PRESIDENT’S COMMENT - CR KAREN CHAPPEL, WALGA PRESIDENT
Resilience in face of trials As the nation looks on in shock at the impacts of widespread flooding across Queensland and New South Wales, I’m also reflecting on my own recent experience with a natural disaster. In April of last year, ex-tropical Cyclone Seroja tore through a 1,000 kilometre stretch of Western Australia’s mid-west region, devastating thousands of properties and impacting an area larger than Tasmania. Although in the Mid-West and Gascoyne regions of Western Australia we consider ourselves to be fairly resilient, the sheer scale of this disaster has stretched the resources of Local Governments, and local communities continue to experience a range of emotional and physical challenges in their recovery efforts. It is important to remember that after the event has passed, and even after the initial clean up phase is completed, a mammoth task stills remains in rebuilding homes and local facilities; and in reestablishing community connections. The damage caused can still be seen throughout the district, with the delays in repairs being hampered by the lack of tradesman in this region and delays in insurance payouts. The Insurance Council of Australia estimates over 9,000 claims have been lodged for damage from the cyclone, with the current estimated loss value in the region being around $350 million. In our experience post Seroja, one major issue has been families being displaced whilst their homes are repaired. At all levels of government, we have been working hard to prioritise support and make sure our residents can return to their homes and communities as soon as possible.
New WALGA president Karen Chappel.
The State Government’s support throughout this recovery process has been vital for the region. Without this assistance, it would be beyond the capability of an individual Local Government to address the major infrastructure repairs and coordination of services and support that is needed. The State’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services appointed State designated Recovery Coordinators, employed community recovery officers, and set up four recovery hubs in the towns of Kalbarri, Northampton, Geraldton and Morawa. Perhaps though, in the very early recovery days our greatest resource was our volunteers. They worked tirelessly to ensure that everyone was safe, roads were clear and essentials were available. We are now working together, locally and within the region, to continue to support our local residents. Across all of WA, but particularly in our regions so affected by our own recent experience, our hearts go out to the communities in NSW and QLD as they move out of the massive cleanup effort into the long and arduous task of rebuilding and reconnecting. I am confident that the existing strong sense of community in these towns will help them to provide each other with support that will only make them even stronger.
WALGA welcomes improved connections Infrastructure upgrades to 141 mobile network sites across the Western Australia will improve mobile phone services for local communities during emergencies. The infrastructure upgrades will be funded as part of the second round of the Commonwealth Mobile Network Hardening Program, worth $10.9 million. Of the sites selected around Australia, a quarter are in WA. WA Local Government Association President Cr Karen Chappel welcomed the funding, saying it will be of particular value in improving the ability of telecommunications services to continue during and following natural disasters such as bushfires, floods and cyclones. “Local Governments have been advocating for improved telecommunications infrastructure for many years, as this forms a critical role in preparing for, and responding to, emergencies,” Cr Chappel said.
“Both mobile and nbn services are reliant upon ongoing power supply, which is often interrupted during emergency events. “Better protection against the impacts of power outages to maintain mobile services before, during and after emergencies is critical for local communities. “Because Local Governments play such an important role in emergency management, it will also help Councils to disseminate important information to their communities to help keep them safe and provide crucial support and services.” Cr Chappel said WALGA, in discussion with its Members, State Government agencies, telecommunications carriers and power companies, helped to identify relevant criteria
for consideration in assessing potential sites for investment, including hazard identification, population distribution and risk profile of local areas. The Program forms part of the Commonwealth Government’s Strengthening Telecommunications Against Natural Disasters initiative, with projects completed through a co-funding arrangement between the Commonwealth, telecommunications providers and the State Government. They include provision of power generators, increased battery reserves, transmission resilience improvements and protective measures against impacts of bushfires. “Emergency preparedness is a shared responsibility, and this is reflected by the collaborative process followed to identify sites,
and the joint funding between government and industry,” Cr Chappel said. “We recognise there is still more to be done to improve mobile network resilience across the State, with these 141 sites representing less than 15 per cent of the network across WA. “This is, however, a great start and we look forward to building on this collaborative approach in the future.” To view a list of sites included in the Program, go to the Australian Government Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications website: infrastructure.gov.au/sites/default/ files/documents/stand-mnhp-stage-2-funded-projects.pdf
Association calls for raise in untied grants No two councils in Victoria are the same. They all have their own unique budgets and face individual challenges after two years of Covid-19 pandemic, making flexible funding the key to economic recovery. With the next Federal Election just weeks away, the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) is calling for an increase in the untied Financial Assistance Grants. MAV President Cr David Clark said that restoring Financial Assistance Grants to at least one percent of Commonwealth taxation revenue would ensure every community can participate in, and benefit from, Australia’s economic recovery. “Local Government Financial Assistance 4 LOCAL GOVERNMENT FOCUS April 2022
Grants are a vital component of the financial sustainability of many Victorian councils, especially smaller and rural councils,” Cr Clark said. “The major benefit of these grants are that they’re untied. The provide councils with economic flexibility and money can be spent on specific community needs, including operations and maintenance” Cr Clark explained. “This is a tough time for us all, no doubt about it, but it is also an opportunity for all levels of government, the community, and busi-
nesses to come together and support each other as we move towards recovery.” Independent analysis shows increasing Financial Assistance Grants to at least one percent of Commonwealth taxation revenue would also create 16,000 jobs and add around $2.37 billion per year to Australia’s GDP. Cr Clark said councils are also calling for an immediate and once-off $1.3 billion injection of Financial Assistance Grants to boost local economies.
Every council in the state is feeling financial pressure after two years of the pandemic. The costs associated with recovery, alongside increasing maintenance and services costs, and Victoria’s rate capping policy has left many councils with difficult decisions about their service delivery.” “This once off injection of Financial Assistance Grants would create more than 13,000 jobs and add significantly to our GDP,” Cr Clark said. LGFOCUS.COM.AU
