JULY 2023
Australia’s National Local Government Newspaper
For crying out loud After a least a year of planning, Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour has hailed the Ancient and Honourable Guild of Australian Town Criers Championships, held in Maryborough at the start of the month, as a major success.
The loudest cry and overall winner Kevin Howarth from Toowoomba.
All together now - all the competitors in this year’s national town criers competition at Maryborough.
Picture: FRASER COAST COUNCIL
Eleven competitors from throughout Australia took part in the one-day event before staying on to be part of the town’s annual Mary Poppins Festival. “We were looking forward to it for a long time and we have been really excited that we could pair it with our Mary Poppins Festival,” Mayor Seymour said. “They both went together really well. “Maryborough with its beautiful architecture its culture and its history really lends itself to this time of event and the town criers all participated in the Mary Poppins Festival and added a lot of colour to it.” Toowoomba’s Kevin Howarth was the big winner on the day. Full story page 12
Disaster aid win In a major win for local governments, the Federal Government announced fast-tracked payments totaling almost $1.8 billion to the majority of states under the State and Commonwealth-funded Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA). ALGA president Cr Linda Scott said the government had listened to local government’s call for faster support and payments following unprecedented natural disasters over the past two years. “In 2022 more than half of Australia’s 537 local government areas were impacted by fires, floods and cyclones, which destroyed homes, businesses, and our community infrastructure,” Cr Scott said. “Two weeks ago, we met with the Prime Minister and key federal ministers at the first Australian Council of Local Government meeting in a decade and urged them to fast-track federal support that will enable us to more effectively rebuild our communities. “We are thrilled the government has heard our call and responded with this once-off advance disaster recovery payment. “This fast-tracked federal funding will play a key role in helping our disaster-impacted communities recover and rebuild. “Councils are at the forefront of disaster recovery, but we can’t do it alone, and we greatly appreciate the support we receive from the Federal Government, and our state and territory governments.” Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories Kristy McBain said
the funding allocation was in response to calls from the states, local governments and peak bodies. “During the Australian Council of Local Government conference in Canberra this month, mayors and council representatives were clear about the growing need for more upfront help, and I’m very pleased the Albanese Government has been able to deliver that so quickly,” Minister McBain said. “Councils are on the frontline of disasters, and we need to ensure they are adequately supported both in planning for and recovering from disasters.” Special Envoy for Disaster Recovery, Senator Tony Sheldon said the one-off advance payment would assist all levels of government to focus on community recovery. “With many communities suffering from reoccurring disasters, it’s clear the financial burden is weighing on flood-impacted regions,” Senator Sheldon said. “When I visit communities, undoubtedly the recovery workload, and the costs associated with that are creating challenges for local councils – they’re finding it particularly difficult to keep up with repairs to roads and other infrastructure such as bridges, culverts, levees, bike lanes and footpaths.
“The Albanese Government has listened to local councils, and in close partnership with the states, we will assist regions to access the support they need, when they need it. “These payments have already been delivered to the states, and we’ve made it clear that we expect it to be hitting the ground quickly. “I want to thank the states for taking up this offer and jointly recognising the real community need on the ground. “Having safe and functional infrastructure is important, and we will continue to work with all levels of government to ensure that the assistance on offer is fit for purpose.” The payments will help all levels of government get on with the massive job of repairing roads and essential public assets after years of disasters. Since January 2022, jointly funded Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) have been activated for 65 disasters in 332 unique Local Government Areas (LGA). This represents over 61 per cent of Australia’s 539 LGAs recognised by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). Advance payments totalling almost $1.8 billion will be paid to the majority of states under the State and Commonwealth funded DRFA. The funding program was offered to all disas-
ter-impacted states with reconstruction costs passing the threshold for Commonwealth contribution, with most accepting the offer. Under the DRFA, payments are generally made after a state has submitted an audited claim for financial assistance, following reconstruction works. However, in the last two years there’s been compounding, concurrent natural disasters across every state in Australia, with recovery hampered by Covid and all the challenges that have come with it. In recognition of these exceptional circumstances, the Albanese Government is making these funds available upfront. The payments represent 40 per cent of the estimated amount the Albanese Government would contribute under the DRFA for 2021-22 and 2022-23. There were 46 disasters declared in 2022, with 524 disaster support declarations over 316 local government areas in Australia, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). “Ultimately, timely investment in recovery helps all levels of government to save money in the long term,” Ms Scott said. The advance payments will include $2,219,308,926 for NSW, $1,896,004,026 to Queensland, $107, 281,139 for South Australia, $12,200,917 for Tasmania and $234,756,069 to Western Australia.