Victoria MacLennan

There are some fascinating details in the 2024 National State of the Assets Report, put together by IPWEA in partnership with the Australian Local Government Association. For example: 1. Local Governments collectively own one-third of all Australia's public infrastructure assets, yet employ under 10% of the public workforce. 2. Local Governments are the most asset-intensive level of government in Australia. 3. Total value of assets under Local Government control is $643bn, yet amazingly, their combined revenue was just a fraction of that (around $60bn in 2022-23). Just imagine operating, maintaining and renewing all those assets on this budget - let alone funding all the other non-asset services delivered by Local Government, such as urban planning, economic development/tourism, environmental health (nobody likes dodgy takeaway), animal and pests/weeds management and so much more... It is a real challenge to balance the needs and expectations of the community with financial reality. Therefore, it's not surprising that ~8% of L.G. assets (worth $50-55 billion) are in poor condition. Take just roads... Poor to very poor roads can have significant social, safety and productivity implications at a local and national level (even people living in the big cities don't want bananas bruised from a farm=>store journey via a washed out or potholed road!). All of the above, extracted from the report below, help to emphasise the need for continual improvement to our asset management and long-term financial planning capacity. This continual improvement and, importantly, the long term financial planning and properly funding renewal and replacement of ageing assets takes strong yet delicate leadership. I do not envy any Local Government politicians who seriously engage with this challenge. If you're a local government infrastructure operator, and you'd like to understand more about your assets, we'd love to hear from you! #LocalGovernment #Assets #Planning #AssetManagement #FinancialPlanning #FinancialSustainability #Infrastructure #Australia #Queensland #NorthernTerritory Mangoesmapping GIS Mapping (Mangoesmapping)

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The AICD webinar on AI governance has been very interesting. The key message is that board directors need to focus on AI from various perspectives: principles and practices, strategy, governance, and infrastructure. It's important for us to start thinking about it now. Initially, the focus will be on risk management. However, the biggest opportunity lies in exploring AI's potential. How can we use AI to optimise business operations and discover new opportunities? Boards need to work with management to see how AI can play a significant role. There are also safety and ethics issues to consider. We must tackle these challenges head-on. The AICD has developed some useful resources and frameworks, which have been very helpful.

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Embrace the new financial year with a fresh perspective! 🚀 Now is the perfect time to review your IT strategy and make sure it can support your goals for 24/25. Let our IT consultants help you maximise your IT investments by identifying areas for cost savings. These insights will ensure you can make informed decisions about your IT strategy for the present and future. Contact us today for a free consultation!! 🌟 #ITConsulting #ModernITSolutions #FutureITServices #TaxTime #FinancialPlanning #ITBudget

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STATEMENT FROM VRCA Regional Victorian Building Industry in Crisis: Urgent Government Intervention Needed The Victorian Regional Chamber Alliance (VRCA) is calling for immediate Government action as the residential building industry throughout the State faces an unprecedented crisis. Despite the high demand for housing, regional and rural areas are witnessing a major downturn in all aspects of the housing and residential building industry. Land sales in new subdivisions have virtually stopped and agents are reporting a notable increase in land resales, where the current market value is significantly below the initial purchase price. Prospective homebuilders are therefore experiencing increased difficulty in securing bank finance to build and alarmingly, there has been an unprecedented number of defaults on land settlements. This downward spiral flows onto builders, who are unable to secure stable work which in turn impedes the commencement of much-needed dwelling construction projects across regional Victoria. Earlier this year Victoria experienced its lowest dwelling approvals in over a decade. January saw a staggering 9.8% decline in approvals compared to the previous month, illustrating a severe slowdown in construction activity. This trend underlines the financial strain faced by industry players, threatening the stability of the entire sector. Furthermore, the erosion of confidence in the building sector has led to a notable shift in consumer behaviour, with prospective buyers increasingly favouring established homes over new land and build options. The absence of first-home buyers, residential investors and upgraders in the current land market further exacerbates the challenges faced by industry stakeholders. “The Victorian Government must urgently intervene to address these pressing issues and safeguard the future of the building industry,” says the VRCA. “The Government has set a target of 80,000 new homes in Victoria in the next 10 years. Who is going to build them? Small construction companies are going out of business, looking to commercial work to survive or exiting the industry. “Supply chain issues continue to cause gaps in the construction process, and sub-contractors are stood down until materials arrive, so they too are looking for work outside of residential projects. “Immediate measures such as reassessing land tax policies, revisiting windfall-gains tax regulations, and implementing targeted financial support are essential to restore confidence and stimulate activity. “We call upon the Victorian Government to the prioritise regional and rural Victoria and take decisive action to mitigate the current crisis. Failure to act swiftly risks long term damage to the State's economy and housing market,” the VRCA said. Contact Jodie Gillett for further information

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Today I announced new guidance to help agencies make smarter use of taxpayer dollars through private sector strategic leasing partnerships for infrastructure. This 'PPP-lite' approach ensures New Zealanders can get the quality infrastructure they need, where and when it's needed, while retaining flexibility to changing circumstances. Strategic leasing complements our recent PPP Framework refresh, adding another tool in our infrastructure tool belt to better deliver a different class of assets. Read the guidance and the full release below.

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Victoria's public sector grew by 59% in the 15 years from 2008-2023, while population grew by just 29%. In every state, public sector growth outstripped population growth, regardless of Liberal or Labor Governments. To stop the trend, and bring the #publicsector back into balance with other sectors in a traditional #mixedeconomy, we will need a new political movement to win government. Our #Agenda for State Government 1. Require politicians to have had a #realjob Require MPs to have worked for 10 years in a real job (not employed by a politician, party or union) as a condition of eligibility to nominate for parliament. 2. Ban #careerpoliticians – Limit MPs to three terms in the lower house, two in the upper house, then back to their day job. 3. Require #publicservants to have worked outside government for 10 years, with a limit on tenure of 10 years service. By ‘public servants’, we don’t mean teachers, nurses, or police. We mean people who devise policy and execute/ communicate/ monitor/ evaluate/ and report it. 4. Make Ministers personally #liable for cost-blowouts Make Ministers personally liable for cost-blowouts and over-runs in spending in programs and contracts where these are due to negligence and incompetence. 5. Reduce the overblown #coststructure in construction projects by 30%. – Require a renegotiation of terms in all current and new construction projects to reduce costs by 30%. – Remove ‘commercial-in-confidence clauses from all contracts involving taxpayers money. If a business wants confidentiality, it should find investors other than government. 6. #Deregister the CFMEU as a rogue union. Just as the Hawke-Keating government deregistered the Builders Labourers Federation, we will deregister the CFMEU as a union that uses illegality in behaviour to fleece taxpayers of value for money. 7. Transfer #education and #health to the Commonwealth – Streamline the Federation by transferring responsibility for education and health to the Commonwealth. – Make local government a lean mechanism of local voice, transferring its service delivery functions to state government. – Reduce planning and building approval processes to a mandated maximum of 30 days. 8. Direct #childcare and #schools funding to parents not institutions. Funding for child care and schools should be directed to parents in the form of a voucher that families can use as leverage to get the options that best suit each family. 9. #Scrap taxpayer funding for political parties – Force parties to rely on their members and community support, not taxpayers’ money. – Ban donations from corporates to parties (inc companies and trade unions). – Permit only individual citizens to donate to parties, up to a max of $10,000 pa. 10. #Defund 100 public sector agencies that are purely political. Defund 100 public sector agencies that are purely ideological entities that deliver political outcomes not front-line services. Join #DemocracyFirst. https://lnkd.in/giZFB9ej

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We have recently published the latest #DigitalStrategy Roadmap for the WA Government. The roadmap outlines the vision and highlights over 70 projects currently underway. The large number of new initiatives in this year’s roadmap is a testamente to the ongoing commitment to digital transformation as a key driver of reforms. The goal of the strategy: To provide convenient, smart and secure services for everyone in Western Australia. Check out the roadmap here: https://lnkd.in/g7XcvKGD

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The recommended system  Tier 0 – Purchase visibility: No registration requirements are needed and applies only to goods purchased from retailers, such as ramps from hardware stores, where no support is provided to the participant. Authorities would have visibility over this via real-time purchasing arrangements.  Tier 1 – Basic registration: Worker screening not needed. Subject to complaints process and must report incidents. This tier is for those providing lower-risk supports, such as sole traders and those with limited one-on-one contact with people with disability.  Tier 2 – Self-directed registration: This would apply to participants or their guardians who directly contract all their supports, such as service for one arrangements. Workers don’t have to register, but the participant or self-director will.  Tier 3 – General registration: Worker screening needed. This tier is subject to the complaints process and must report incidents. It could apply to providers offering supports that require skill and training, such as complex bowel care or injections, and those involving significant one-on-one contact with people with disability.  Tier 4 – Advanced registration: Worker screening needed. This tier is also subject to the complaints process and must report incidents. It could include those offering supports and services in high-risk settings or in closed settings like group homes.  Source: NDIS Provider and Worker Registration Taskforce Report 

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The Age today outlined possible proposed changes to development contributions. UDIA Victoria is open to working with Government to improve the broader developer contribution landscape and create efficiencies where possible. The article suggests developers only contribute $6,100 in infrastructure charges per greenfield lot. Let's be clear: the ticket is clipped at every turn in the development cycle. Research commissioned by UDIA back in 2021 shows that developers in the greenfields are contributing around $50,000 in taxes and charges - and this was calculated before windfall gains tax, vacant residential land tax and additional COVID levies were dumped on the industry. For infill, it's even higher, at $66,900. There's no question that there is an infrastructure funding shortfall for both greenfield and infill markets. But ratcheting taxes and charges is not the answer at a time when the targets have never been higher, and the challenges have never been greater. Article: https://lnkd.in/gPCz4Ezz Tom Trevaskis Sean Pinan Kathy Johnson Dean Gold Andrew Duggan Nick Holuigue Alicia Davidge Lara Kozeniauskas Oscar Stanley Nicola Smith #residentialdevelopment #housingafforadability

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Bill Shorten Media Release: New NDIS providers receive grants to co-design new payment options The Albanese Government is trialling a new approach to paying for disability supports to ensure National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants receive high quality supports that produce meaningful outcomes. As part of the 2023-24 Budget, the Australian Government committed $24.6 million over four years to work with participants and providers to trial blended payments which will test if there is a better payment option than the current fee-for-service model. Since then, the Albanese Government has been working closely with participants, providers and representative groups to design the best way forward on the trial.  The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) today announced 31 providers would share in $330,000 and take part in the co-design of blended payment options to explore how they might work. Minister for the NDIS the Hon. Bill Shorten MP said the Blended Payments trial is an opportunity to test different ways providers can be paid which encourage them to deliver better quality supports and achieve outcomes for participants.  “Under the current fee-for-service model, a participant pays a provider for their services and often that’s the end of it. The idea of a blended payment method will test if there might be a better option – where both participants and providers are clearer from the start on the desired outcome and thereby work more effectively towards that,” Minister Shorten said. From next year, following the co-design process, the NDIA and Department of Social Services (DSS) will begin trialling blended payment methods (among small groups of voluntary participants) to test their effectiveness. The trial will involve combining two types of payment. The first is an enrolment payment, where providers are paid for providing supports over a period of time (for example 1 or 2 years). The second is an outcome-based payment where a provider is paid when a participant’s goal is achieved. By trialling the blended payment method, we are testing if changing the payment approach can achieve better outcomes for participants. The fee-for-service payments currently used can narrow the focus to be on the amount of support delivered, rather than whether the supports are achieving results for participants. “This is a necessary innovation in shaping how payments could work differently in the NDIS in the long-term. We need to give participants more options in the future on how they engage providers and how they may pay them.” “To ensure we get this right, we’re co-designing the payment model with participants, Disability Representative and Carer Organisations (DRCOs), providers and peak bodies.” Full story:

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The Director's Guide to AI Board Governance is definitely worth a read, and highly recommend this for any directors / boards to both understand the context and how to move forward both with pace, but responsibly.

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Victorian councils understand the urgent need for all levels of government to address the deepening housing crisis in Australia. Because every single Victorian deserves access to affordable and suitable housing. We acknowledge that targets, as part of a range of responses, can be a useful tool in driving the creation of new homes in our State. But the road to target-driven outcomes must be paved with collaborative planning and the recognition of local realities. Today’s news that the State Government could remove planning powers from councils that fail to meet targets is worthy of discussion, but a more constructive idea is to recognise the value of partnership and collaboration.    Local governments hold invaluable local knowledge and insights that are an essential input into effective housing strategies. As the closest tier of government to the community, councils are uniquely positioned to translate housing targets into meaningful local developments that respect and enhance the character and needs of each area. We steadfastly believe the community is best served by a shared approach, where the State Government and councils work hand-in-glove to address the housing deficit together.  Stripping councils of their planning powers is not the solution. Instead, we should focus on strengthening the capabilities of local councils to work in line with the State Government’s objectives, bolstering their role in planning decisions and ensuring there is meaningful community engagement in the process. As we move forward, the MAV is committed to this partnership model as part of an approach that champions the expertise of local governments and nurtures the cooperative spirit that has always been present when we have solved big problems like this in the past. I invite the State Government to join us in ensuring a future where the creation of new housing is not just a mandated metric, but a collaborative effort between governments to get us out of the housing mess we’ve been in for far too long. #HousingCrisis #CommunityFirst #LocalGovernment #Victoria #UrbanPlanning #Collaboration

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It's been a real privilege contributing with an awesome group of Māori practitioners to Amazon's Māori Data Lens on their Well Architected Framework. Not only was the work interesting, but the people were choice. Renata Hakiwai, Ngapera Riley, Nikora Ngaropo, Lee Timutimu, Wade Reweti, and Eli Pohio. E kore e mutu ngā mihi. My initial thought back last year was, 'I'm no cloud architect'. But this kaupapa reminded that here and now, anything I can see or access on my phone, TV or laptop, is in the cloud: from my whanau photos, to my contacts list, trust and marae committee minutes and accounts, my Kindle versions of Ngā Moteatea, pdfs of Matariki karakia, posts on FB about whakapapa and pūrākau, my work via Office 365, and even special whānau videos on Youtube. Moreover, Amazon seemed to share our interest in making sure our stuff is secure, private and also accessible when we need it. I knew too that Amazon is a big Taniwha, and it does not think, speak or understand us. But as my Dad always said, 'the kumara aren't going to peel themselves!' In other words, if you want to make a change, roll your sleeves up and get stuck in! So, I said yes! To be fair, the work was challenging. This is a technical guide for technical stuff. Moreover, the group did not suffer from groupthink. Yet we still we managed to craft a general te ao Māori framework tailored to address the unique challenges and opportunities Māori data faces in the cloud. The end is a small step towards responsibly managing Māori data in the cloud. There is some advice about thinking, and percieving, as well as advice about the importance of relationships. Not rocket science, but definitely marae science - the 1000 cups of tea! While the road ahead is long, I am hopeful about the positive impact te ao Māori can have technology and how it is developed. This is our attempt to follow the path of Tane and grab the strong vine: Kia mau ki te aka matua, kei mau ki te aka taepa! Finally, a big mihi to Craig and Judith at Amazon for their dedication and engagement. Lets be honest, Amazon is a huge organisation and they both had to work through layers of people to pitch the whole idea, to land it, and get final approval. I know that their work with Maurea Consulting and the amazing Precious Clark clearly inspired them to deep dive in to this. Otirā Craig kōrua ko Judith, ngā mihi nui! https://lnkd.in/g72zzqvd #MaoriDataSovereignty #CloudTechnology #Collaboration

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🎉The 6th Social Media for Gov NZ conference starts today! 🌟 Join us as we delve into discussions on strengthening public sector engagement in the digital era through innovation, trust, and reach. 🚀 Let's spark meaningful conversations and explore new ways to connect with citizens online. Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn and grow! #SocialMediaForGov #PublicSectorEngagement #Innovation #Trust #Reach #SM4GovNZ 🌐💬📱

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Thank you for this article Robin Knowles a great insight to the challenges in innovating in Local Government. My favourite top tips would be: Foster a Culture of Experimentation: Encourage your team to try new things and accept failure as part of the innovation process. This can lead to breakthroughs that wouldn’t happen in a risk-averse environment; Think Beyond Borders: Work towards seamless data sharing across local government boundaries. Residents and businesses expect consistent services, and this can only be achieved through better data interoperability; https://lnkd.in/eBF4j3_A

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#ANZ is set to launch an ‘#Australia and #NewZealand first’ #AIImmersionCentre, designed to increase #artificialintelligence (#AI) #literacy and #accelerate #generativeAI (#GenAI) #adoption #atscale within the #bank. #artificialintelligence #ai #generativeAI #GenAI #atscale #ANZ #ANZbank #bank #dataliteracy #AIliteracy #AIadoption #AIadoptionatscale #AIimmersion

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GovGPT coming our way! - multimodal including Te Reo Māori text and retrieval augmented generation, built within 2 months is an impressive move to showcase the use of GenAI with relatively effective usecase. Great initiative led by Hon Judith Collins KC MP with a clear goal and direction This usecase is one of the most sensible pathway to jump on GenAI ladder and understand its contextual implications! #genai #appliedai #aiusecases

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