Council Conversations
To assist councils and regional groupings of councils with an opportunity for input into developing a national position on Constitutional Recognition of local government.
This input will inform the development of the business papers for the Local Government Constitutional Summit to be held in Melbourne 9 -11 December 2008.
Background
Local government has long held the aspiration to achieve formal recognition in the Australian Constitution. This year the ALGA Board and your State and Territory Association have decided to take decisive action to start the process of achieving this goal. In its simplest form we need to know:
- whether your council supports constitutional recognition of local government
- your views on what your council would like to see achieved from constitutional recognition of local government
- what your council wants like to see in the Australian Constitution
- what you think we need to do to gain sufficient community support to win a referendum, if and when one was put to the Australian people.
To assist us in this plan, we need input from all councils on a number of key issues. You can help by conducting a ‘conversation’ within your council on this topic. Materials, including facts sheets, to assist you and your council to conduct this conversation are available on the web for download. Feel free to copy and distribute this material.
Council Feedback
Feedback from every council will be incorporated into material that will be developed for the Local Government Constitutional Summit to be held in Melbourne from 9 -11 December 2008.
Councils are asked to complete an online feedback form at www.alga.asn.au/constitutionalrecognition/FeedbackForm.php
In providing feedback Councils should consider:
- The relative benefits to your community
- The likelihood of gaining Commonwealth support for each objective
- The risks of taking multiple or complex issues to the electorate
- The likelihood of opposition.
Draft Media Release
Your Council may wish to consider distributing a media release to local media regarding your work and Council Conversation on the important issue of constitutional recognition of local government. We have provided a draft media release, which you are welcome to use.
To download the draft media release, click here.
