City of Melbourne gets lean and keen

By Kate Jackson The City of Melbourne was in the spotlight following the Australasian Lean Thinking and Practice Summit, held in Melbourne in May 2013. More than 200 people came to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre to hear Dr Jim Womack, the founder of the Lean movement, and numerous other speakers, to learn how […]

Queensland drafts graffiti vandals as council cleaners

By Paul Hemsley Vandals caught defacing public and private property could soon be forced to scrub off their own unsightly mess under a hands-on aversion therapy plan by the Queensland government that will let local governments pressgang offenders into the role of council cleaners. The plan to force taggers to erase either their efforts or […]

Newman gives Brisbane the day off before G20 Summit

By Paul Hemsley Queensland Premier Campbell Newman will give Brisbane workers the day off before the G20 Summit in November 2014 by creating a “once-in-a-lifetime” public holiday to reduce any “potential disruptions”, which the state government hopes will ease the event preparations. The Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (G20) will be […]

Queensland councils face skyrocketing flood insurance

By Julian Bajkowski When the chief executive of the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA), Rob Whelan, took to the airwaves in late January 2013 to take councils in Queensland to task over flood protection measures, it was the opening shot in a war of words between local government and the risk industry that had been […]

QLD Premier breaks ranks over referendum

By Julian Bajkowski Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has thrown down the gauntlet to other Australian state and territory leaders to back the ‘yes’ case in a proposed referendum on financial recognition of local governments or risk losing billions of dollars of direct Commonwealth funding for council projects and services. In a dramatic escalation of pressure […]

Library cuts lend nothing

By Sue McKerracher* Try closing a public library and you’ll have the local community take to the streets in support of this highly valued community service. Just because a government department library is less visible, doesn’t mean it is any less valued by the people who use it, but when the fiscal situation is tight, […]

Cycling group gets pushy on spending

By Julian Bajkowski An Australia-wide survey of expenditure by local governments on cycling infrastructure has found that inner-city municipalities are ploughing serious funding into facilities like bike paths, but warned that many suburban councils in Sydney and Melbourne have “irresponsibly low” spending. According to an annual study of 100 councils by cycling advocacy group Bicycle […]

Brisbane Council audit targets digital businesses

By Julian Bajkowski Brisbane City Council has run the ruler over the digital prowess of 500 of the city’s businesses in an innovative bid to lift the online proficiency of local enterprises when competing in the global market. The landmark assessment has come in the form of an official “Digital Audit” commissioned by the economic […]

Margaret de Wit elected LGAQ President

By Paul Hemsley Brisbane City Councillor Margaret de Wit has defeated Fraser Coast Mayor Gerard O’Connell to secure the presidency of the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ). The win means Ms de Wit has become the first female president of the LGAQ in its 116 year history and her agenda will involve cutting back […]

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