1December 2013 LGAT News

Vice President’s Report .........................................................2

Chief Executive Officer’s Report ...........................................3

Policy Perspectives ................................................................4

Faces of Local Government ...................................................6

News and Reviews ................................................................9

People and Performance .....................................................24

Health and Wellbeing ..........................................................29

Environment ........................................................................32

Tourism and Events .............................................................42

ICT .......................................................................................46

Business and Finance ..........................................................48

Roads and Engineering ........................................................52

Diary Dates ..........................................................................55

COVER PHOTO: International award recipient, Mayor Bertrand Cadart of Glamorgan Spring Bay Council, pictured with his dog, CB 1300.Photography by Owen Hughes.

Editor:Stephanie WatsonLocal Government Association of Tasmania326 Macquarie Street, HobartTasmania 7000Postal address:GPO Box 1521, Hobart, Tasmania 7001Telephone: (03) 6233 5966Facsimile: (03) 6233 5986Email: stephanie.watson@lgat.tas.gov.auWebsite: www.lgat.tas.gov.au

LGAT News is circulated to every council throughout Tasmania. Circulation also includes senior government staff, state parliamentarians, interstate and national local government representative bodies and private companies operating in Tasmania.

The views expressed in LGAT News are not necessarily endorsed by the Local Government Association of Tasmania. No responsibility is accepted by the publishers, the editor or printer for the accuracy of information contained in the text or advertisements. Advertisements must comply with the relevant provisions of the Trade Practices Act 1974. Responsibility for compliance with the Act rests with the person, company or advertising agency submitting the advertisement. Neither the publisher nor editor accepts responsibility for advertisements.

LGAT News editorial policy: contributions must be relevant and suitable for local government and will be used at the discretion of the editor, in whole or part, or not at all, in the next scheduled issue or subsequent issues. The publishers do not pay for editorial submitted. For more information on the LGAT News editorial policy, go to www.lgat.tas.gov.au.

COPYRIGHT © Local Government Association of Tasmania 2013

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inside this issue

LGAT News December 20132

With this being the last edition of LGAT News for 2013, it is a good time to reflect on other busy year in Local Government. The new planning scheme has taken many hours of work for planners, senior staff and councillors, which I hope will see a better scheme for us all. Amalgamating all water and sewerage schemes into one organisation has been somewhat frustrating, with many councils not confident of a good outcome for some areas. Headworks also is a challenge for those who are undergoing new developments.

Constitutional recognition took many hours of time for LGAT staff and council officers. Unfortunately all the effort was to no avail as the election was called too early for the referendum to proceed. It is pleasing, however, that the newly elected government has chosen to refund the money that was spent on this project.

It was unfortunate that Hobart City Council chose to leave our Association but I would expect them to join us again soon. It was sad to farewell popular West Coast Mayor, Darryl Gerrity. As has already been mentioned,

Darryl was a passionate advocate for the West Coast community and will be greatly missed, especially at our General Meetings.

Regional councils found it necessary to join together to make sure our government understand our opinion on the forestry agreements that were being discussed without our involvement. This process was not what many of us were happy with. We hope the $100 millions will soon be allocated to help our communities recover from a difficult two or three years.

Next year will again be a big one for us all, with both State and Local Government elections being held. It is hoped we will have a stable Government that we can work effectively with, for the best result for our State.

May I take this opportunity to wish all councillors, council staff and LGAT staff a safe and Happy Christmas. Thank you all for all the hard work you do for the good of our ratepayers. May you enjoy your families at this time of the year, relax and prepare yourselves again for another busy year.

v ice president’s report

LGAT News December 20132

Our Year at a GlanceCLR DARYL QUILLIAM, VICE PRESIDENTLocal Government Association of Tasmania

3December 2013 LGAT News

chief execut ive off icer’s report

3December 2013 LGAT News

At the time of writing this article, I am about to step away from the desk and sneak in a holiday. While only a week, I figure that it will not only do me good, it will bring great joy to those around me on the basis that I will not be around them.

At this time of the year we are all getting a bit testy; the year seems as long as a year could ever be; everybody wants everything (and more) done by Christmas; invites keep on appearing in your inbox to join others for that certain Christmas cheer and you just know that next year is not going to be any better. So I’m ducking off early and instead of just the Christmas break, I’ll enjoy a pre-Christmas break in the sun. But of course, it is not just about me.

I will start that exercise regime that I keep boring everybody at work about – walking, running and swimming in the pool and the ocean. I’ll take the opportunity to rest up and relax to rebuild my body in the fight against all those lurgies and aches and pains that I moan about. I’ll breathe in the sea and rainforest air. I will take the opportunity to switch off completely and enjoy the sun, the fresh air, the food and exercise, and come home refreshed and inspired.

A Time to Refresh and a Time to GrowALLAN GARCIA, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERLocal Government Association of Tasmania

That sleep that never seems to come will take over with lower stress levels and relative peace and quiet, and the suntan and general wellness will work to make me a nicer person on my return. All in all – a good result.

I will be reinvigorated and will look forward to prosecuting the Local Government

agenda with all parties in the

lead-up to the State Election. I

will be enthusiastic about developing new

policies and strategies with councils to ensure that they

continue to grow, be more effective and efficient and capable of achieving the demands of their communities.

I will throw myself into a year of rigorous preparation for Local Government Elections, ensuring that would-be candidates know

what they are getting themselves into. I will marvel at what a four year all-in/all-out result will deliver. I will await the outcome of

elections for the General Management Committee and deliver on the promises outlined in the LGAT operational plan.

Oh yes, the thought of a holiday and its promise of refreshment, enthusiasm and new ideas is a joy indeed. I truly hope that it delivers for me and I truly hope that the Christmas break has the same effect on all those working in the Local Government sector.

It has been an interesting year and another busy one with the start up of TasWater, planning reform and the departure and movement of many of our council general managers. To the staff and GMC of the Association, I would take this opportunity to thank you for your contributions and support. To staff and elected members of councils, thank you for your inputs and contributions throughout the year. I hope that we are continuing to meet your expectations. And, finally, I would thank our sponsors and all those with whom we serve with on working groups, steering committees, advisory councils and reference groups. We can be persistent, demanding and sometimes grumpy, but it’s generally for a good cause.

Merry Christmas to all and a prosperous new year.