Bulletin (PDF 18.3 MB) - City of Armadale

Information BulletinCorrespondence & PapersPage Cor-33The average price of water nearly doubled from $0.40/kL in 2004-05 to $0.78/kL in 2008-09.There was large variation in the average price paid for water in 2008-09 with householdspaying $1.93/kL and agriculture $0.12/kL. Further details, including state summaries, canbe found in Water Account Australia, 2008-09 (cat. no. 4610.0), available for free downloadfrom the ABS website.Cost-shifting alive and wellThe Local Government and Shires Associations' (LGSA) annual cost shifting survey hasrevealed that NSW councils continue to foot the bill for State Government responsibilities,with local communities ultimately paying the price.The LGSA surveyed 77 councils to determine the burden of expenses and services shifted tocouncils from the State and Federal Government. The cost shifting bill amounted to $440million for 2008/09, accounting for 5.74% of Local Government's total income before capital.President of the Shires Association, Cr Bruce Miller, said that the true impact is clear whenyou consider the annual cost shifting amount of $440 million is over two-thirds of the annualinfrastructure renewal shortfall of $600 million."The survey demonstrates that councils are continuing to deliver services that are StateGovernment responsibilities without receiving the matching funding," said Cr. Miller.The survey also lists other examples of cost shifting such as inadequate funding to regulatecompanion animals, manage contaminated land, control food safety or administerenvironmental regulation.Vale George CreedFormer Gladstone Regional Council mayor George Creed - 'a man of substance' - diedrecently after battling cancer for many months. Mr Creed, who was a long-standing localgovernment representative for the Gladstone region, resigned as Gladstone RegionalCouncil's mayor in September as his health deteriorated. He served in local government fromMarch 1976 to September this year, holding the position of Gladstone Regional Councilmayor following the 2008 local government elections required due to forced amalgamationsacross the state.Mr Creed had previously been mayor for Calliope Shire Council from 1995 to 2008. He wasawarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2006, the Volunteer Medal for 45 years service tohis local Rural Fire Brigade and the Paul Harris Fellow Rotary Award in recognition of hisservice to Local Government. One of the condolence messages posted on-line says that'through his work, George Creed helped to make Gladstone more than a town - he made it acommunity.'drumMuster rolls onThe success of the drumMUSTER program just keeps rolling on, with the 16 millionth drumbeing collected for recycling by the Lockyer Shire Council in Queensland recently. Workinghand-in-hand with local shire councils, drumMUSTER organises and undertakes both thecollection and recycling of eligible crop production and on-farm animal health chemicalcontainers. drumMUSTER has Regional Consultants working right across Australia and thereare 758 collection sites in shires around the nation. Amazingly, the initiative has now saved