WHILE WORK-FROM-home remains preferred, the Australian Public Service Commission has extended paid leave to more than 8,000 casual employees who may be forced to miss work because of coronavirus impacts. CAPTION: The APSC has announced offering paid leave to casual workers who need to self-isolate or have contracted coronavirus. But contractors
Author: Local Government News
Electric vehicle green light from Macquarie Council
ELECTRIC VEHICLE ROLLOUT has not been stalled at forward-looking Macquarie City Council which announced in March that it has adopted a new electric vehicle charging strategy and has rolled out four new electric fleet cars for council. The strategy provides a framework for installing EV charging stations at key locations around
Bushfire mayors want climate change on the table
MAYORS FROM THIRTEEN thirteen councils have signed a statement calling on the federal government to acknowledge the link between climate change and the catastrophic fires that have swept through NSW and Queensland. A bushfire threatens a lone home (Ash Hogan).The federal government has so far refused to acknowledge that climate
Timetable set down for waste export ban
AUSTRALIA’S ENVIRONMENT MINISTERS have agreed to ban the export of all glass and plastic waste from July 2021. After meeting in Adelaide last week the Commonwealth, state and Territory ministers signed up to a timetable for phasing out all waste exports starting from next July. Under the agreement, glass will be banned
Smart flood warning system saves lives
Turning discarded plastic into useful products
A new federally-funded plastic microfactory has opened at the University of NSW, offering an effective way to deal with waste and a good way to educate the community about recycling. THE COMMERCIAL-SCALE model developed by the UNSW Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) can turn discarded plastic into 3D
Heat on councils as bushfire season looms
The frighteningly early start to the bushfire season has highlighted the crucial role councils play in keeping their communities safe, informed and reassured. DESPITE SUMMER STILL being months away, councils around Queensland and NSW have already been put to the test with more than 1,200 bushfires breaking out across both states
Rates and council loans: amalgamations show no win
CONTRARY TO TYPICAL arguments in favour of local government amalgamation, a new analysis says the changes did not lead to efficiencies. The merger of 157 Queensland councils to 73 a decade ago was touted as a win for financial sustainability and efficiencies, with proponents arguing that larger councils could capture economies