By Mike Carmody* In April 2013, the South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill and Victorian Premier Denis Napthine demanded state and federal passenger car fleets include more Australian-made vehicles. Their call came after Holden announced it is slashing its workforce. Anyone concerned about the state of Australia’s car industry will welcome the Premiers’ call to action. […]
30 July, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski The City of Lake Macquarie in New South Wales has come out fighting in support of the ‘yes’ case for the local government referendum, claiming residents stand to lose at least $3 million a year if federal money dries up. The Mayor of Lake Macquarie, Cr Jodie Harrison, has warned the “really […]
30 July, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski The New South Wales state government has ushered in the start of a fresh financial year by warning the state’s councils they must now comply with sweeping new powers that give Local Government Minister Don Page the ability to suspend dysfunctional municipalities. Councils across the state on Monday were issued with a […]
2 July, 2013
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 […]
25 June, 2013
By Paul Hemsley A rise in fatalities and serious injuries for cyclists on Queensland roads has prompted the Campbell Newman government to consider instigating a ‘one-metre rule’ to urgently curb the number of collisions as part of a review of the state’s cycling laws. The change to the road rules would introduce a requirement for […]
14 June, 2013
By Paul Hemsley and Julian Bajkowski Councils in New South Wales have repudiated claims by the state’s Minister for Local Government, Don Page, that an amendment to the Constitution to allow financial recognition of local governments will lead to pork barrelling as baseless scaremongering. As the September 14th referendum debate heats up, joint presidents of […]
21 May, 2013
By Paul Hemsley City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has committed to an overhaul of the inner city’s streets and infrastructure by announcing that the council will embark on its largest ever capital spending program work worth $1.9 billion over the next decade. A persistent advocate of urban renewal that favours people over cars, […]
14 May, 2013
By Staff Writers Drastic changes to New South Wales planning laws have been tipped to slash the amount of time councils have to make decisions about crucial development matters within as little as 10 days or risk losing their decision making powers. The latest broadside against local governments across the state comes as the O’Farrell […]
16 April, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski Councils in New South Wales and Western Australia burned by the collapse of merchant bank Lehman Brothers could recoup around 45 cents in the dollar after liquidators attempted to broker a deal to litigants to settle litigation. While creditors and the Federal Court must still approve the deal, the compromise is a […]
16 April, 2013
By Paul Hemsley Councils in New South Wales and Queensland have mounted a hard-fought campaign to stop forced amalgamations of local governments, but it’s a very different story in the West where mayors are backing a push to merge municipalities. The voluntary push for amalgamations from councils in WA has been highlighted by City of […]
15 April, 2013
By Paul Hemsley New South Wales Premier Barry O’Farrell has signed the state government up for a new deal under which councils will gain more say over plans and initiatives that affect both jurisdictions. The new deal comes in the form of the Intergovernmental Agreement to Guide NSW State-Local Government Relations on Strategic Partnerships which […]
12 April, 2013
By Paul Hemsley A push by New South Wales Local Government Minister, Don Page, to rewrite inconsistent and ad-hoc legislation governing the operation of councils into simple and cohesive laws has secured vital backing from the state’s municipal power brokers, clearing the way for a clean-out of defective regulations. The joint-president of Local Government New […]
9 April, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski Local governments in New South Wales have slammed moves by the O’Farrell state government to push through new laws that would allow the immediate suspension of councils without prior notice as part of bid to gain greater control over the sector. Peak group Local Government NSW (LGNSW) has demanded the deferral of […]
14 March, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski The Australian Medical Association has taken the New South Wales government to task over the alarming number of children being seriously injured after falling out of windows and from balconies because of poor building safety design. In a move certain to have big repercussions for local government planning and development guidelines, the […]
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