Page pledges renewed push on Western front in NSW

By Paul Hemsley and Julian Bajkowski The Local Government and Shires Association of New South Wales (LGSA) has backed a push by the state’s Minister for Local Government Don Page to arrest problems faced by regional councils in Western NSW including population decline, ageing infrastructure and financial sustainability by forging stronger relations between local, state […]

NSW councils lash $500m in cost shifting

By Paul Hemsley and Julian Bajkowski The Shires Association of New South Wales has renewed its attack on cost shifting by the states and Canberra after a survey found that councils were left out of pocket by $499 million in the 2012/11 financial year through cross-jurisdictional financial manoeuvres. The Local Government and Shires Associations of […]

Sydney sticks it to stray needles

By Paul Hemsley The City of Sydney’s shot at minimising health risks associated with syringes and other so-called medical “sharps” entering the mainstream rubbish collection system has taken out a Local Government Excellence Award. The Local Government and Shires Association of New South Wales (LGSA) gave the prize to the City for installing two community […]

LGSA accelerates social media push

By Paul Hemsley The Local Government and Shires Association of New South Wales (LGSA) has become the latest local government peak body to launch a Twitter account as part of its website redesign and relaunch. The LGSA has joined the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV), the Victorian Local Governance Association […]

Leichhardt pecuniary interest lost

By Julian Bajkowski Inner Sydney’s Leichhardt Council has lost a key bid to secure backing from other New South Wales councils to try and overturn a state legislative amendments it claims will let councillors vote on planning and development decisions in which they hold a direct financial interest. According to a record of decisions released […]

Push to bury power with NBN

By Julian Bajkowski and Paul Hemsley The local government sector is upping pressure on its state and federal peers to seize the rollout of the National Broadband Network as a once in a lifetime opportunity to also dig dangerous and ugly overhead power lines into the ground once and for all. Kur-ring-gai Municipal Council will this […]

NSW mayors to get gurus

By Paul Hemsley The Local Government and Shires Association of New South Wales (LGSA) will mentor newly elected and returning mayors to help them understand the complex inner workings of government. The first program of its kind in Australia, the support program hopes provides mayors a way of seeking advice from the LGSA following the […]

Councils demand say on NSW planning overhaul

By Paul Hemsley The Local Government and Shires Association of NSW (LGSA) has demanded a much closer look at the NSW Government’s planning reforms to ensure that communities get a say in local development applications. Dubbed

NSW councils caught in carbon crossfire

By Paul Hemsley The head of NSW Shires Association, Ray Donald, has warned that state and federal governments need keep partisan bickering out of local government participation in the carbon tax. His warning follows a fresh policy brawl that erupted after federal Climate Change Parliamentary Secretary, Mark Dreyfus, accused state Liberal Party members of incorrectly […]

LGSA to merge into one association

Members of the Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW (LGSA) have voted to form a single group. Instead of two separate groups under the banners of the Local Government Association of NSW and the Shires Association of NSW, members voted in favour of forming a combined group. This amalgamation comes after nine years of […]

Inland rail line told to speed up

The Australian Government should invest more funds and start building the Melbourne to Brisbane Rail Line, according to the Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW (LGSA). Local Government Association of NSW president Keith Rhoades said restoring existing rail infrastructure and investing in new projects like the Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail corridor will improve […]

LGA SA gets online apps

International companies have expressed interest in working with the Local Government Association of South Australia (LGA SA) to create an online information application. The application would be for mobile phones and computers, attracting 16 IT design and development companies from Australia and overseas. The application, dubbed ‘My Local’, is meant to identify facilities, including schools, […]

Tribunal blocks council re-categorisation

By Paul Hemsley Council categories in NSW were assessed by the Local Government Remuneration Tribunal, but the submission has been declined until 2015. The Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW (LGSA) made the submission to the tribunal to review whether some councils should be re-categorised as ‘metropolitan’ or ‘regional rural’. Shires Association president, Ray […]

Council calls for compostable nappies

By Paul Hemsley Lake Macquarie Council is proposing the Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW design a campaign pressuring manufacturers to produce compostable nappies. In terms of sustainability, the current form of nappies has high organic product but with inherent issues in dealing with them in the waste stream. Lake Macquarie Council director of […]

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