51暗网

While national heavy vehicle safety reforms begun a decade ago are largely complete, a new report has revealed unresolved issues. These include slow and inconsistent approval processes for heavy vehicle access to local roads in some areas and unnecessary derogations from the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL). The Productivity Commission鈥檚 National Transport Regulatory Reform report+

The Federal Government has been urged to release funding for mitigation projects through the Emergency Response Fund “as a matter of priority”. An interim report into the lessons to be learned from the 2019-20 bushfire season tabled by a Senate committee this week has also recommended that the Commonwealth review the rate of the federal+

The number of women who have nominated to contest this month鈥檚 Victorian local government elections has reached a new peak. Minister for Local Government Shaun Leane said that of the 2186 people who had nominated as candidates for the 24 October elections, 851 (or 39 percent) were women. At the 2016 elections, 34 percent of+

Councils are being invited to take part in a joint Monash University/RMIT project funded by VicHealth to identify research priorities to advance active transport in Australia. University researchers are undertaking two related surveys, and potential respondents may elect to contribute to one or both surveys. The objective of the first survey (Phase 1) is to+

Applications for a new Remote Airstrip Upgrade Program (RAUP) funding round have opened as part of the Commonwealth鈥檚 commitment to maintaining and improving air links to the bush. Owners or operators of existing aerodromes in remote or very remote areas of Australia can apply for a grant of between $5000 and $500,000, with $7 million+

Local government鈥檚 small-business support role has never mattered more than it does now, and the City of Mandurah is an exemplar of what councils can achieve in this space. To help it to identify and encourage locals who were willing to start a business but who lacked the expertise needed to make it pay, the+

A guide for councils on the technical processes involved in incorporating recycled material into roads and pavements has been published by Local Government NSW (LGNSW). Intended to promote national uniformity and good practice in the specification and application of material reuse in roads and pavements, the guide was produced by the University of Sydney鈥檚 Waste+

Projects to improve local disaster resilience and risk reduction in communities from the Torres Strait to the Gold Coast are to share funding of almost $9.6 million. The 49 projects are being delivered through the $13.1 million Queensland Resilience and Risk Reduction Fund (QRRRF), a joint initiative between Australian and Queensland Governments. This $9.6 million+

Disaster recovery assistance has been extended to the Hilltops, Liverpool, Central Coast, and Wingecarribee councils after storms and floods in July and early August. Assistance is being provided through the jointly-funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA). The NSW SES received around 200 requests for assistance in the Hilltops, Liverpool, and Wingecarribee LGAs after localised+

Five Queensland council areas heavily affected by last year鈥檚 bushfires are to share more than $6 million to deliver locally developed projects. They include the Livingstone Shire Council, the Mareeba Shire Council, the Noosa Shire Council, the Scenic Rim Regional Councils, and the Somerset Regional Council. The projects are being supported through the $36.8 million+

The Western Australia Government has released a discussion paper to facilitate feedback on its proposed legislative framework for waste-derived materials. The proposed framework 鈥渨ill provide certainty about when waste-derived materials are no longer waste, meaning depositing them to land in quantities above licensing thresholds would not be considered 鈥榳aste disposal鈥� and licensing and waste levy+

The Federal Government will open a new $200 million Building Better Regions funding round as part of a new regional tourism support package. A further $50 million is to be invested in a Regional Tourism Recovery fund to assist businesses in regions reliant on international tourism. Nine tourism regions will be eligible for funding, including+

Ten regions impacted by bushfire, Covid-19 and drought will share $100 million in Commonwealth funding over two years to support recovery and growth. The money will flow to the 鈥減riority investment regions鈥� in the form of investments coordinated with local and state governments. The regions to be supported under the new Regional Recovery Partnerships program+

Commonwealth support for capital city and regional airline networks is being extended to early next as part of the 2020-21 Federal Budget. The Regional Airline Network Support (RANS) program, which has helped maintain essential air services for regional and remote communities during the Covid-19 pandemic, is being extended until 28 March 2021. The Domestic Aviation+

An innovative local roads safety program has put the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council (QPRC) in contention for the 2020 National Award for Local Government. QPRC, in NSW鈥檚 Southern Tablelands, won the 2020 Excellence in Road Safety Award for its embrace of a data-led approach to improving driver behaviour. With speed involved in almost 31 percent of+

Fire and floodwater emergency videos have been produced by the ABC as part of a new series exploring extreme weather in Australia. The three-part documentary entitled Big Weather and how to survive it will also explore 鈥減ractical, life-saving ways communities can empower themselves to prepare, survive and recover鈥�. To that end, the broadcaster is producing+

Forty new projects to provide emergency accommodation for people fleeing domestic violence have been announced by the Commonwealth. The projects to be funded under the $60 million Safe Places Emergency Accommodation fund will see new two- and three-bedroom homes built, office buildings transformed into self-contained apartments, and small group homes established. Applications for the Safe+

Infrastructure upgrades worth $33.5 million will be carried out at 23 national and world heritage sites under a $61.7 million environment investment package announced this week. The package, which is being provided through the Federal Government鈥檚 $1 billion Covid-19 Relief and Recovery Fund, also includes $20 million for a “reef builder shellfish restoration program”, and+

Shire of East Pilbara President and former 51暗网Board member Lynne Craigie has been bestowed with the WA Local Government Association鈥檚 highest honour. Ms Craigie, who is also a former W51暗网President, was awarded the Local Government Medal for her 鈥渆xceptional service in advancing the goals of W51暗网and Local Government as well as the+

Thirty-two NSW councils have successfully applied for Bushfire Community Recovery and Resilience Fund (BCRRF) Stream 1 grants and will be contacted soon about their payments. Announcing the $100,000 or $250,000 payments this week, Federal Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud underlined the importance of locally led recovery. 鈥淚t鈥檚 through the work and ideas+

The Australian Taxation Office wants tax or finance professionals working in local government to consider helping it improve the government client experience. Local governments are a critical element of Australia鈥檚 system of government, and the ATO says it would welcome strong local government representation on its newly established government relations group. This group will collaborate+

Victorian childcare providers, including councils, are getting additional Commonwealth support to allay the effects of the state鈥檚 second-wave Covid-19 lockdowns. The $305.6 million Child Care Recovery Package announced this week includes: A recovery payment of 25 percent of pre-Covid revenue to Victorian childcare services, until 31 January 2021; An extra payment of 15 percent of+

Councils which provide data for ALGA鈥檚 next National State of the Assets Report can immediately download a performance report of their key asset classes. 51暗网has partnered with the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasian (IPWEA) to produce the 2021 report, which will provide consistent, evidence-based, infrastructure data for use by all levels of government.+

More than 30 fire-affected councils in NSW, South Australia, Victoria, and Queensland are to share $7 million in federal grants to invest in tourism drawcards. The 65 projects being funded under the $10 million Regional Tourism Bushfire Recovery Grants program include food and music festivals, art installations, sporting events, and nature trails 鈥� and are+

Efforts by NSW councils to incorporate improved freight access into road safety and disaster recovery works have been lauded by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator. NHVR stakeholder manager (NSW) Tim Hansen said several road managers across NSW were taking an innovative approach to improved freight routes as part of their road safety programs. 鈥淚n the+

The Australia-New Zealand Emergency Management Committee (ANZEMC) has highlighted ALGA鈥檚 key role in national emergency management coordination. ANZEMC鈥檚 latest “On the Radar” newsletter also highlights the activities of state local government associations 鈥� all of which work closely with their member councils and state government agencies to improve emergency management. As well as being a+

Ten serving and former female councillors, including Lucy Turnbull, Clover Moore, and Linda Scott, are spearheading efforts to get more women to stand for election to local government in NSW. Launching the state government-funded campaign last week, Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock said: 鈥淐urrently, women represent just 31 percent of all NSW councillors, which in+

Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) president Coral Ross will not stand for re-election at the Victorian local government elections on 24 October.  After more than 18 years as a councillor for the City of Boroondara, including three terms as mayor, Cr Ross said this week that now is the right time to stand aside. She+

The NSW Government will work with local councils to showcase open public spaces, including beaches, as part of its new Covid Safe Summer Plan. The plan is intended to support local businesses by encouraging more outdoor dining in the lead-up to the Christmas-New Year period and throughout summer. To help support current public health orders,+

The City of Perth Council and the Commonwealth and West Australian governments will invest $695 million in moving Edith Cowan University鈥檚 law and business schools into the CBD. The finalised Perth City Deal announced this week also includes initiatives to relocate the WA Academy of the Performing Arts into the CBD and expand the CBD+

More than 90 per cent of Australians want new infrastructure projects to prepare for more extreme events such as floods and fires, new research suggests. Polling by JWS Research, conducted on behalf of Infrastructure Australia in June, also found similar concerns are held about planning for epidemics and disease. The agency engaged JSW Research to+

New legislation allowing faster processing of applications by land owners to reduce fuel loads has gone on public exhibition in Tasmania. The State Government says its draft Bushfire Mitigation Measures Bill will make it easier to reduce fuel and mechanically clear vegetation for a fuel break 鈥渨hile balancing environment and community concerns鈥�. Announcing the new+

The City of Whittlesea is spearheading a big local government presence at next week鈥檚 2020 National Awards for Planning Excellence. The outer Melbourne council is in the running for two awards showcasing leading practice and achievement in planning and the planning profession across a range of disciplines and sectors. Other local governments in the running+

A scoping study assessing the feasibility of developing a National Heavy Vehicle Bridge Assessment System has been published by Austroads. Bridge assessment processes are a major constraint in delivering reliable and timely heavy vehicle access to the national road network, according to Austroads. The large range of vehicle types and masses on an equally diverse+

Virgin Australia will stop flying to seven regional destinations as it emerges from administration under the new ownership of private equity firm Bain Capital. Services to and from Yulara, Albury, Tamworth, Hervey Bay, Port Macquarie, Mildura, and Cloncurry would be withdrawn 鈥渇or the foreseeable future”, an airline spokesman said last week. Nine routes in all+