STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS Report to Parliament November 2004 Including progress from November 2003 to October 2004 Premier Paul Lennon and Mayor Ross Hine sign the revised Circular Head Partnership Agreement. © P Hoysted 2004 Prepared by the Local Government Division of the Department of Premier and Cabinet State and Local Government Partnership Agreements November 2004 Executive Summary Welcome to the State and Local Government Partnership Agreements Report to Parliament 2004. The program is into its sixth year and the number of Agreements and positive outcomes continues to rise. This year has seen the signing of the first reviewed Agreement under the program. The Circular Head Agreement was originally signed in June 1999 and a renegotiated Agreement was signed in September this year. A number of other Councils have also agreed to review and renegotiate their Agreements, including Launceston City, Flinders, Glenorchy City, Kingborough and Northern Tasmania Development. The Partnership Agreements program has proven that it can deliver tangible outcomes to local communities. Progress in the last twelve months has included: • Up to $10 million in State Government levies on Local Government have been abolished under the new Financial Reform Partnership Agreement. • The Rivers Run Tourism Association has been established and has produced a touring map and guide for tourists in Central Highlands and Derwent Valley municipal areas. • The Circular Head Community and Recreation Centre was opened in August. The facility caters for a range of sports and includes function facilities. The State Government provided funding under the original Partnership Agreement and allocated a further $200,000 under the revised Agreement signed this year. • The Meander Valley Council and State Government received funding for a Youth Health Development Officer, who is now running a number of programs in the areas of outdoor skills, history, mentoring and bike maintenance, to build the confidence and skills of young people. • After securing $20,000 from the Weeds of National Significance program, the West Coast Council and State Government undertook a gorse eradication program along Zeehan Road. • A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the Hobart City Council and State Government in order to improve the coordination of programs and give a better standard of service to clients. • The Latrobe Council and Parks and Wildlife Service coordinated the planting of 1,000 trees by local school children on National Tree Day this year. • Air quality in Launceston City and surrounds continues to improve due to targeted programs to reduce smoke from wood heaters. • The extension of the Glenorchy inter-city cycleway to Chigwell has connected the cities of Hobart and Glenorchy and is one of the most successful Glenorchy City Council recreation and commuter projects. • The Jubilee Beach boat ramp has been upgraded to allow all year round launching for smaller boats in Glamorgan-Spring Bay. The State Government continues its commitment to working in partnership with Local Government and is confident of many more positive outcomes in the coming year. 2 State and Local Government Partnership Agreements November 2004 Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................2 HISTORY.........................................................................................................4 SUMMARY OF PROGRESS ...........................................................................5 SUMMARY OF PROGRESS IN BILATERAL AND REGIONAL AGREEMENTS................................................................................................7 BREAK O'DAY ............................................................................................................9 BRIGHTON ................................................................................................................10 BURNIE CITY ............................................................................................................12 CENTRAL HIGHLANDS ............................................................................................. 14 CIRCULAR HEAD ...................................................................................................... 16 CRADLE COAST AUTHORITY .................................................................................... 17 DERWENT VALLEY ...................................................................................................19 DEVONPORT CITY ......................................................................................................21 DORSET ................................................................................................................... 22 FLINDERS ................................................................................................................ 23 GEORGE TOWN ....................................................................................................... 24 GLAMORGAN-SPRING BAY ..................................................................................... 25 GLENORCHY CITY ....................................................................................................27 HOBART CAPITAL CITY ............................................................................................ 30 KINGBOROUGH ........................................................................................................ 33 KING ISLAND ........................................................................................................... 34 LATROBE ................................................................................................................. 35 LAUNCESTON CITY .................................................................................................. 36 MEANDER VALLEY ..................................................................................................37 NORTHERN MIDLANDS ........................................................................................... 39 NORTHERN TASMANIA DEVELOPMENT ................................................................... 41 SOUTHERN TASMANIAN COUNCILS......................................................................... 43 TASMAN ..................................................................................................................44 WEST COAST ..........................................................................................................46 WEST TAMAR .........................................................................................................47 SUMMARY OF PROGRESS UNDER THE PREMIER’S LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCIL............................................................................49 SIMPLIFYING PLANNING SCHEMES .......................................................................... 50 WASTE MANAGEMENT ............................................................................................ 50 FINANCIAL REFORM ................................................................................................. 50 COMMUNICATION AND CONSULTATION .....................................................................51 BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION TRAINING POLICY.....................................................51 STATEWIDE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT ON YOUNG TASMANIANS ..........................51 TRIPARTITE AGREEMENT..........................................................................53 APPENDIX 1: LIST OF MINISTERS AND HEADS OF AGENCY RESPONSIBLE FOR PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS ................................................................................... 54 APPENDIX 2: LIST OF SIGNED STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS, BY SIGNING DATE: ............................................................................ 55 3 State and Local Government Partnership Agreements November 2004 History The State and Local Government Partnership Agreements program was launched in December 1998. The first pilot Agreement was negotiated with the Circular Head Council and signed on 1 June 1999. The second pilot Agreement was developed with the Launceston City Council and signed on 26 November 1999. A Partnership Agreement is a document that sets out actions and timeframes that will be undertaken to address key issues. Partnership Agreements provide an agreed framework for action and have proven very successful in delivering positive outcomes for local communities. The aim of the Partnership Agreements program is to find better ways of serving Tasmanian communities, through a cooperative approach by State and Local Government. It is also recognised that the Australian Government is an important stakeholder in the community development process, which has led to the commencement of negotiations towards the first tripartite Partnership Agreement. There are four types of Partnership Agreement: • Bilateral – between the State Government and one council; • Regional – between the State Government and a self-identifying group of councils; • Statewide – between the State Government and the Local Government Association of Tasmania, on behalf of all 29 Tasmanian councils; and • Tripartite – between the Australian Government, State Government and the Local Government Association of Tasmania, on behalf of all 29 Tasmanian councils. Premier’s Local Government Council The Premier’s Local Government Council (PLGC) was formed in 2000 as a forum for high-level discussion with councils on issues of statewide significance.