News
Constitutional Recognition of Local Government
Referendum on local government recognition delayed
06 August 2013
With the announcement of the federal election on 7 September, plans for the referendum for the Constitutional recognition of local government have been put on hold. The referendum cannot be held at the same time as the 7 September election because the required notice period will not have elapsed. The…
A referendum to recognise local government in the Australian Constitution is planned to accompany this year's federal election. The ASU asks Australians to vote YES for this recognition to ensure our local councils are able to continue to provide the services we have all come to expect. Local government employees…
The ASU has been a major supporter of funding recognition of local government for a long time. We have supported the recognition of the role local government plays in our communities and the need to also recognise the problem of cost shifting by state governments, which includes asking councils to…
Constitutional recognition of local government – update
25 October 2012
The ASU has joined the support for the Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government Simon Crean to take the next step towards local government constitutional recognition by establishing a bipartisan Committee of Members of the Federal Parliament. This Committee will take forward the report of the Expert…
The High Court decision yesterday in relation to the federally funded chaplaincy program in schools may have repercussions for direct Federal Government funding of local government. This highlights the need for constitutional recognition of local government. An expert panel was formed last year to look into constitutional recognition of local…