Australian Local Government Association

Media releases: 2008

Road Safety Blackspots funding increase welcomed

12 December 2008

The President of the Australian Local Government Association, Cr Geoff Lake, welcomed the announcement today by the Australian Government of $4.7 billion in new and accelerated spending on transport infrastructure under the Nation Building Initiative.

Reform of the Australian Constitution

11 December 2008

Local councils in Australia have reached an historic agreement about how to reform and modernise the Australian Constitution.

ALGA congratulates Federal Government for ABC bailout

10 December 2008

Cr Geoff Lake, President of the Australian Local Government Association, today congratulated the Federal Government on its announcement to provide up to $34 million of additional funds to keep an additional 241 ABC Learning Centres open into the New Year and if necessary until 31 March 2009.

State of the Regions Report 2008 - 2009: Background briefing

08 December 2008

The eleventh State of the Regions Report was unveiled today in Melbourne.

State of the Regions Report 2008 - 2009 - The Current World Financial Crisis and its Implications

08 December 2008

The latest State of the Regions report from leading forecasting group, National Economics, for the Australian Local Government Association presents a sobering snapshot of the nation.

State of the Regions Report 2008 – 2009: Broadband boost a long overdue must for Australia

08 December 2008

The latest economic snapshot of Australia's regions commissioned by the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) predicts that the Rudd Government's moves on a national broadband network will lay bare the years of misconceived federal telecommunications policy.

Dick Gross exits local government stage

02 December 2008

ALGA President Cr Geoff Lake has paid tribute to Dick Gross who lost his position as a councillor with the City of Port Phillip in the Victorian council elections over the weekend.

New President for Australian Local Government Association

19 November 2008

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has elected a new President, Cr Geoff Lake, at its Annual General Meeting held in Canberra this afternoon.

Infrastructure funding will help communities

18 November 2008

The Federal Government has received plaudits from over 400 mayors across Australia with the announcement of much-needed funding for councils under the new Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Fund.

Future of ABC Learning a prime concern for communities

08 November 2008

Cr Geoff Lake, the President of the Australian Local Government Association, says the announcement by the liquidators of ABC Learning that it can only guarantee the future of 656 of the group's childcare centres past 31 December this year is a huge blow to local communities across the county.

ALGA calls for Government rethink on waste dumps

02 October 2008

The Federal Government should follow Professor Garnaut's recommendations to exclude waste dumps from the early stages of a carbon trading scheme, according to the President of the Australian Local Government Association, Cr Paul Bell.

New Australian Council of Local Government

19 September 2008

Cr Paul Bell, President of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), has welcomed the announcement by the Prime Minister of the establishment of the new Australian Council of Local Governments (ACLG) in November, saying it marked a new chapter in Federal-Local Government relations.

National Local Roads and Transport Congress

13 June 2008

Speakers from the Federal Government, Local Government and the Opposition at this Congress:

LOCAL GOVERNMENT WELCOMES COMMITMENT TO TRANSPORT FUNDING

21 May 2008

The President of the Australian Local Government Association, Cr Paul Bell, said that he was pleased that the Federal Government had kept its election commitments on local road funding for 2008-09 and maintained its commitment to funding local roads at announced rates to 2014.

TAX REVIEW AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EQUITABLE FUNDING FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT

21 May 2008

The President of the Australian Local Government Association, Cr Paul Bell, welcomed the Federal Government's preparedness to tackle inter-governmental financial relations as part of its Tax Review.

MIXED RESPONSE TO ONE-YEAR EXTENSION OF NATURAL DISASTER MITIGATION PROGRAM

21 May 2008

The President of the Australian Local Government Association, Cr Paul Bell, welcomed the Federal Government's decision to extend the funding for the Natural Disaster Mitigation Program (NDMP) beyond 30 June 2008 but said he was baffled by the decision to extend the program for only a single year.

ALGA READY TO WORK WITH GOVT ON LOCAL COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE

21 May 2008

The President of the Australian Local Government Association, Cr Paul Bell, has applauded the Federal Government's announcement in tonight's Budget that a Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program will be established from 2009-10.

ALGA President urges Government to 'reconsider' cuts to environment program

18 March 2008

ALGA President Cr Paul Bell will fly to Canberra today to make urgent representations to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Peter Garrett, and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Tony Burke, about the Government's decision to slash funding to the Local Government Natural Resource Management Facilitator Network.