Annual Report 2019-2020 2019- 2020 City of Adelaide Adelaide Hills Council Adelaide Plains Council Alexandrina Council Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara The Barossa Council Barunga West Council Berri Barmera Council City of Burnside Campbelltown City Council District Council of Ceduna City of Charles Sturt Clare & Gilbert Valleys Council District Council of Cleve District Council of Coober Pedy Coorong District Council Copper Coast Council District Council of Elliston The Flinders Ranges Council District Council of Franklin Harbour Town of Gawler Annual Report s Regional Council of Goyder t District Council of Grant n City of Holdfast Bay 2019-2020 te Kangaroo Island Council n District Council of Karoonda East Murray District Council of Kimba o c Highlights 2019-20 2 Kingston District Council f Light Regional Council District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula o President’s report 4 District Council of Loxton Waikerie e City of Marion l Mid Murray Council b CEO’s report 5 City of Mitcham a Mount Barker District Council 2019-T City of Mount Gambier District Council of Mount Remarkable About the LGA 6 The Rural City of Murray Bridge Naracoorte Lucindale Council Values and behaviours Northern Areas Council 7 City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters City of Onkaparinga Key 2019-20 priorities District Council of Orroroo Carrieton 7 District Council of Peterborough City of Playford City of Port Adelaide Enfield Achievements against 2019-20 priorities 8 Port Augusta City Council City of Port Lincoln Port Pirie Regional Council Priorities for 2020-21 15 City of Prospect Renmark Paringa Council District Council of Robe LGA Board 16 Municipal Council of Roxby Downs City of Salisbury Southern Mallee District Council Nominees to local government and external bodies 18 District Council of Streaky Bay Tatiara District Council City of Tea Tree Gully Abridged financial statements 20 District Council of Tumby Bay City of Unley Appendix 1 - Local Government Research City of Victor Harbor 2020 Wakefield Regional Council Corporation of the Town of Walkerville and Development Scheme Projects 26 Wattle Range Council City of West Torrens City of Whyalla LGA member councils 29 Wudinna District Council District Council of Yankalilla Yorke Peninsula Council Highlights Supported efficient collaboration between councils and state government agencies through emergency events including bushfires and 2019- COVID-19. 2020 Secured $860,000 in Worked closely with State Government the SA Productivity funding for eight SA Commission on their councils that operate Inquiry into Local childcare centres that Government Costs and were impacted by the Efficiency, which found COVID-19 pandemic. Successfully recovered councils are achieving a Protected local decision more than $13 high level of efficiency. making through million in paybacks to advocacy that resulted councils and the State in flawed rate capping Government from SA legislation being Power Networks. opposed in Parliament. Launched Circular Procurement Pilot Project, with nine councils committing to tracking and increasing Transitioned purchasing of products made websites for 50 from recycled materials to member councils support development of a onto a new Squiz local circular economy. platform, resulting in improved functionality. Buying recyclables back LGA Circular Procurement Pilot Project Worked with member councils and the State Government to identify a range of sensible, evidence- Worked closely with councils based reforms which Entered into new Legal and State Government to were included in the Local Connect Partnership with identify improvements in Government Review Bill Norman Waterhouse the Planning & Design Code introduced in June 2020. Lawyers to provide clear and prepare councils for and consistent legal implementation of the State’s advice and training to new planning system, including reformLG member councils. the ePlanning platform. 2 3 President’s report CEO’s report South Australian communities faced many challenges during The LGA’s mission is to provide leadership to councils for the benefit 2019-20, and local government was with them every step of the way. of the South Australian community. Over the past twelve months this leadership role has been vital as councils and their communities From drought to bushfires to COVID-19, councils rolled up their have battled against the impacts of drought, bushfire, and COVID-19. sleeves to help keep their communities safe and support recovery efforts. During a devastating bushfire season, the Local Government Functional Support Group (LGFSG) coordinated assistance from 220 crew members As the peak body for local government in South Australia, from 40 councils, who worked alongside state agencies and affected councils the LGA worked closely with its members to coordinate assistance, facilitate effective to respond to the fires. These council staff worked tirelessly to create fire breaks, communication, and share examples of leadership and best practice responses. clear routes for emergency vehicles, cart water, assess trees for safety and support This included collaborating with the State Government to quickly develop amendments to the Local road closures. Government Act 1999 to give councils the flexibility they needed to respond efficiently during the COVID-19 emergency. The collaborative effort continued during the COVID-19 public health emergency. With the help of LGA and council staff, the LGFSG maintained communications, ensured To assist with South Australia’s recovery, the LGA advocated for funding partnerships to support a continuous supply of equipment, and provided operational updates to the sector. councils to bring forward infrastructure projects and stimulate economic activity. The Federal Councils undertook compliance monitoring and conducted 115,000 compliance checks Government responded with a new $500 million Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program while educating communities on distancing requirements. that allocated almost $40 million of funding to South Australian councils. LGA advocacy also resulted in $860,000 in State Government funding for eight SA councils that run childcare centres that were The LGFSG has been a shining example of what we can achieve when we work impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. collaboratively together as a unified local government sector. I would like to sincerely thank the councils that have helped to make this a success by providing staff and The LGA has been calling for sensible and effective local government reform for many years, and the resources to both the State Coordination Centre and on the ground in emergencies. sector worked closely with the Government on the development of its Local Government Review Bill, which was tabled in the Parliament in June 2020. As a result, many of the proposals in this Bill were During the year the LGA entered into a new Legal Connect partnership with Norman supported by councils, including changes that would give councils more tools to manage any poor Waterhouse Lawyers which delivered immediate benefits to councils through consistent, behaviour that arises. high quality advice during the COVID-19 pandemic. This included advice provided through a new hotline, advice and resources hosted on a new web portal, and a range of However, the Bill also included an unnecessary and unwarranted rate capping aspect and other briefings with members. changes that would enable the Minister of the day to override local decision-making. The LGA and its member councils remain opposed to rate capping in any form on the basis that it is bad public policy I was also encouraged by our sector’s ability to maintain focus and get on with core with negative long term consequences and will not deliver savings to South Australian ratepayers. business activities despite major disruptions. Many council staff worked closely with the LGA and state planning authorities on the transition to our new planning system, The new Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act also represents a substantial reform process, making significant progress. and a “once in a generation” change to the core business of councils. The LGA worked closely with the State Planning Commission and Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI) Challenges in the waste and recycling sector continued, and nine councils joined with during the year to help refine the new Planning and Design Code and prepare small rural and the LGA to sign an MOU to track and increase their purchasing of products made from regional councils for the roll-out of the new system. The LGA will continue to work with councils and recycled materials to support development of a local circular economy. the State Government to ensure that the system is ready and fit for purpose before it is rolled out to Partnering with the SA Department of Human Services, the LGA delivered a Local metropolitan and larger regional councils. Government Information Linkages and Capacity Building program, which included The SA Productivity Commission’s Inquiry into Local Government Costs and Efficiency found that education programs, support for councils to deliver activities identified in Disability councils are already achieving high levels of efficiency in the face of financial constraints, but there Access and Inclusion Plans, and the provision of grant funding to members. is always room to improve. One of the key recommendations was development of a sector-wide LGA programs and advocacy continued to deliver substantial savings for the sector,