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Victoria's first female councillor leads the way on representation again

7/3/2017

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Last year VicRoads and the City of Yarra installed the silhouette of Mary Rogers at a new pedestrian crossing in Bridge Road, Richmond. 

Now, pedestrian traffic lights depicting female figures (more generic than the silhouette of Mary Rogers shown here) will be installed in Melbourne's CBD as a part of a push for gender equality. The Committee for Melbourne – a non-profit organisation representing more than 120 Melbourne business and community groups – is behind the move.

"The idea is to install traffic lights at some intersections with female representation, as well as male representation, to help reduce unconscious bias," Chief executive Martine Letts said.
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Mary Rogers, the first woman councillor in Victoria, was elected on the 5th of November 1920 to Richmond City Council at a by-election (the first woman elected to a local council nationally was Susan Benny).
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She was quickly appointed to a board of enquiry into neglected children, and worked to improve the sanitary and living conditions of the poor at Richmond, have baby clinics established, and to get municipal control of the milk supply. After her time on the council, Mary Rogers was also one of the first women appointed as a justice of the peace in Victoria 
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Housing – the UK making changes to get people into currently empty homes

6/2/2017

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Australia – especially Melbourne and Sydney – continue to struggle with housing supply shortages and prices beyond reach of those trying to get into the market, Interestingly for us, the UK is facing similar issues. And this week, Theresa May will publish her housing white paper, which is expected to mean local councils will need to both push and pull owners, investors and developers to increase the number of homes, and the number of homes available.

For instance, the white paper is expected to tell local authorities to place sharp council tax increases on owners of empty homes, as uninhabited homes are big news right now. Recent figures show there were 142,000 vacant properties registered with 70 UK councils last year alone. If replicated across the country, this could mean 750,000 properties are currently empty. In 2015-16, South Lanarkshire had almost 20,000 empty homes, followed by Doncaster (15,714), Lancaster (14,527) and Durham (11,362). The white paper is also expected to free up greenbelt land for new developments, but Campaign to Protect Rural England chief executive Shaun Spiers says the data on empty homes will make it more difficult to persuade the public that the protected land should be compromised. ​
The UK's Housing White Paper to be released in a few days
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Resource sharing success stories in Tasmania

28/11/2016

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 by Associate Professor Roberta Ryan (photo on the right), Director & SallyAnn Hunting (photo on the left), Associate Director, UTS Centre for Local Government, UTS Institute for Public Policy and Governance.
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​What’s the best way forward for councils when they are expected to do more with less? With pressure to drive efficiencies and economies, often with constrained income levels, councils need to be creative about how to simultaneously achieve savings and improved service levels. State government policies across Australia have been focusing on council amalgamations, however two sets of councils in North West Tasmania have been able to demonstrate efficiencies and increased strategic capacity through resource sharing.

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Big-hearted Central Coast Council to provide tiny homes for the homeless in Gosford

16/11/2016

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According to Cameron Parsell, from the University of Queensland, over a 12-month period, people who were chronically homeless used state government funded services that cost approximately A$48,217 each . . . Compared to the cost of providing emergency health and criminal services to people without housing, investing in permanent supportive housing constitutes a cost offset. (The Conversation, 26/10/2016)

Central Coast Council has a homelessness problem. According to Council spokesperson, Kylie Frazer, the three main drivers of homelessness or risk of homelessness are:
  • Unemployment – esp youth unemployment, and those affected by the casualisation of the workforce
  • Domestic violence – from 2013 to 2014 there was a (4%) in apprehended violence orders and in 2014 there were eleven thousand one hundred and eighty three (11,183) risk of significant harm reports representing close to four thousand individual children.
  • Poverty
  • Housing costs (mortgages and rents) compared to incomes

​Now, the council is leasing land to the Tiny Homes Foundation to create a pilot providing homes to the homeless. The Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to providing socially, environmentally and economically sustainable housing solutions with a focus on housing for people experiencing homelessness.

Could similar projects offer alternative housing and education/employment solutions to Australia’s housing affordability and homelessness crisis in other LGAs? Providing people with a sense of purpose, a place of security and an opportunity to help themselves and others could make a big difference in many of our communities, and also boost local government's contribution in saving state funds!
The pilot program, to be constructed next to Gosford Hospital, will be made up of 4 very small homes, a common lounge, laundry and workshop and community vegetable gardens. Each 14 square metre home costs less than $30,000 to assemble and includes a bathroom and kitchen, and has a solar efficient design.
Article from the Huffington Post
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Good Practice in Local Government – and great insights from the Australian recipient of the LG Professionals Australia International Exchange

7/11/2016

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by Anneka Ferguson, Dorset Council, Tasmania
Transparency… For some reason this is not something local government has been very good at in the past. But transparency in local government is critical for building trust in our communities, for facilitating well-informed decision-making, and for providing accountability amongst both our elected members and employed operational staff. Coconino County in Arizona, USA, have been actively working towards improved communications and more open practices that allow their community to actively participate and engage with local government.
This video shows some fantastic examples of the ethos of this local government organisation, demonstrating their passion to create better communities, and to support and change lives.

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Planning violation highlights the importance of getting the rules and penalties right

3/11/2016

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The Corkman Irish Hotel was demolished by a developer without a permit.
​Photo credit: 
ABC News – Gloria Kalache
In October a developer demolished the Corkman Irish Pub in Carlton without the appropriate planning permits. Suddenly Melbourne sat up and took notice. Within hours the story was front page news in the media – both traditional and social – with reactions from the Lord Mayor of the City of Melbourne, the Minister for Planning, the Opposition planning spokesperson, a heritage experts, the president of Melbourne Heritage Action, two local government candidates, and Melbourne University students who frequented the pub, while an online petition was created on Change.org.

When waste materials containing asbestos from the site were found dumped in Cairnlea, it was the straw that broke the camel's back. A large fine was issued, and calls were made to have the developer restore the building, and for the planning laws to be changed to allow penalties that act as a clear deterrence. That's the thing! Several town planners have told me that the property boom has embedded such huge profits into many developments that the fines for acting outside the planning regulations are simply factored into the cost of doing business. As an example of this, an expert quoted in The Age said that the site's value doubled by removing the existing structure. In that case, a fine alone is not much deterrent for an unethical developer. With the focus the Corkman has brought to planning, it will be fascinating to see what policy changes will be implemented.
Read the article
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Merging the private and public space - #BackyardExperiment

28/10/2016

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A community initiative in Garema Place in Canberra is currently showing how changing public spaces can bring out the best in the city and its people.
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Created by the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) in collaboration with Street Furniture Australia, the ACT Government and In the City Canberra, the experiment uses a time-lapse video to capture the interactions and activity in the temporary installation. Organisers hope to understand how people use a space in three different scenarios; existing, with the addition of Street Furniture Australia's moveable seats and vibrant elements, and with pop-up activations including outdoor cinema, library and snack cart.

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Just participating is winning!

24/10/2016

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For the second year running, LG Professionals Australia provided a scholarship to send an Indigenous team from the remote Mornington Shire Council to compete in the Rural Management Challenge staged by LGMA Queensland.
 
The 2016 Rural Management Challenge was hosted by the Tablelands Regional Council on the 6th of October. As well as covering the costs of participation and travel, the scholarship enabled an additional buddy-up day with staff from the Tablelands Regional Council – to pack in as much LG experience and learning as possible. 
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​The 2016 Rural Management Challenge Team: 
Derek Smith – Housing Department Supervisor; Wendie Loogatha – Payroll and Training Coordinator; Jade Linden – Housing Department Administration Manager; and Ikey Donnelley – Assistant Workshop Manager.

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Creating unique solutions! Place-based governance at its best in Mornington Shire

21/10/2016

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For anyone thinking that all the action happens in the big cities, I’ve got to say, take a trip to Queensland’s remote Mornington Shire! Or at the very least, take a look at their website. Why? Because the council there are kicking goals around the major themes of community engagement, collaboration with businesses, and working with other levels of government. 

​And the outcome will be a new jetty and better facilities enabling eco-tourism in the home of the endangered dugong, recreational fishing, some light industry, and economic growth and employment for the local residents.
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The contractors barge arrived at the project site on Oct 20. Work begins Oct 21.
​The Mornington Shire Marine Precinct works officially commenced today, October 21. Works will be carried out by Giles Construction in partnership with Mornington Shire Council. Stage 1, which follows earlier demolition works this year to remove the old, unsafe jetty structure, is being co-funded by the Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, Translink, MMG Century and Mornington Shire Council. This is a major investment into the region, and a very exciting development, one in which council has been advocating for the past two years. 

​

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Colourful days in the International Mentoring Program

17/10/2016

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It has just been festival time both Nepal – Dashain and Tihar – and Cambodia – Pchchum Ben, which meant many of our mentees returned to their families' village for the celebrations. Mentors enjoyed learning a little about these festivals from their mentees. 

Now that everyone is back, we can share a few photos on what our teams have been up to. 
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Gaurav, from Kathmandu has worked well with mentor Dr Robert Grogan, despite study and travel interruptions. Med student Gaurav is conducting first aid training to help avert some of the problems experienced in last year's earthquakes. 

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Meeting Our Leaders – Maxine Dowley

13/10/2016

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With leadership as our 2017 Congress theme, this is an excellent opportunity to introduce you to our board members. The Meeting Our Leaders series will run until May 2017. 

Maxine Dowley is a Director on the Board of Local Government Professionals Australia NT.
An event coordinator with the City of Palmerston, Maxine started her LG career in 2001. Interestingly, Maxine competed in the Australasian Management Challenge in Alice Springs in 2013.
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​'I competed in the Australasian Management Challenge in Alice Springs in 2013. I initially felt out of my comfort zone working on the pre-challenge subject – which I knew very little about. But it made me think strategically and work on building trust with my team members.’ 


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$125,000 State Government funding for 6 councils to turn organic waste into energy

7/10/2016

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As in LG Professionals Australia’s white paper released earlier this year, Australia in a Century of Transformative Governance: A Federation for Communities and Places, the future of effective governance rests on our ability to collaborate across a wide network of government, business, non-profit and community organisations. Here is an excellent example of regional councils combining resources to tackle the important issues of energy and jobs, with funding from the Victorian State Government.
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Six central Victorian councils – Ballarat, Hepburn, Central Goldfields, Macedon Ranges, Mount Alexander and Pyrenees Shire Councils have received funding for their proof-of-concept plan for a waste-to-energy network to power community buildings. 
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​‘We want to see more councils working together across municipal borders to get the best results for ratepayers and this is a good example of that work in action.’  Minister for Local Government Natalie Hutchins


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Getting women's ideas heard: Listen. Repeat. Attribute.

29/9/2016

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Join us for the Women's Breakfast at Congress 2017.

Senior women in the LG sector will lead the discussion on how gender imbalances can be addressed, and how you can work with other women – and supportive men – to ensure you can contribute to your council to the best of your ability.

If you're in a minority in any meeting, it's often difficult to get yourself heard. Typically the minority in senior meetings within local councils, many women have noticed that when they voice an idea during a meeting, there is no real response or acknowledgement. But more frustrating, often someone else will say the same thing a few minutes later, and have it welcomed as a valuable contribution. 
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In this eye-opening article about a group of women working in the White House, the women use a simple 3-step process to support each other to have their ideas heard, acknowledged and credited to the person who came up with them. It works like this: if you hear a good idea in a meeting that is not acknowledged, repeat the idea yourself, prefaced by an attribution to the first speaker. 'As Janet suggested, we could be more effective by  . . .

This works because repetition is one of the simplest ways of reinforcing any point, and secondly, hearing another person repeat the idea gives the rest of the audience time to let the idea sink in. The decency of attributing the idea appropriately is something that can become part of your team's culture. That works for everyone.
Get heard in meetings
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Save the frogs of Melbourne – because we live here

28/9/2016

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Earlier this year, LG Professionals Australia released Australia in a Century of Transformative Governance: A Federation for Communities and Places and one of its strongest themes centred around the idea that local government was important and effective because it was placed-based and staff are engaged with their communities – 'because we live here' local government professionals are often great contributors to, as well as leaders of, their own communities.

​Here is an opportunity for local government professionals in Melbourne to support their local environment. Melbourne Water has recently launched its annual Frog Census, which is a community-led citizen science research project that tracks the location of local frog populations.
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A pobblebonk in the waterways of Melbourne. The research helps Melbourne Water to focus its conservation efforts to improve habitat and the environmental health of waterways.
To download the app, visit melbournewater.com.au/frogcensus

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The same 3D modelling used by Australian councils protected Pope Francis in the streets of Philadelphia

13/9/2016

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In September last year, Pope Francis visited Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families. For the organisers, as thrilled as they were to have the Pope at the event, his tendency to allow members of the public to approach him, and his unwillingness to wear a flak-jacket or have protective sides installed on his vehicle presented a security challenge of the highest order.
 
What might be particularly surprising to local government professionals, is that an Australian-owned company based in Adelaide, Aerometrix, which provides photo-realistic and geographically accurate 3D models used in planning, survey mapping and visualisations for councils around Australia, was called in to help deliver a solution. Using the incredibly realistic model of Philadelphia's urban environment the Aerometrix team was able to create, the event organisers were able to meticulously plan the Pope's route, security and contingency plans.

Watch the video to see Newcastle in 3D – from the city streets to the beach-side cliffs.

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    Lauren Oakey

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