This year's assembly
Good to Great: pursuing progress through partnerships
Partnerships have long been an important part of local government. They give us the opportunity to aim higher and achieve more, enhancing our capacity to deliver services and infrastructure and better engage individuals, organisations and agencies to produce real and lasting outcomes for our communities.
This year's National General Assembly, Good to Great: pursuing progress through partnerships, will focus on local government relationships with the community, with federal and state governments, and with other councils both here in Australia and overseas.
We will investigate the partnership frameworks within which we operate and expand the debate on constitutional recognition, a subject passionately discussed at last year's Assembly.
Most importantly, we will examine the proposed intergovernmental agreement on cost shifting and what potential this has to create new partnerships between local government and our state and federal counterparts.
To set our minds and imaginations racing, Phillip Adams, broadcaster, filmmaker, author, archaeologist, controversialist, social commentator and satirist, will give the keynote address. His theme will be supported by Bernard Salt, business analyst, media commentator, and consumer and cultural trends commentator, and Jim Soorley, former Lord Mayor of Brisbane City Council.
We will also hear from Australia's political leadership and senior federal ministers and opposition counterparts. What better way to demonstrate partnerships with your community, the federal government and private enterprise than through a series of concurrent symposia. This year's sessions will include:
- Working together to manage emergencies
- The benefits of arts-based community development strategies in building healthy, active communities
- Electro-magnetic radiation management with Site Management Alliance
- Local council partnerships with Papua New Guinea and East Timor communities
Councils across Australia were profoundly touched by the Indian Ocean tsunami and responded with donations and offers of direct assistance. A special session on Australia's response to the tsunami, particularly the recovery phase, will be held on Tuesday afternoon. We will hear from the commander of the 1,000 strong Australian Defence Force emergency response group, Brigadier David Chalmers. This will be followed by reports from representatives from AusAID and the Australian Council for International Development, the peak body for non-government aid organisations.
