Local Government News Roundup · Chris Eddy

Five Years of the Roundup, plus reforms, recommendations and reflections - #566

March 22, 2026·49 min

Episode number 566 is stated up front. The roundup opens with Symphony 3's emergency dashboard work for Victorian councils, with Greater Bendigo, Mildura, Ararat, and Golden Plains named as recent examples. The agenda then gets busy fast. Chris Eddy picks up Tasmanian councillor cuts, a fine over coffee thrown at a Victorian council CEO, and Geelong scrutiny around possible leisure-centre closure criteria. The news block stays practical. One report examines council insurance claims processes, while a council cyber attack heads to court and raises the question of whether the perpetrators will face justice. Local emergencies stay close to the surface. One council is said to have worked through the night on road closures and high-risk areas, with CEO Jack Bond pointing to improvements still needed. Waste reform comes with a clock ticking. Newcastle and Port Stephens are coordinating early on food and garden organics, looking for a private processing facility before a mid-2027 kerbside FOGO rollout. Urban canopy targets come next. Albury City Council has prepared an urban forest strategy aiming for 30 percent canopy cover by 2025 and a move from about 2,000 to more than 6,000 annual plantings over the next decade. Biosecurity gets a very local example. In the Bega Valley, council staff are using cochineal insects against tiger pear cactus after early releases weakened infestations on a Millingandy property. Heritage duties are laid out plainly. Goulburn Mulwary Council's brochure covers maintenance, development responsibilities, and support pathways for people caring for heritage properties. Fleet change also gets airtime. Byerenshire starts electrifying its workforce fleet with five electric vehicles, backed by a $31,000 NSW Government Kickstart Grant. Canberra changes operators too. The ACT Government has selected Lime to run shared electric bikes and scooters under a three-year permit, replacing Neuron in April. The close turns back to sector services, as Rath Engineering Development's sponsor read ties gravel pit data, project tracking, haulage, re-sheeting programs, and disaster restoration works to council cost control.

As heard by us

A dense local government roundup that also marks five years since the first episode.

Episode 566 is a wide local government roundup that also takes in five years since the first episode landed in the second week of March 2021. It moves through the number of councillors to be cut in Tasmania, a man fined for throwing coffee at a Victorian council CEO, Geelong…

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You want a council-news round-up with a five-year milestone folded into the run.

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