Working towards a strong and sustainable Local Government
McCarthy, Malarndirri
Australian Labor Party
Media Releases for 11th Assembly 2008 - 2012; Media Releases; ParliamentNT
2012-07-06
English
Local government
Northern Territory Government
application/pdf
Issued as a Media Release
Northern Territory Government
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/241209
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/620302
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/620304
Local government reform in 2008 included provisions to enable shire councils to establish Local Boards as an important element of council engagement with local communities, she said. Local Boards enable local participation and are most effective and highly valued when they are seen to be contributing actively to shire decision making. The Territory Government has been listening to shire residents who want increased community engagement with their shires, and this Discussion Paper seeks direct input from them on how to strengthen their Local Boards. The Government is conscious that different shires and different towns and communities within the one shire, may have different views on how local community engagement can be maximised. Public forums will commence in September 2012 and will be held in as many shire service centres as possible over a three month consultation. Closing the Gap Grants To assist with this process Minister McCarthy also announced $1.6M in Closing the Gap grants for governance and infrastructure projects. The grants provide $1.6 million in funding to shire councils to help Close the Gap in Indigenous disadvantage for governance and infrastructure projects, said Minister McCarthy. In 2011/12 the Closing the Gap governance grants pool has been split equally between the eight major shires to ensure the development of a strategic approach to strengthening governance capacity through the local boards. Closing the Gap grants are available to support local governments to deliver community projects and construction of infrastructure. The next round of Closing the Gap grants will be made available later this year. All shire councils with a majority of Indigenous constituents are eligible to apply and letters seeking applications will be sent to those eligible councils in early August. Closing the Gap is the Territory's Indigenous generational plan, aimed at closing the gap in outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Territorians. Attachment: A complete list of Closing the Gap Grants. For more information and to view the discussion paper seeking public feedback visit www.localgovernment.nt.gov.au For more information on the Shire Financial Sustainability Review Taskforce and to view the Terms of Reference visit www.localgovernment.nt.gov.au Media Contact:: Ursula Raymond 0457 825 507 http://www.localgovernment.nt.gov.au/ http://www.localgovernment.nt.gov.au/