Minutes 30-03-11 - Shire of Shark Bay

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ORDINARY COUNCIL MINUTES – 30 MARCH 2011 - 40 -11.2 CONSTITUTIONAL RECOGNITIONWA512AuthorChief Executive OfficerDisclosure of Any InterestNilMovedSecondedCr HanscombeCr PepworthCouncil ResolutionThat Council;1. support the Australian Local Government Association campaign for theConstitutional recognition of Local Government;2. call on the Federal Government to conduct a referendum to achieve theConstitutional recognition of Local Government at the 2013 FederalElection;3. develop a local level campaign, in support of the national campaign, toinform the local community and garner its support;4. acknowledge that funding implications need to be considered as part ofthe ongoing financial planning process.5/0 CARRIEDBackgroundThere is a long history of debate on Constitutional recognition for LocalGovernment in Australia, with referendums having previously been put before thevoters in 1974 and 1988, with both being defeated.During 2008 the Australian Local Government Association actioned a strategicapproach aimed at securing a referendum which involved:• some initial resource materials to assist Local Governments to conduct aconversation at the local level on the need for Constitutional recognition• Zone or region level discussions, where appropriate, based on WesternAustralian Local Government Association agenda items• Statewide forum to determine a state Local Government position (resolved atLocal Government Convention)• A national experts forum a National Constitution Summit (MelbourneDecember 2008)In 2009/10 Australian Local Government Association focused advocacy aroundnational political forums, political parties and key influential academics, while StateAssociations built up state profiling campaigns to improve the image andperception of their local government jurisdictions.The Australian Local Government Association Board further refined the nationalposition in 2010 to focus specifically on financial recognition and the WALGAposition was also aligned to this focus.
ORDINARY COUNCIL MINUTES – 30 MARCH 2011 - 41 -• The Federal Government has committed to a referendum on Constitutionalrecognition for Local Government, likely to be held in conjunction with the 2013election.• A national position was developed at the Local Government ConstitutionalSummit to be held in Melbourne in December 2008, and has been refined bythe Australian Local Government Association Board to focus the referendumon financial recognition.• Australian Local Government Association has requested that all LocalGovernments formally resolve to support the conduct of the referendum.CommentWhilst the Federal Government has said that it will run a referendum, theirwillingness to do so in any sort of reasonable time frame will be heavily influencedby their perceptions of its likely success. A major factor in their perceptions will bethe degree to which the conversation reflects broad community engagement.It is important that local community support is marshalled to ensure thatcommunity ownership is injected into the campaign. If the campaign is seen purelyas one being run by and for the local government system, then success will bedifficult to achieve.Legal ImplicationsNilPolicy ImplicationsThe national policy position is consistent with the Western Australian LocalGovernment Association position. Adoption of the recommendation will formalisecouncil’s policy position and align it with the national campaign.Financial ImplicationsLocal level campaign: the costs associated with any local level campaign will becontingent on its extent and complexity. Expenditures could involve expenses suchas venue hire and minor catering and administrative charges including telephonecalls, printing, etc. These are likely to be minimal and manageable within theconstraints of budgeted operational expenditure.National Campaign: these are not defined at this stage and will depend largely onthe willingness of the Federal Government to fund “YES” and “NO” campaigns. Afull range of funding options needs to be developed by Australian LocalGovernment Association and Western Australian Local Government Associationbefore the specific implications for council can be explored.Strategic ImplicationsNilVoting RequirementsSimple Majority RequiredDate of Report 23 March 2011
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Minutes 30-03-11 - Shire of Shark Bay

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