Planning in Victoria – who shall we blame?

The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) is campaigning against what it says is the erosion of the role local government plays in the planning system, according to ABC News.  It says proposed changes to the Planning and Environment Act will override councils' planning policies.  MAV president Bill McArthur says residents want to have a say in neighbourhood planning.

He says the proposal threatens the community's involvement because the Victorian Government will be given more power.  "It's a real threat to remove community involvement and add uncertainty and cost to Victoria's planning system," Mr McArthur said.  "It's a major concern and communities should be concerned because any erosion of councils' role in the planning system means less community input to the decision making process."

Five-star dining

South-East Queensland restaurants and food outlets will have their food safety and hygiene standards rated and their scores displayed on front doors in a system designed to give diners more information about where they are eating.  The EatSafe program, which will kick off in Brisbane and extend to other local government areas, will rate any establishment with a food license.  Scores under the star system will voluntarily displayed on the premises.

Food safety inspectors will give scores between one and five - five being for best practice.  Financial penalties - in the form of higher licensing fees - will be meted out to those who score lowest.  Outlets who score between four and five stars will have their license fees discounted and rewarded with fewer safety inspections.  Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said while operators would not be forced to display their scores to customers, he expected the rating cars would become "a badge of honour" among the city's 6000 eateries, including bakeries and takeaway outlets.

"It's a bit carrot and stick," he told brisbanetimes.com.au this morning.  "One star and you're pretty much out of business, we'll shut you down; two stars is just over the line; four to five and you're doing well.  It is a scheme which is designed to give consumers more information about the establishments they are eating in as well as helping operators improve in a very positive, incentivised way."

Cr Newman, who is expected to announce the scheme and a timeline today, said the EatSafe program had the full backing of industry bodies including the Queensland Hotels Association and Restaurant and Catering Queensland.  "I was very clear with council officials who put this up quite a while ago that we will not do this without the support of the industry," he said.

Logan City Council, which is also expected to announce its scheme soon, flagged the concept early last month and used the example of a similar rating system used in Los Angeles County.  It cited a 13 per cent decrease in food poisoning cases in the first 12 months of operation and an average 5.7 per cent revenue increase for those businesses which secured the highest score - in their case an A,B,C grading system.  Other international cities using a "scores on doors" scheme include New York, London and Singapore.  "Grading provided incentives for operators to strive for high standards and was used as an effective marketing tool to win and retain customers in a competitive market," city officials told councillors in a briefing note on January 6.  "Significant declines in food borne illness in Singapore have occurred since the introduction of food grading."

A Logan City Council spokeswoman said the scheme would likely be in place by the end of the year, possibly as early as September.  While participation will be voluntary, she said the council was calling on the Queensland government today to make it mandatory.  Food safety standards are set by the state government, however, in Brisbane, breaches of the legislation are prosecuted by the council.

Cr Newman said the total amount of money raised by Brisbane City Council under its current restaurant licensing scheme would not change under the star-rating system.  However, there would be a redistribution of fees based on food safety performance.  He stressed the rating system would be no reflection of the quality of food served or service standards.

Queensland Hotels Association head Justin O'Connor said Brisbane City Council had spent 12 months consulting the industry on the program and operators were keen to see whether "the theory is borne out in practice" in terms of raising safety standards across the board.  However, he was was much less keen to see the scheme forced upon operators.  "We are prepared to give it a go because it is relatively rare for state government, local governments, or even federal governments for that matter, to introduce a system of incentives for doing good," he said.  “Normally, it's a one-size-fits-all, 'shut up and pay your fees' approach.  They are trying to improve an existing regulatory system and ensure good operators are rewarded."

Going to the dogs

Last October New Scientist magazine published an article “How green is your pet” which left readers under no illusions – ownership of a pet dog is not an eco-friendly act.  And the latest story out of NSW on the subject of dogs really should put the nail in the coffin of dog ownership - “At least eight dog attacks a day in NSW” screamed the Sydney Morning Herald on, of all days, Australia Day.

Me?  I’d have them all put down.

Water restructuring

Both Tasmania and Queensland are restructuring their water utility operations.  In SE Queensland the three new bodies are Urban Utilities (out of Brisbane and Ipswich City Councils), Allconnex Water (an unfortunate name as any recent Melburnian would know) (Gold Coast, Logan and Redland Councils), and Unity Water (Moreton Bay and Sunshine Coast) where former Brisbane Lord Mayor Jim Sorley has recently been named Chairman.  In Tasmania however the dust hasn’t quite settled, according to Opposition Treasury spokesman Peter Gutwein, who says he has discovered that the government is conducting a major review of the three regional water and sewerage corporations.

e-Waste still controversial

Two months after the Federal Government announced a national recycling scheme local councils across Australia are split on whether to ban curb-side collection of electronic waste to keep toxic chemicals out of landfill.  It's an issue that has divided a city and now looks like dividing the nation. Sydney's Pittwater Council, under the Shore Regional Organisation of Councils (SHOROC), was the first in the country to put a ban on the collection of e-waste including televisions, computers and other electrical equipment. Its decision comes ahead of federal legislation that will see hundreds and possibly thousands of recycling depots installed across Australia.

As a result residents in the region, on the northern side of Sydney Harbour including Manly, Mosman, Pittwater and Warringah, now must “take the initiative” and either dump their e-waste at one of 20 recycling depots or hold onto their equipment until a designated council recycling day, the first of which will be held late next month.  SHOROC said the decision was taken because toxic e-waste chemicals like lead, cadmium and mercury cost more than $1500 per tonne to dispose of safely.  Computerworld Australia has the full story.