The conference for NSW local government starts today, October 23, and is the reason why Central Coast Council’s October meeting was held two weeks’ early.
Administrator Rik Hart is attending the conference which runs until 2pm Tuesday, October 24.
(Council meetings are usually held on the fourth Tuesday of the month but this month’s meeting was held on October 11.)
On Sunday afternoon, delegates have a number of workshops to choose from, ranging from “Universal Urban Design and local government: creating welcoming, vibrant, safe and inclusive communities” to the announcement of the annual Bluett Awards.
Previous administrator Dick Persson was fond of quoting how Warringah Council, where he was administrator for a period, won the Bluett Award in 2015 when the Coast’s current administrator Mr Hart was general manager there.
The conference is run by LGNSW, which, according to its website, is an independent organisation that exists to serve the interests of NSW general and special purpose councils.
“Importantly, we’re not a government department or agency. Instead, we support and advocate on behalf of our member councils to help strengthen and protect an effective, democratic system of local government across NSW,” LGNSW says.
Monday is the day when the conference’s hard yakka really starts: delegates from the 128 councils in NSW will spend most of the day debating motions.
There are 144 of them to be debated and another 80 that were submitted but don’t need to be debated as they are current LGNSW policy.
Topics in the group to be debated include:
# the impact of depreciation on council financial statements;
# the process of auditing;
# homelessness and
# the widespread skills shortage.
Climate change and nuclear energy are also on the list.
Topics in the second group of motions that don’t need to be debated as they are already policy include lobbying for:
# An increase in the FAG (federal assistance grants) to 1 per cent of annual federal revenues;
# Removal of the rate cap;
# Restoring the indexation of the pensioner rebate; and
# National Police Checks for Council Election Candidates
