UTS: Centre for Local Government

News & Events

	Professor Daniel Kübler Seminar - Local Government's Role in Metropolitan Planning and Governance: A Swiss Perspective Aug 2011 \| Professor Daniel Kübler, University of Zurich presented a Swiss perspective on metropolitan planning and governance to an interested audience at UTS Centre for Local Government on Wednesday 10th August 2011.read more>
	Business Excellence in Local Government - Debating Future Directions Forum Aug 2011 \| A forum was hosted jointly in Melbourne last week by ACELG and SAI Global to discuss the future development of the Australian Business Excellence Framework (BEF) in local government. read more>
	'Implementing the Australian Business Excellence Framework: Eight Local Government Case Studies' Released Aug 2011 \| UTS: Centre for Local Government and Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government, in partnership with SAI Global, recently released a series of detailed case studies regarding the implementation of the Australian Business Excellence Framework (BEF) within local government. read more>
	CLGF Colloquium Papers Available Jul 2011 \| The Commonwealth Local Government Forum recently released on its website papers delivered at the third Commonwealth colloquium on local government research held in Cardiff in March, hosted by the University of Cardiff . read more>
	Seoul Metropolitan Government Officials on Study Tour to Sydney Jun2011 \| CLG was pleased to welcome 22 officials from Seoul Metropolitan Government on a study tour to Sydney. Middle and senior level government managers undertook a two day educational program facilitated by CLG Associate, Dr Robert Mellor.read more>
	Bangladeshi Local Government Officials on Study Tour May2011 \| CLG staff recently provided an overview of Planning in NSW for three Study Tour Groups from Local Government Division, Ministry of LGRD&C, Government of Bangladesh. read more>
	2011 LGMA National Congress May2011 \|The Centre's Director, Professor Graham Sansom opened the 2011 LGMA National Congress with a keynote address in Cairns this week and Assistant Director Sarah Artist presented an overview of the LGMA Management Pre-Challenge Task.read more>
	National LG Workforce Development Forum and Workforce Projects Roundtable Apr 2011 \| The 4th National Workforce Development Forum, co-convened by ACELG and Government Skills Australia, was held on 7-8 April preceded by ACELG's 2011 Local Government Workforce Projects Roundtable on 6 April.read more>
	'New Century Local Government: Commonwealth Perspectives' Mar 2011 \| The Centre/ACELG is collaborating with the London-based Commonwealth Secretariat and the Local Government Centre at the Auckland University of Technology to produce a book on new developments in local government around the Commonwealth.read more>
	LGMA Management Challenge Mar 2011 \|The Centre was engaged again this year by Local Government Managers Australia to design the LGMA's Australia-New Zealand Local Government Management Challenge. The theme of the 2011 Challenge w as 'New Ways of Working', and the tasks were designed to engage the teams in considering ways to improve the relevance, capacity and credibility of their councils.read more>
	Commonwealth Local Government Research Colloquium Mar 2011 \| The third Commonwealth colloquium on local government research was held in Cardiff, Wales on 13-15 March, hosted by the University of Cardiff in the grand surroundings of the former Glamorgan County Hall. CLG/ACELG Director Graham Sansom was again one of the conveners.read more>
	Barcelona Roundtable on Metropolitan Governance Mar 2011 \| On 8-10 March the Canada-based Forum of Federations held a third roundtable on metropolitan governance and financing in Barcelona, Spain. This followed the two roundtables convened jointly with ACELG and CLG in Australia in December 2009 and August 2010.read more>
	UK Local Government Leaders on Study Tour to Sydney Feb 2011 \| CLG hosted participants from the UK's Aspiring Chief Executives program run by the Leadership Centre for Local Government in London, at the beginning of March. The group were in Sydney as part of a week long leadership study tour which aimed to provide a unique experience for participants... read more>
	Second International Roundtable on Metropolitan Governance - Summary Report Mar 2011 \| A summary paper of the Second International Roundtable on Metropolitan Governance held in Brisbane in August 2010 has been released. read more>
	Implementing the BEF in LG - Detailed Case Studies Feb 2011 \| A series of detailed case studies commenced this week which focus on Australian councils well known for allocating resources over time to implement the Australian Business Excellence Framework. Beginning with Hobart City Council and to include at least one council from each state, these case studies will highlight innovations which have been developed within each councils to inform the national review of the ABEF later this year. The case studies have been partly funded by SAI Global, and will be co-ordinated by Zoe Pattison working on secondment from Port Stephens Council in her role as Business Excellence Co-Ordinator. read more>
	Learning In Local Government - Preliminary Survey Analysis Feb 2011 \| The national survey which was distributed to people in local government as part of the ACELG 'Learning in Local Government Project' closed at the end of 2010 with almost 900 respondents. read more>
	Centre Welcomes Sophi Bruce Feb 2011 \| Sophi brings recent experience as a consultant with the UK Local Government Leadership Centre and the National School of Government, where she provided training and coaching to public sector executives. We look forward to her contributions to CLG and ACELG as a Program Specialist in Leadership. read more>
	Farewell to Robert Mellor Jan 2011 \| The Centre would like to farewell Robert Mellor, and wish him all the very best with his new consulting venture in Hanoi. Robert's contribution to the Centre over the past sixteen years has been substantial, and we will all miss his humour and his stories - chúc may m?n!
	NSW Cancer Council Dec 2010 \| Working with the NSW Cancer Council, the Centre recently prepared several fact sheets which aim to assist councils in promoting healthy lifestyles and preventing cancer. The fact sheets are now available to view on the Cancer Council Website.
	Pacific Local Government Symposium Oct 2010 \| On 11-15 October 2010 the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) held a Pacific regional symposium in Port Vila, Vanuatu. Centre Director Graham Sansom attended and made a presentation on research into local government legislation in Pacific Islands countries. read more>
	Victorian Bushfire Inquiry Prompts New Building Course Oct 2010 \| In the wake of the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission into the disaster of February 2009, the UTS Centre for Local Government has developed a training course on building in bushfire prone areas for the Victorian Government and the state's Country Fire Authority. read more>
	Sydney Seminar on Climate Change by Tony Jackson Sep 2010 \| As part of his extended Australian study trip, Professor Tony Jackson of the University of Dundee visited the Centre on Thursday 2 September and gave a seminar called "Scottish responses to climate change: mitigation and adaptation strategies for the development process". read more>
	Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance Jul 2010 \|From intergovernmental relations in Ghana, local decision-making in Papua New Guinea, to the nature of local government in federal systems, the latest Issue of the Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance makes compelling reading about particular aspects of local government in the Commonwealth today. To view this the July issue or view our closing dates for 2010, please follow this link.
	Launch of the Governing Sydney Project Apr 2010 \|On 29 April the Centre launched its new Governing Sydney project. This is being conducted by Centre associate Jeremy Dawkins, a former Sydney Harbour Manager and Chairperson of the Western Australian Planning Commission. It flows in part from the Roundtable on Metropolitan Governance convened by the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government in December. read more>
	Cancer Council Local Government Engagement Strategy Cancer Council NSW seeks to defeat cancer through engaging the community, and local government is one of their important partners in helping achieve this ambition. The Cancer Council recognises that local government is a 'change agent' that can and does foster change in a community, because local government has a custodial role over the environments and instruments that affect exposure to cancer risks and impacts. read more>

Brisbane Workshop on Pacific Local Government Projects
The Centre continues to be closely involved in two major local government capacity building projects in the Pacific, managed by the Commonwealth Local Government Forum through its Suva, Fiji office. read more>

2010 Local Government Management Challenge
This year the Centre was engaged by Local Government Managers Australia to undertake a comprehensive update of the LGMA's Australia-New Zealand Local Government Management Challenge. Program Manager Dr Robert Mellor developed a completely new scenario for the Challenge and a set of new tasks. He also introduced use of modern IT to the event for the first time. read more>

CLAIR Forum in Perth
On 10 March the Centre's Japanese partner CLAIR (Council of Local Authorities for International Relations) held its annual Forum in Perth, in conjunction with the WA Local Government Association and City of Stirling. The theme was Local Government Reform, currently a highly controversial issue in Western Australia. read more>

Integrated Planning and Reporting Program
The Centre's new program to help council's prepare for the NSW Department of Local Government's integrated planning and reporting framework (or simply upgrade their existing strategic planning and Management Plans framework) is gaining momentum. The Centre is currently working with two councils and has undertaken preliminary work or had discussions with several others.

This Program aims to build in-house capacity for the medium-long term and is NOT a traditional consultancy service for preparing plans. It offers councils appropriate guidance, training, mentoring and support, enabling them to prepare and implement their own new-style community strategic and related corporate plans. The Program brings together a team of highly experienced local government practitioners, consultants and facilitators who can provide the support needed by councils to move ahead with the planning and reporting reforms.

For further details click here.

Capital Cities in Federal Systems
In 2008 the Centre was commissioned by the Forum of Federations to undertake the Australian component of a global research study into the Finance and Governance of Capital Cities in Federal Systems. The study compared Canberra with other federal capitals in Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Switzerland, and the United States.

A book based on the study was launched by the Hon. Anthony Albanese, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, and Local Government, on the 14th of December at the launch of the new Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government. Key questions addressed include:

How is the capital city governed - is it a city-state, a city within a province or state, or a federal district? Is there a capital commission?
What are the responsibilities of the capital city and how are they funded? How have responsibilities and revenues changed over the last 20 years?
How much financial support does the federal government provide for its capital city? How does this arrangement differ with respect to other cities?
What are the major issues around the capital city? Are there fiscal issues around federal funding of the city? Are there governance issues around who is responsible for decision-making? Are there unique planning issues around keeping the capital city beautiful, maintaining green space, etc.? How are these issues being resolved?

For further information, contact Graham Sansom, or visit the Forum of Federations website.

CLAIR Sydney Seminar - February 2009
The 2009 CLAIR (Japan Centre for Local Government) Sydney Seminar was held on Friday 6 March. The Centre again assisted CLAIR with arrangements. This year's theme was Metropolitan Governance - Ideas from Japan and the guest speaker from Japan was Akira Nakamura, Professor of Political Science at Meiji University in Tokyo. read more>

Steve Martin Seminar

On 15 September Professor Steve Martin of Cardiff University visited the Centre and presented a seminar on Central-Local Government Relations: the UK Experience. read more>

Queensland Civic Leaders Summit
On 4-5 June Centre Director Graham Sansom facilitated the Civic Leaders Summit for the Local Government Association of Queensland. read more>

CLAIR Sydney Seminar
On Friday 15 February 2008 the Centre participated in the 2008 CLAIR Sydney Local Government Seminar, hosted by the Japan Local Government Centre. The theme of the seminar was Future Intergovernmental Relations - Ideas from Japan, with keynote speaker Mr Toshihiko Yokoo, Mayor of Taku City and member of the Japanese Prime Minister's Council to Promote Decentralization Reform. read more>

Mosman Workshop on Constitutional Recognition

On 17 July the two regional organisations of councils covering Sydney's North Shore and Northern Beaches convened a joint workshop to discuss options for pursuing constitutional recognition of local government. The Rudd federal government has invited local government to put forward ideas on a process for moving towards recognition over the next few years. read more>

Auckland Seminar on Metropolitan Governance
On 4 February Centre Director Graham Sansom spoke at a seminar on metropolitan governance convened by the Local Government Centre of the Auckland University of Technology. read more>

Policies for Economic Development
On Tuesday 29 April Tony Jackson from the University of Dundee, Scotland presented "Policies for Economic Development: What Works?" to an audience of experts on regional planning. read more>

Partnerships Seminar with Professor Chris Skelcher

On Wednesday 19 March Professor Chris Skelcher delivered a seminar called "Partnerships and Performance - Crystal Stream or Muddy Puddle?" Partnerships promise a lot for public service performance, but do they deliver? Professor Skelcher used his extensive research into local government partnerships in the UK to explore both the potential and problems of partnership working. read more>

Global Community and Local Government: Agenda 21 for Culture
This seminar was held on 31 July and featured a presentation by Jordi Pascual, Convenor - Working Group on Culture, United Cities and Local Governments, Barcelona. It focused on the importance of cultural perspectives and relations in a globalising world, and the key role local government needs to play in addressing the cultural challenges facing our societies. read more>

Seminar on the New Environmental Governance
A seminar on Environmental Assessment and the New Environmental Governance: Lessons from Europe was presented at the Centre on Thursday 26 April by Tony Jackson, Senior Lecturer in Town and Country Planning, University of Dundee, Scotland. read more>

Gauteng Conference on Global Cities
Centre Director Graham Sansom made a presentation on Sydney at an international conference on Global City Regions held in Johannesburg on 20 April. The conference was organized by the Gauteng provincial government which covers Johannesburg, Pretoria and adjoining urban and rural areas with a total population of around 15 million.
read more>

2007 Commonwealth Local Government Conference
The 2007 Commonwealth Local Government Conference was held in Auckland, New Zealand on 25-29 March, with the theme Delivering Development through Local Leadership. read more>

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Colloquium and Seminar on Local Government Research
As part of the 2007 Conference a Local Government Research Colloquium and Seminar were held on 25-26 March. These were convened on behalf of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) by the UTS Centre for Local Government in conjunction with its counterpart at the Auckland University of Technology. read more>

Strengthening Local Government: Ideas from New Zealand and the UK
This seminar was held on 2 November 2006 and featured presentations by Peter McKinlay, Executive Director of McKinlay Douglas Ltd and Director of the Local Government Centre at Auckland University of Technology; and Professor Gerry Stoker, head of the Institute for Political and Economic Governance at Manchester University. read more>

Innovations in UK Local Governance - Strategic Partnerships and the New Deal for Communities
Professor Mike Geddes of the Local Government Centre at Warwick University, England, visited the Centre on 28-29 September. During his visit he presented a seminar on two recent innovations: Local Strategic Partnerships and the New Deal for Communities. read more>

Trends in US Local Government: From Reinvention to Public Service
Professor Mildred Warner made a brief visit to Sydney after delivering a keynote address at the Local Government New Zealand conference. Last year she spoke at the Future of Local Government Summit in Melbourne hosted by the Municipal Association of Victoria. read more>

Improving Strategic Management
June 1 2006

Both the Hawker report on cost shifting and the recent Allan inquiry into the financial sustainability of NSW councils highlighted the need for better strategic management in local government - long term planning, financial governance, asset management and so on. The NSW Department of Local Government is also actively pursuing this theme through its Better Practice reviews and moves towards an integrated corporate planning and reporting framework.read more>

New Localism: Local Governance in the United Kingdom
June 2 2005

Professor Gerry Stoker, co-Director of the Institute for Political and Economic Governance at the University of Manchester, presented a seminar on recent UK experience in exploring the 'New Localism' - new approaches to community governance, the role of local government and central-local relations. A copy of his presentation is available for download.

China-Australia Community Democracy Workshop
The Centre was invited by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission to make a presentation at the China-Australia Community Democracy Workshop held in Wuxi in mid-September. This formed part of the China-Australia Human Rights Technical Cooperation. read more>

Symposium on Local Government Service Partnerships
The Centre helped CLGF arrange an Asia-Pacific symposium on Local Government Innovation and Partnerships held in Kuala Lumpur in July 2005. read more>

Recent Events
Click here to view recent events.

	Professor Daniel Kübler Seminar - Local Government's Role in Metropolitan Planning and Governance: A Swiss Perspective Aug 2011 \| Professor Daniel Kübler, University of Zurich presented a Swiss perspective on metropolitan planning and governance to an interested audience at UTS Centre for Local Government on Wednesday 10th August 2011.read more>
	Business Excellence in Local Government - Debating Future Directions Forum Aug 2011 \| A forum was hosted jointly in Melbourne last week by ACELG and SAI Global to discuss the future development of the Australian Business Excellence Framework (BEF) in local government. read more>
	'Implementing the Australian Business Excellence Framework: Eight Local Government Case Studies' Released Aug 2011 \| UTS: Centre for Local Government and Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government, in partnership with SAI Global, recently released a series of detailed case studies regarding the implementation of the Australian Business Excellence Framework (BEF) within local government. read more>
	CLGF Colloquium Papers Available Jul 2011 \| The Commonwealth Local Government Forum recently released on its website papers delivered at the third Commonwealth colloquium on local government research held in Cardiff in March, hosted by the University of Cardiff . read more>
	Seoul Metropolitan Government Officials on Study Tour to Sydney Jun2011 \| CLG was pleased to welcome 22 officials from Seoul Metropolitan Government on a study tour to Sydney. Middle and senior level government managers undertook a two day educational program facilitated by CLG Associate, Dr Robert Mellor.read more>
	Bangladeshi Local Government Officials on Study Tour May2011 \| CLG staff recently provided an overview of Planning in NSW for three Study Tour Groups from Local Government Division, Ministry of LGRD&C, Government of Bangladesh. read more>
	2011 LGMA National Congress May2011 \|The Centre's Director, Professor Graham Sansom opened the 2011 LGMA National Congress with a keynote address in Cairns this week and Assistant Director Sarah Artist presented an overview of the LGMA Management Pre-Challenge Task.read more>
	National LG Workforce Development Forum and Workforce Projects Roundtable Apr 2011 \| The 4th National Workforce Development Forum, co-convened by ACELG and Government Skills Australia, was held on 7-8 April preceded by ACELG's 2011 Local Government Workforce Projects Roundtable on 6 April.read more>
	'New Century Local Government: Commonwealth Perspectives' Mar 2011 \| The Centre/ACELG is collaborating with the London-based Commonwealth Secretariat and the Local Government Centre at the Auckland University of Technology to produce a book on new developments in local government around the Commonwealth.read more>
	LGMA Management Challenge Mar 2011 \|The Centre was engaged again this year by Local Government Managers Australia to design the LGMA's Australia-New Zealand Local Government Management Challenge. The theme of the 2011 Challenge w as 'New Ways of Working', and the tasks were designed to engage the teams in considering ways to improve the relevance, capacity and credibility of their councils.read more>
	Commonwealth Local Government Research Colloquium Mar 2011 \| The third Commonwealth colloquium on local government research was held in Cardiff, Wales on 13-15 March, hosted by the University of Cardiff in the grand surroundings of the former Glamorgan County Hall. CLG/ACELG Director Graham Sansom was again one of the conveners.read more>
	Barcelona Roundtable on Metropolitan Governance Mar 2011 \| On 8-10 March the Canada-based Forum of Federations held a third roundtable on metropolitan governance and financing in Barcelona, Spain. This followed the two roundtables convened jointly with ACELG and CLG in Australia in December 2009 and August 2010.read more>
	UK Local Government Leaders on Study Tour to Sydney Feb 2011 \| CLG hosted participants from the UK's Aspiring Chief Executives program run by the Leadership Centre for Local Government in London, at the beginning of March. The group were in Sydney as part of a week long leadership study tour which aimed to provide a unique experience for participants... read more>
	Second International Roundtable on Metropolitan Governance - Summary Report Mar 2011 \| A summary paper of the Second International Roundtable on Metropolitan Governance held in Brisbane in August 2010 has been released. read more>
	Implementing the BEF in LG - Detailed Case Studies Feb 2011 \| A series of detailed case studies commenced this week which focus on Australian councils well known for allocating resources over time to implement the Australian Business Excellence Framework. Beginning with Hobart City Council and to include at least one council from each state, these case studies will highlight innovations which have been developed within each councils to inform the national review of the ABEF later this year. The case studies have been partly funded by SAI Global, and will be co-ordinated by Zoe Pattison working on secondment from Port Stephens Council in her role as Business Excellence Co-Ordinator. read more>
	Learning In Local Government - Preliminary Survey Analysis Feb 2011 \| The national survey which was distributed to people in local government as part of the ACELG 'Learning in Local Government Project' closed at the end of 2010 with almost 900 respondents. read more>
	Centre Welcomes Sophi Bruce Feb 2011 \| Sophi brings recent experience as a consultant with the UK Local Government Leadership Centre and the National School of Government, where she provided training and coaching to public sector executives. We look forward to her contributions to CLG and ACELG as a Program Specialist in Leadership. read more>
	Farewell to Robert Mellor Jan 2011 \| The Centre would like to farewell Robert Mellor, and wish him all the very best with his new consulting venture in Hanoi. Robert's contribution to the Centre over the past sixteen years has been substantial, and we will all miss his humour and his stories - chúc may m?n!
	NSW Cancer Council Dec 2010 \| Working with the NSW Cancer Council, the Centre recently prepared several fact sheets which aim to assist councils in promoting healthy lifestyles and preventing cancer. The fact sheets are now available to view on the Cancer Council Website.
	Pacific Local Government Symposium Oct 2010 \| On 11-15 October 2010 the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) held a Pacific regional symposium in Port Vila, Vanuatu. Centre Director Graham Sansom attended and made a presentation on research into local government legislation in Pacific Islands countries. read more>
	Victorian Bushfire Inquiry Prompts New Building Course Oct 2010 \| In the wake of the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission into the disaster of February 2009, the UTS Centre for Local Government has developed a training course on building in bushfire prone areas for the Victorian Government and the state's Country Fire Authority. read more>
	Sydney Seminar on Climate Change by Tony Jackson Sep 2010 \| As part of his extended Australian study trip, Professor Tony Jackson of the University of Dundee visited the Centre on Thursday 2 September and gave a seminar called "Scottish responses to climate change: mitigation and adaptation strategies for the development process". read more>
	Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance Jul 2010 \|From intergovernmental relations in Ghana, local decision-making in Papua New Guinea, to the nature of local government in federal systems, the latest Issue of the Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance makes compelling reading about particular aspects of local government in the Commonwealth today. To view this the July issue or view our closing dates for 2010, please follow this link.
	Launch of the Governing Sydney Project Apr 2010 \|On 29 April the Centre launched its new Governing Sydney project. This is being conducted by Centre associate Jeremy Dawkins, a former Sydney Harbour Manager and Chairperson of the Western Australian Planning Commission. It flows in part from the Roundtable on Metropolitan Governance convened by the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government in December. read more>
	Cancer Council Local Government Engagement Strategy Cancer Council NSW seeks to defeat cancer through engaging the community, and local government is one of their important partners in helping achieve this ambition. The Cancer Council recognises that local government is a 'change agent' that can and does foster change in a community, because local government has a custodial role over the environments and instruments that affect exposure to cancer risks and impacts. read more>

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