal funding already allocated for energy efficient upgrades to street lighting which the peak group says will save its ratepayers $340 million over the long term. As the new federal government and Environment Minister Greg Hunt […]

Victorian rates hike blamed on superannuation slug

By Paul Hemsley and Julian Bajkowski The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) has blamed unpopular rate hikes averaging 4.8 per cent or $76 on growing ‘critical’ cost pressures arising from the need to top-up $396.9 million worth of unpaid liabilities for the Defined Benefit Superannuation Shortfall, a yawning infrastructure backlog and pervasive cost shifting to […]

Lender tender for Vic councils superannuation funding gap

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 […]

Bendigo mayor demands referendum clarity from Premier

By Paul Hemsley The mayor of Greater Bendigo Council has put the hard word on Victorian Premier Denis Napthine and Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews to come clean on their positions on Constitutional recognition of local government amid sniping from the state government over the looming referendum on the issue on 14th September, 2013. The demand […]

Victorian state and local governments split over referendum

By Paul Hemsley and Julian Bajkowski Victorian councils have slammed the state’s local government minister, Jeanette Powell, over claims that a referendum on financial recognition of local government in the Constitution could result in an erosion of state government power as deliberate scaremongering. In a broadside aimed squarely at his state government, Municipal Association of […]

Councils cautious on Coalition’s copper NBN plan

By Julian Bajkowski and Paul Hemsley Australia’s local government sector has been left facing tough choices over how to deal with the release of Coalition’s policy on the National Broadband Network that would forgo fibre-to-the-premises in favour of recycling Telstra’s ageing copper lines in many regional areas. After decades of campaigning to get better internet […]

Ratings guide doesn’t rate: MAV

By Julian Bajkowski   The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) has taken the state government to task over what it claims are “serious shortcomings” revealed in draft differential rating guidelines.   A new submission by the MAV urges the Napthine government to adopt “greater support to develop rating strategies” as the state’s local government sector […]

Strapped councils demand superannuation break

By Paul Hemsley The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) has ratcheted-up its campaign for local councils to be given a funding bail out to cope with an escalating series of budget cuts and funding shortfalls. The demands for new money come as a $396.9 million superannuation shortfall looms over local governments which could soon be […]

Carbon tax hits up council rates

By Paul Hemsley Individual councils will be affected differently according to their own unique situations and rates may increase, according to the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA). ALGA President Genia McCaffery said councils are faced with challenges in working out the full impacts of the carbon price on their operations. “The introduction of the carbon […]

MAV projects council cost rises

Council costs will need to rise up to four per cent to deliver the same level of community services and infrastructure as last year, according to the Municipal Association of Victoria. The forecast sees the rise at an estimated 3.9 per cent, with the Local Government Cost Index released each year as a CPI-equivalent (consumer […]

MAV anger over green light flip

By Councillor Bill McArthur, President of the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV)   This week’s State Budget cut of the $20 million Green Light Plan will hurt local councils trying to convert to energy efficient street lighting to reduce their carbon price exposure.   MAVs condems the cut and called for the program to be […]

Councils set lights on carbon reduction

Councils have identified energy efficiency as a key reform area being targeted across local government to help reduce carbon price impacts, greenhouse gas emissions and achieve cost savings for ratepayers. 146 representatives from 51 councils had recently participated in training to better understand their carbon emissions profile and how to reduce their carbon price exposure. […]

Councils’ carbon price revealed

By Bill McArthur, MAV President   The analysis of data from 38 councils showed the carbon price design had lowered the impacts on councils compared to the 2009 proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.   Excluded from the carbon price are heavy on-road fuel use, legacy waste and smaller landfills within a prescribed distance of larger […]

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