ICLEI Oceania: 2008 Event Archive

ICLEI OCEANIA EVENTS FROM 2008

Recognition of local government in a climate of change!

Tuesday 9 December 2008

ICLEI Oceania recognition event and briefing breakfast held at the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) 2008 National General Assembly.

Council delegates were briefed on ICLEI Oceania actions and strategies, including the Australasian Mayors Council for Climate Protection, the release of the 2008/09 Measures Reports for CCP and the Water Campaign™, ‘Leadership in a New Climate’ adaptation forums, the establishment of the Cities for Safe and Healthy Communities program, the 2009 ICLEI World Congress, the international partnerships with the Rockefeller Foundation’s Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network, and the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties 2008.

Speakers included:

Cr Geoff Lake, President, ALGA
Wayne Wescott, Chief Executive Officer, ICLEI Oceania
The Hon. Gavin Jennings, Minister for Environment & Climate Change
Shaun Cox, Managing Director, South East Water Limited
Senator the Hon. Jan McLucas, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health & Ageing

Councils that were recognised on the day: (view images)

13 Victorian councils in the Water Campaign™
2 rural Victorian councils in the Cities for Climate Protection® (CCP®)
26 councils Australia wide in the Water Campaign™ and CCP program
15 councils Australia wide in the Cities for Safe and Healthy Communities program

CSHC Foundation Council workshop

: CSHC Foundation Council representatives

9 December 2008

Participants from Cities for Safe and Healthy Communities Foundation Councils joined together in December 2008 to work through initial program design and data needs when managing alcohol-related harms at the municipal level.

The workshop was opened by Jude Munro, CEO of Brisbane City Council and Chair of the National Local Government Drug and Alcohol Advisory Committee. Ms Munro noted that managing alcohol is a key priority for the social sustainability of communities who face weekly waste management costs, street violence, and community health harms from our current drinking cultures.

Wayne Wescott, CEO of ICLEI Oceania explained the current focus on alcohol harms management: "Alcohol is one of the key action areas for a world-first initiative by ICLEI, which aims for safe and healthy communities in key areas from food to physical activity, crime and violence.

"Local governments representing one third of Australia’s population have come together in the new alliance to proactively plan health and safety into the way we manage our local government areas," says Mr Wescott.

The new Cities for Safe and Healthy Communities initiative by ICLEI builds on ground-breaking programs being run with local governments in the critical areas of water management and climate change.

Workshop participants highly valued the day and the opportunity to come together, as several councils are facing the same problems. Growth corridor councils from across Australia, for example, had similar issues concerning ‘pre-loading’ and use of public spaces, while capital cities and entertainment areas were seeking to enhance management of areas with high outlet density.

Some of our feedback comments included:

'A great braindump!'

'Great mix of presentations and activity to maintain interest. Met all of objectives of day, good discussion generated.'

'Always good, dynamic and inspiring! Happy to have more input as required, this work is making my job easier and clearer, establishing my role in council with a higher profile.'

Operationalising equity and evidence in local government planning:

: Photo: rytc, courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons. View from Te Papa towards Wellington CBD and waterfront.

NZ Centre for Sustainable Cities, 4 November 2008

ICLEI Oceania was fortunate enough to be invited to present at a seminar hosted by the University of Otago’s Centre for Sustainable Cities, led by noted health equity academic, Phillipa Howden-Chapman.

This provided an opportunity to describe the initial Cities for Safe and Healthy Communities (CSHC) program design to NZ colleagues and to consider the transferability of the model across ICLEI Oceania’s offices.

The CSHC model was recognised as having great potential for use with NZ councils and we will seek to build a program in New Zealand throughout 2009.

The presentation was an initial draft that has since been expanded following feedback from New Zealand participants. Changes and recent research were incorporated into into the following presentation for the Healthy Cities Alliance conference in March 2009.

A copy of the presentation is available for download [PDF document, 568 KB].

Adapting to Change: Sustainable Local Governments

Thursday 31 July 2008

ICLEI Oceania recognition event and briefing breakfast held in conjunction with the Western Australia Local Government Association (WALGA) 2008 Local Government Convention & Trade Exhibition.

ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability is an international association of local governments and national and regional local government organisations that have made a commitment to sustainable development. Across Australia ICLEI is working with local councils committed to sustainability and working with their community to achieve tangible outcomes.

Councils participating in the Cities for Climate Protection program, the Water Campaign and the Triple Bottom Line program were recognised and delegates were briefed on the work of the Australasian Mayors Council for Climate Protection.

Speakers included:

Kim Taylor, Director General, Department of Water
Cr Bill Mitchell, President, WALGA
Martin Brennan, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, ICLEI Oceania
Mayor Paddi Creevey, City of Mandurah
Dr Shayne Silcox, Chief Executive Officer, City of Melville

There were 21 councils recognised on the day. View images.

Water Sensitive Urban Design Forum for Local Government and Industry, Water Campaign™ Forum & Networking Event

Wednesday 11 June 2008

ICLEI Oceania, in partnership with the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board (SAMDB NRM Board) and the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board (AMLR NRM Board), held a Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) Forum for Local Government and Industry on 11 June.

The full day forum was attended by close to 100 delegates who heard from a variety of industry experts, participated in workshops and heard about local government and developer case studies. Speakers included:

Professor Simon Beecham, Sustainable Water Resources Engineering, University of South Australia
Geoff Fisher, Director, Australian Water Environments
David Altmann, Board Member, Stormwater Management Authority
Peter Scott, Senior Advisor, Environment Protection Authority
Dr David Cunliffe, Principal Water Quality Advisor, Department of Health
Ian Innes-Wardell, Water Campaign Australia Manager, ICLEI Oceania
Sue Giles, Planning SA
Kris Swaffer, Water Campaign State Manager, South Australia
Sheridan Blunt, Sustainable Water Management Coordinator, City of Melbourne
Andrew Bishop, Project Manager, Land Management Corporation
Clive Harrington, Technical Officer, Campbelltown City Council

View images and download presentations

Tackling climate change across boundaries

Monday 26 May 2008

ICLEI Oceania held a Recognition and Briefing Breakfast during the National Congress of Local Government Managers Australia.

Across Australia, ICLEI Oceania works with councils participating in the Cities for Climate Protection program, the Water Campaign™ and the Triple Bottom Line Capacity Building Program.

Councils were recognised for their achievements, their political commitment and their professional expertise.

Speakers included:

Cr Ron Clarke, Mayor, Gold Coast City Council, Queensland
Greg Withers, Executive Director Queensland Office of Climate Change
Wayne Wescott, Chief Executive Officer, ICLEI Oceania
Beth Riordan, Director Community Partnerships Team, Australian Department Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
Cr Bob Abbot, Mayor, Sunshine Coast Regional Council, Queensland
Paul Di Iulio, Chief Executive Officer, Campbelltown City Council, South Australia.

There were 29 councils recognised on the day. View images.

Sustainable Urban Water Management in Action Forum

Wednesday 7 May 2008

The Sustainable Urban Water Management in Action Forum for for NSW Water Campaign™ participants was presented with support from the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.

The forum provided an excellent opportunity to visit sites and hear presentations about leading edge local government sustainable urban water management actions in Sydney and network with local government and stakeholders.

Speakers included:

Penny Holloway, General Manager, North Sydney Council
Rob Lenferna, Design Engineer, North Sydney Council
Raphael Collins, Parks, Construction and Maintenance Manager, Penrith City Council
David Roberts, Sustainability Project Coordinator, Willoughby City Council
Dr. Ross McPherson, Manager – Water Catchments Team, Hornsby Shire Council.

View images and download presentations

Water Partnerships in Action

Tuesday 15 April 2008

ICLEI Oceania, in partnership with the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges NRM Board, the Northern and Yorke NRM Board (in conjunction with the Central Local Government Region of South Australia) and the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin NRM Board, held a Recognition Breakfast Event at the Water Down Under 2008 Conference to recognise achievements of Water Campaign™ participants in South Australia.

The Hon. Karlene Maywald MP, Minister for Water Security and the River Murray, provided the keynote address regarding the current state of water in South Australia and the role of the recently established Office for Water Security. With partnerships the theme for the event, Minister Maywald spoke of the important partnerships between state and local government in achieving sustainable water management.

The Rt Hon. The Lord Mayor of Adelaide, Michael Harbison, welcomed the guests to the event and Anita Aspinall, Board Member, Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges NRM Board spoke on behalf of the Boards. Council testimonials from Campbelltown City Council and the District Council of the Copper Coast outlined the benefit of the Water Campaign™ in helping their council achieve sustainable water management.

More than 60 guests attended the event, including mayors, councillors, chief executive officers and staff from local governments in the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Northern and Yorke and South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management regions, as well as representatives from state government departments.

There were 13 Water Campaign™ councils recognised on the day. View images.

Water Management in a Carbon Neutral World

Water Campaign™ Networking Event

Wednesday 20 February 2008

Everyone is talking about being carbon neutral. What does it mean for sustainable water management?

ICLEI Oceania, City West Water, South East Water and Yarra Valley Water held a free forum for Water Campaign™ participants. This forum provided an excellent opportunity to hear from a range of speakers on leading edge projects and network with other councils and stakeholders. View images.

Speakers included:

Cr Mohamad Abbouche, Mayor, Hume City Council
Andrew Edney, Manager Water Conservation Programs, Yarra Valley Water
Ken Baxter, Melbourne Water
Sheridan Blunt, Acting Team Leader Sustainability, City of Melbourne
Keith Johnson, Manager Water Resource Strategy, South East Water
Kein Gan, Manager Water Demand, Yarra Valley Water
Kate McAuliffe, Environment Officer, City West Water

Elected representatives, senior management and project staff from local government and representatives from state government departments and agencies with an interest in sustainable urban water management attended the event.

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