Public Services Bulletin

local government energy-electricity railways & public transport water state & federal government services June 2012

railways & public transport water

Shields and Swords: Legal Tools for Public Water

http://www.municipalservicesproject.org/sites/municipalservicesproject.org/files/publications/OccasionalPaper17_DugardDrage_Shields_and_Swords_Legal_Tools_Public_Water_June2012.pdf extract describes it as Water activists have an encouraging record of using legal tools to overturn privatization in the fight for public services. *Shields and Swords *examines and draws lessons from water campaigns legal strategies around the world, some of which have transformed national laws and banned private provision, while others were partial victories. In all cases, the staying power of water ...more

The Cupboard is Full: Public Finance for Public Services in the Global South
http://www.municipalservicesproject.org/sites/municipalservicesproject.org/files/publications/LipschutzRomano_The_Cupboard_is_Full_May2012_FINAL.pdf Attached for you information is a link to a paper , recently brought to my attention, prepared by the municipal services project out of Canada The publication is well worth a read , you will also find reference to the use of public pension (superannuation) funds at page 15 www.municipalservicesproject.org Whilst the paper is target at developing countries funding there are a number of arguments relevant to all countries Advice

National local government workforce development reference group

http://gregmclean.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/national-local-government-workforce.html - On Friday I meet with CEO"s of a number of local government non industrial professional associations from across the country , as well as representatives from the NSW/VIC/SA/WA - Local Government Associations , GSA plus ACELG and Industry Academics .. Issues I represented the union and local government employees from across the country in a range of discussions including _ Outcomes of the 5th national local government workforce development forum An update from GSA National local government workforce da... more

United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is an annual opportunity for Member States to discuss areas of concern for women and girls, and to agree on approaches to address these issues.
http://saynotoviolence.org/about-say-no The priority theme for the upcoming 57th session of the CSW is the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls. *To inform the CSW discussions, UN Women is hosting a dynamic online discussion from 23 July to 3 August 2012 with activists and experts who work on ending violence against women and girls. If you are working on the issue, you don t want to miss this conversation! * Your inputs will inform the UN Secretary-General s reports for the 57th Commission on the Status of Women and guide the discussion of CSW... more

Water Industry Operators of Australia latest bulletin now out

http://www.wioa.org.au/documents/WIOAWordsJul12.pdf advice WIOA www@wioa.org.au

Produced for ASU Branches with members in the public services: NSW US Branch / Victorian & Tasmanian Authorities & Services Branch / NSW & ACT (Services) Branch / South Australia & NT Branch / Western Australian Branch / QLD (Services & Northern Admin) Branch (QSU) / Central & Southern QLD C&A Branch Authorised and published by Greg McLean, ASU Assistant National Secretary , Australian Services Union, Level 8, 321 Pitt Street, Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia T: 0419 796 801 E: gmclean@syd.asu.asn.au W: www.asu.asn.au

Germany: public enterprise success in Cologne - advice EPSU

http://www.epsu.org/a/8730 Since the early 2000s public enterprise in Cologne, Germany s fourth largest City, has undergone a major transformation. This has seen the creation of the country s largest municipal services consortium and the return into public hands of key public services like waste management. This is in stark contrast to the often flawed and corrupt privatisations, public-private partnerships and cross-border leasings that characterised the City s services in the 1990s. The Stadtwerke Kln, (Cologne public enterprise) was founded over a hundred years ago and now serv... more

ACELG - has released some recent reports including

*InFocus: Low Carbon Futures Seminar and Research* Low Carbon Futures Seminar and Research]The discussion paper "Local Action for a Low Carbon Future" was launched at the University of Technology, Sydney on Thursday 14 June. The launch was part of the seminar, "Low Carbon Futures: Opportunities for Local Government", co-hosted by ACELG and UTS:CLG. read more *Latest News & Events* *Local Government and Low Carbon Futures * 13th June 2012, ACELG with the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors (CCCLM) has completed a new discus... more

Update on the SIS10 Sport, Fitness and Recreation Training Package

At this stage the package has no endorsement and is not signed off ... . The package has been before the Services Skills Australia Sport and Rec committee, which the ASU is represented on , the committee has only given permission for public comment and feedback only at this time, that is being undertaken via the below highlighted link . As part of this information has been passed onto ASU LG branches , by myself, on a few occasions asking they provide feedback and feel free to discuss with ASU members working in this area . The contact point for service skills may/can vary per s... more

SIF12 Funeral Services Training Package are now available for your review. reminder from service skills
*SIF12 Funeral Services Training Package* are now available for your review. The validation process will be conducted over a *4 week period* with feedback closing *Tuesday 31 July 2012*. This process will provide a final opportunity for our stakeholders to review and comment on the draft components of the revised package to ensure that they reflect the current and future skill needs of the sectors within the funeral services industry. The validation drafts are based on the feedback that we received on our first drafts via Service Skills Australia s Feedback Register, email and me... more

SIS10 Sport, Fitness and Recreation Training Package

The Draft 2 of both the Sport & Cross-Sector continuous improvement projects will be available on the SSA online feedback register http://feedback.serviceskills.com.au on Friday 20 July for a period of 3 weeks until the 10 August. Make sure you log in online and have your say! *Considerable changes have been made to the Sport, and Sport & Recreation qualifications and... more a new Certificate III in Sport Officiating, new tennis units, and sport coaching, sport officiating, and governance skill sets. Draft 2 also proposes 8 new cross-sector units - 5 new Working In Industry (IND) units,

France: new form of municipal company

http://www.epsu.org/a/8731 - Municipalities and departments in France have begun to take advantage of a new form of public company to replace privatised services with public provision. Legislation adopted in 2010 with all-party support, enables two or more communes or municipalities to create a local public company (socit publique locale - SPL), 100% owned by public authorities, to carry out local public services, without the need to invite tenders from private companies. The new French law includes two crucial features, which are designed meet the conditions of the European Cou... more

ASU calls for the adoption of a nationally harmonised workplace bullying policy
http://www.asu.asn.au/media/ohs/20120712_bullying.html *The ASU has made a submission to the House Standing Committee on Education & Employment, Inquiry into Workplace Bullying. The ASU has called for the adoption of a nationally consistent definition of bullying including a national harmonised OHS regulation that enables employees to
Produced for ASU Branches with members in the public services: NSW US Branch / Victorian & Tasmanian Authorities & Services Branch / NSW & ACT (Services) Branch / South Australia & NT Branch / Western Australian Branch / QLD (Services & Northern Admin) Branch (QSU) / Central & Southern QLD C&A Branch Authorised and published by Greg McLean, ASU Assistant National Secretary , Australian Services Union, Level 8, 321 Pitt Street, Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia T: 0419 796 801 E: gmclean@syd.asu.asn.au W: www.asu.asn.au

seek urgent orders to stop bullying conduct early.* The ASU has also recommended that workplace bullying, along with other psychosocial hazards, be recognised by the Fair Work Act so systemic workplace bullying can be addressed in the workplace through... more

Infrastructure Australia has released its fourth review of national infrastructure priorities and performance,
http://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/2012_coag/files/COAG_2012_report_media_release.pdfProgress and action in infrastructure - Infrastructure Australia has released its fourth review of national infrastructure priorities and performance, highlighting the vital role of infrastructure in contributing to our national productivity and quality of life. The report to the Council of Australian Governments, Progress and Action, includes Infrastructure Australia s annual infrastructure priority list. In releasing the report, Chairman Sir Rod Eddington AO called on governments, industry a... more

Metropolitan Governance in Perth and South East Queensland - reference to Sydney

http://www.acelg.org.au/news-detail.php?id=223 In early June ACELG has just released a new discussion paper about metropolitan regions called 'The Australian Model of Metropolitan Governance: Insights from Perth and South East Queensland'. It was prepared by Graham Sansom, Jeremy Dawkins and Su Fe Tan, and was a joint project between ACELG and the Centre for Local Government, based at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS:CLG). The paper studies Perth and South East Queensland to gain insight into how metropolitan growth and change might be more effectively managed into the fut... more

Re- municipalising municipal services in Europe

http://www.epsu.org/IMG/pdf/Redraft_DH_remunicipalization.pdf Re- municipalising municipal services in Europe by David Hall, PSIRU, University of Greenwich After many years when privatisation, contracting-out and outsourcing have been the dominant trends across the public services, there is now increasing evidence, particularly in the municipal sector including water and energy of trends in the opposite direction. PSIRU study finds , http://www.epsu.org/IMG/pdf/Redraft_DH_remunicipalization.pdf

Brisbane named as host city for G20 Leaders' Summit 2014

http://www.pm.gov.au/press-office/brisbane-named-host-city-g20-leaders-summit-2014 Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Treasurer Wayne Swan today announced that Brisbane will host the G20 Leaders Summit on November 15 and 16, 2014. The G20 Summit is now the world s premier forum for global economic co-operation and decision-making, bringing together Leaders and Finance Ministers of countries which account for more than 85 per cent of global economic output. *Media release Aust Govt - full item at * * http://www.pm.gov.au/press-office/brisbane-named-host-city-g20-leaderssummit-2014 * *... more

The National Transport Commission's 57th Commission meeting was held in Perth on 22 June 2012.
http://www.ntc.gov.au/filemedia/AboutUs/OutcomesCommissionMeeting57Jun12.pdf Issues covered in the CEO's report included: - brief mention of the outcomes of the second Standing Committee on Transport and Infrastructure meeting *Review of the NTC and Other Bodies* ** - updates on key projects such as National Rail Safety Regulation, National Heavy Vehicle Regulation, COAG Road Reform Plan now called the Heavy Vehicle Charging and Investment Framework, National Ports Strategy and Heavy Vehicle Charges. - Overview of the Electronic Diaries Safety Workshop. ... more

NTC calls for comment on proposed changes to the regulatory framework for transporting dangerous goods by road and rail
http://www.ntc.gov.au/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsId=371 The transport of dangerous goods in Australia by road and rail is governed by well-established laws and regulatory arrangements, but further improvements are needed according to a National Transport Commission (NTC) review released today. NTC Chief Executive Nick Dimopoulos said the review has identified a number of recommendations to further strengthen the regulatory framework that is in place. We believe these
Produced for ASU Branches with members in the public services: NSW US Branch / Victorian & Tasmanian Authorities & Services Branch / NSW & ACT (Services) Branch / South Australia & NT Branch / Western Australian Branch / QLD (Services & Northern Admin) Branch (QSU) / Central & Southern QLD C&A Branch Authorised and published by Greg McLean, ASU Assistant National Secretary , Australian Services Union, Level 8, 321 Pitt Street, Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia T: 0419 796 801 E: gmclean@syd.asu.asn.au W: www.asu.asn.au

proposed changes have the capacity to make the system safer, more efficient and provide greater transparency, Mr Dimopou... more

The ITUC has produced a briefing note on the UN Framework for Business and Human Rights and the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights
http://www.ituc-csi.org/business-and-human-rights.html The Briefing note explains what they are about and why they are important for trade unionists. http://www.ituc-csi.org/the-united-nations-protect-respect,11734.html Advice ITUC www.ituccsi.org

A win for solidarity at AEMO

http://www.asu.asn.au/media/utilities_energy/20120629_aemo.html *At the second conciliation hearing today, AEMO stated that it will not proceed with the proposal to increase working hours from 1920 to 1976 per year... yet. * What has happened? - After AEMO rejected our second proposal to bring the dispute to a close, we sought one further conciliation hearing at Fair Work Australia (FWA) to see if AEMO was prepared to come to the table with a counter offer. AEMO, perhaps seeing the strength of our case and our resolve, said they would no longer pursue their proposal to increase the ... more

Funeral Services Training Package , which covers Local Government employees in Cemetery and Crematorium Operations as well as Gravedigging, Grounds and Maintenance
SIF12 Funeral Services Training Package are now available for your review. " The validation process will be conducted over a *4 week period* with feedback closing *Tuesday 31 July 2012*. This process will provide a final opportunity for our stakeholders to review and comment on the draft components of the revised package to ensure that they reflect the current and future skill needs of the sectors within the funeral services industry. The validation drafts are based on the feedback that we received on our first drafts via Service Skills Australia s Feedback Register, email and meeti... more

ASU Local Government Child Care Branches meet In Sydney today

Today I attended a meeting of the ASU Local Government Industry Division Child Care Branches . ASU Child Care contacts can be located through ASU Branches that Organise in Local Government - all ASU Branches can be located through the map of Australia at www.asu.asn.au * The ASU has been representing Members working in Local Government Child Care and related areas since at least the early 1930 s introduction for w... more including through inner city play groups during the depression of the 1930 s , Council Kindergartens in the 50 s and 60 s, the Whitlam era of universal Child Care

Produced for ASU Branches with members in the public services: NSW US Branch / Victorian & Tasmanian Authorities & Services Branch / NSW & ACT (Services) Branch / South Australia & NT Branch / Western Australian Branch / QLD (Services & Northern Admin) Branch (QSU) / Central & Southern QLD C&A Branch Authorised and published by Greg McLean, ASU Assistant National Secretary , Australian Services Union, Level 8, 321 Pitt Street, Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia T: 0419 796 801 E: gmclean@syd.asu.asn.au W: www.asu.asn.au