Destination 2036
Destination 2036 Workshop – The Future of Local Government
On 17-18 August 2011, representatives from all 152 NSW councils came together in Dubbo to plan the future of Local Government in NSW at the Destination 2036 workshop, organised by the Division of Local Government.
Leichhardt Council was represented by the Mayor and General Manager, and the Minister for Local Government, Hon Don Page MP, also attended.
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Workshop outcomes
The Local Government sector has recognised the need to work towards a more sustainable future.
The logical starting point is to define and align the roles of all three spheres of government.
Representatives at the workshop agreed that:
- existing communities of interest should be preserved
- there is no particular structural reform model that fits all Local Government areas
- resource and services should be shared where beneficial to local communities
- long term financial sustainability must be assured (funding reforms are essential)
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Implementation
A Steering Committee (ISC) was established to build on the work of the workshop and to develop a specific Action Plan by the end of 2011 for implementation in 2012.
Members include:
- the Chief Executive of the Division of Local Government (Ross Woodward – chair);
- the President of the NSW Local Government Association (Cr Keith Rhoades) ;
- the President of the NSW Shires Association (Cr Ray Donald); and
- the President of the NSW Local Government Managers Association (Mark Ferguson)
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Outcomes Report
The ISC released an Outcomes Report including a Draft Vision for NSW Government - seeking comment by 4 November.
You can download the report here:
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Leichhardt Council’s Outcomes Report Submission
Leichhardt Council discussed the Outcomes Report at the Council Meeting of October:
Leichhardt Council lodged a detailed submission to the Draft:
Council’s submission:
- Opposed forced amalgamation
- Opposed forced boundary changes
- Supported Local Government reform initiatives based upon:
- resource sharing
- strategic alliances
- sector wide cooperation
- effective liaison between Local Government, State Government and the various State Government agencies for more effective planning and service delivery:
- Supported the Draft Vision statement developed at the Destination 2036 workshop
- Considered that a Draft Action Plan should start with a structured process that will:
- clearly identify, define and align the roles and responsibilities of Federal, State and Local Government; and
- develop a shared understanding of all functions and resourcing requirements
- in turn allowing core and discretionary Local Government functions to be determined.
- Advocated that the Draft Action Plan should:
- Facilitate more effective resource sharing and shared service opportunities – mindful of preserving local communities of interest.
- Develop a variety of structural models to assist with identifying and implementing potential structural improvements – recognising that there is no one particular model that fits all Local Government areas.
- Review and develop a broad range of options for increasing the financial sustainability of councils including removal of rate pegging, more equitable revenue distribution from the Federal Government and other funding strategies to meet functional needs and demands
- Facilitate a review of the role of Councillors including but not limited to Mayoral terms, governance models, remuneration and training.
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Draft Destination 2036 Action Plan
The Destination 2036 ISC has now released the Draft Destination 2036 Action Plan for consultation:
Council received this document on 6 December.
The Draft Plan contains a slightly amended draft Vision, is framed under five key Strategic Directions for NSW Government. It has16 Initiatives across each of the five Strategic Directions and is supported by 43 key activities/actions
The Chief Executive, Local Government and ISC Chair, Ross Woodward has called on councils to widely promote the Draft Action Plan within their communities.
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Have Your Say
You are encouraged to review the Draft Action Plan and make a submission with any feedback.
Comments must be submitted by Wednesday 15 February 2012.
Stakeholders are encouraged to provide their comments sooner, if possible.
Council has formally requested that submissions be extended at least until the end of March 2012 to enable proper consultation with the community:
This will give us time to advise and consult with the community during February, and endorse a final submission at the March Council Meeting.
While comments can be made on any matters relating to the draft plan, the ISC is particularly interested in receiving feedback on the following:
- What do you like about the draft Action Plan?
- In what ways could the Action Plan be improved?
- Are there other key activities you believe should be included under any of the initiatives?
- Do you have any suggestions regarding the proposed process for advancing the Action Plan?
- Are you aware of any activities (eg, research) currently underway that could directly contribute to the achievement of any of the initiatives or key activities?
All submissions may be made publicly available.
Written submissions can be sent to:
Project Manager – Destination 2036
Division of Local Government
Department of Premier and Cabinet
Locked Bag 3015
NOWRA NSW 2541
Alternatively, submissions can be emailed to Destination2036@dlg.nsw.gov.au.
If you only want to make a few brief comments, they can also be emailed to this address.
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What Next?
Based on this next round of consultation, the ISC will finalise the Draft and submit it to the Minister for Local Government.
Subject to the Minister’s consideration, the ISC envisages that work on many of the individual actions contained in the Plan will begin from March 2012.
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Further Information
For further information please go to the Department of Local Government website:
http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/dlg_generalindex.asp?sectionid=1&mi=6&ml=21&AreaIndex=PRS
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