First meetings of 3 COAG working grou

ALGA (Australian Local Governemnet Association) has participated in recent COAG climate change, housing and infrastructure working group meetings. These working groups were part of the seven established at the COAG meeting on 20 December 2007.

Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese chaired the inaugural meeting of the COAG Infrastructure Working Group on January 23 just days after Federal Cabinet approved the establishment of Infrastructure Australia, a new body set up to coordinate infrastructure planning and investment across the nation.

The working group agreed upon a timetable for reforming the way infrastructure is planned, financed and delivered - one that will be taken forward by the soon-to-be established Infrastructure Australia. There will be one further meeting of the working group prior to the next COAG meeting on March 28.

Mr Albanese said Infrastructure Australia's immediate task would be to undertake a National Infrastructure Audit to determine the capacity and condition of nationally significant infrastructure, including the areas of water, energy, transport and communications.

Infrastructure Australia's functions include:

* The standardisation of tender processes and contract documentation between Commonwealth and state jurisdictions for the use of PPPs and other relevant procurement options;
* Standardising project approval techniques; and
* Streamlining planning and approval process by harmonising guidelines, legislation and regulation across jurisdictions.

Legislation establishing Infrastructure Australia will be introduced during the first session of the new Parliament.

The first meeting of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Housing Working Group was held in Sydney on January 31. The meeting was chaired by the Federal Minister for Housing, Tanya Plibersek. The Housing Working Group has been set ambitious goals to progress the Government's housing agenda including reducing infrastructure costs and planning delays through a $500m Housing Affordability Fund, building 50,000 new affordable rental properties and 600 homes for the homeless. Two further meetings of the Housing Working Group will be held before the Group reports to the next COAG meeting at the end of March.

The first meeting of the COAG Climate Change Working Group was held January 25. This meeting was chaired by Minister for Climate Change and Water, Penny Wong. The working group has been set up to develop detailed proposal for COAG to ensure an effective national response to climate change, encompassing:

* a single national Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) incorporating State schemes;
* a nationally-consistent set of climate change measures to support the ETS; and
* a national cooperative approach to long-term adaptation to climate change.

In addition, the working group is tasked with the responsibility of providing COAG with proposals to ensure sustainable water use across Australia. It is expected that there will at least one more meeting of the Climate Change and Water Working Group will be held before the Group reports to the next COAG meeting at the end of March.

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