South Australia's Strategic Plan
Two key targets for the Office for State/Local Government Relations in South Australia's Strategic Plan are:
- Target 5.5 - Increase voter participation in Local Government elections in South Australia to 50% within 10 years; and
- Target 5.7 - Align State and Local Government Strategic Plans within 12 months of the release of South Australia's Strategic Plan and agree joint initiatives.
Significant work has been undertaken by the Office for State/Local Government Relations in conjunction with the Local Government Association (LGA) to progress these targets.
On Target 5.5, the State Government, through the Office for State/Local Government Relations, and the Local Government Association have cooperated in the development of strategies designed to improve voter turnout, and to encourage the nomination of candidates, in the November 2006 Local Government elections
On Target 5.7, in October 2004 the Minister's Local Government Forum sponsored a State-Local Government workshop on South Australia's Strategic Plan to further the alignment of strategic planning between the two spheres. This has given rise to several areas of activity, including a project undertaken by the LGA, called Making the Connections. The Minister's Local Government Forum receives regular progress reports.
South Australia's Strategic Plan - Objective 5 'Building Communities' Consultation Forum
On 25 May 2006 the Office for State/Local Government Relations, in conjunction with a number of State agencies, coordinated a consultation forum on Objective Five of South Australia's Strategic Plan, 'Building Communities'. Over 130 participants, representing a range of community organisations, attended to discuss and provide comments on both the overall issue of building communities and how it may be best expressed in the next edition of the Plan.
The participants discussed specific issues currently contained within this objective: women in leadership, participation in civic life and democratic processes, State and Local Government strategic planning and regional issues. A summary of the day is available below, along with a complete record of all discussion. Dr Elspeth McInnes, Lecturer in Sociology at the University of South Australia, provided the keynote address for the day. A copy of Dr McInnes' speech is also available here.