Hi everyone.
This week we have a range of things to update you on:
- Our first meeting with the newly appointed Federal Assistant Minister for Local Government
- The ongoing inquiry into the Crime and Corruption Commission’s handling of the matter involving the former Logan City Council
- And the LGAQ’s Elected Member Updates
Let’s start with the Elected Member Updates – or EMUs as we like to call them.
Our team was back on the road this week after some COVID interruptions to travel.
And we will be out again next week with a another full roster of EMU engagement.
We asked some of our Mayors to provide some initial feedback on their EMU experience. You can hear what they have to say in the video version of the wrap.
Meanwhile, this week the LGAQ had its first meeting with Kevin Hogan, who is the new Federal Assistant Minister for Local Government, and Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister.
COVID travel interruptions prevented us from meeting him either in his electorate in northern NSW or down in Canberra.
So we met him online instead, and had a good discussion, about:
- Financial sustainability and why restoring Financial Assistance grants back to at least 1% is so important to Queensland’s councils
- Regional skills shortages
- Digital connectivity and the current telecommunication review
- And federal road funding
We look forward to working with him and ensuring he understands the many unique challenges and opportunities that local government and your local communities are working with.
Finally, the Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee held further public hearings this week as it progresses its inquiry into the Crime and Corruption Commission’s handling of the now failed fraud charges levelled against the group of former Logan city councillors.
The Inquiry was instigated following a complaint made by the LGAQ earlier this year
The LGAQ has always maintained those charges should never have been laid and will always promote and protect its members’ interests.
Three further hearing days are scheduled over the next two weeks.
A final report is due by the end of November.