Story: Gary Fry
A new book from UNE academics, entitled “Councils in Cooperation – Shared Services and Australian Local Government”, is a timely exploration of inter-council shared service models – what works and why. The failed New England Strategic Alliance of Councils (NESAC), which incorporated Armidale Dumaresq, Uralla, Walcha and Guyra Shire Councils is a featured example.
Published by The Federation Press in Sydney, “Councils in Cooperation – Shared Services and Australian Local Government”, is a collaborative effort between the Director of the Centre for Local Government within UNE’s School of Business, Professor Brian Dollery, together with colleagues, Bligh Grant and Michael Kortt.
Professor Dollery said that conclusions drawn in the book infer that NESAC failed due to a number of factors, particularly that the intentions towards sharing services to reduce costs and increase efficiencies were not entirely genuine. Professor Dollery asserted that NESAC was outcome driven. “It was designed to stave off amalgamation. When that was done, the alliance members seemingly thought ‘job done’ and went through the motions (of monthly meetings and so on), with varying degrees of commitment.”
It is also suggested that the NESAC shared services model failed because of tension arising from fears in the much smaller councils that Armidale Dumaresq would dominate.
The book shows that shared services between local councils can work and has succeeded in NSW. Successful shared services models in local government are detailed, such as the example of the WBC Alliance in Central West NSW. The Councils of Wellington, Blayney and Cabonne originally formed the Strategic Alliance in 2003 as an alternative model for local government reform. In 2005, Central Tablelands Water joined the Alliance. It is a voluntary cooperative arrangement between the member councils for the purpose of sharing resources and identifying efficiencies. This model has been scrutinised and widely applauded.
The Planning Assessment Commission made amendments to the proposed Conditions of Consent drafted by the Director General (Department of Planning & Infrastructure). The amendments mainly pertained to increasing the stormwater and leachate holding capacity of the landfill facility to manage runoff from larger rainfall and flooding events so as to protect sensitive ecological communities downstream of the site. These include the Oxley Wild River World Heritage Area.
ADC would like to assure the community that the facility will not adversely impact on the surrounding environment.
Chairman of the Waste Management Committee Councillor Bruce Whan echoes this relief.
“At last we have a new landfill site. The Waste Management Committee started looking for new landfill sites when I was first elected to Council around 15 years ago and has been progressively implementing initiatives to reduce putrescible material being placed into landfill and thereby minimising greenhouse gases and leachate,” said Cr Whan.
“This announcement gives certainty for disposal of our waste for the next 50+ years, but I am sure that the present Waste Management Committee and the new Sustainability Committee will continue to find ways, such as the recent City to Soil program, to increase our diversion rates away from landfill. By recycling or reusing more and more products, we can all extend the landfill’s life even further.”
ADC can now start to plan for the transition from and rehabilitation of the existing landfill on Long Swamp Rd. Construction on the new landfill, which ADC intends to operate as close to a class one landfill as possible, will commence next year as there are a number of management plans that need to be prepared in consultation with various government departments, as determined by the development conditions, and submitted for approval. The land purchase and subdivision process also needs to be completed.
“The new landfill will not be open to the public, as waste will be taken to the existing Waste Management Facility on Long Swamp Rd, processed and then transported to the new landfill,” said David Steller, ADC’s Director of Public Infrastructure. “The facility on Long Swamp Rd will continue to be the disposal point for residents’ recyclable materials and general rubbish.”
As the project was determined to be a controlled action under the Commonwealth Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, NSW Planning will be submitting all the relevant documents pertaining to the environmental assessment and development approval conditions to the Federal Minister for sign-off in accordance with the bi-lateral agreement between the Commonwealth of Australia and New South Wales Government.
