President’s column – 21 May 2021

Your ALGA
has a new chief executive officer, Matt Pinnegar – who takes up his new role when
the National General Assembly of Local Government gets underway next month.

Many of you probably already know Matt, who is the current CEO of the Local Government Association of South Australia (LGASA).

Matt has seen the LGASA
through a period of growth and change, delivering tangible results for councils
and South Australian communities.

Among his many achievements,
Matt has:

• Helped
  secure millions of dollars in new grant funding for local government through
  programs such as the State Local Government Infrastructure Partnership and
  Local Government Infrastructure Partnership Program;
• Established
  the Local Government Functional Support Group, supporting closer integration
  between councils and state agencies during emergencies;
• Supported
  councils through planning reform, and the implementation of the state-wide
  Planning and Design Code; and
• Overseen
  an award-winning 2018 council election campaign that resulted in a record
  number of women nominating and being elected.

Before becoming
LGASA’s chief executive in September 2015, Matt served as an external affairs
manager in South Australia for BP’s Great Australian Bight Exploration Program.

With a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Adelaide,
Matt has worked as a political adviser
in South Australia, including serving as chief of staff to two state government
ministers.

I cannot think of
anyone better qualified than Matt to lead ALGA as it embarks on its own period
of growth and change. Please join me in congratulating him on his new role.

I know too that you will join with me in applauding the great contributions of Adrian Beresford-Wylie in advancing the interests of Local Government in the national capital.

Adrian’s 15 years as CEO of ALGA have been distinguished by acute intelligence, a vast depth of knowledge on the workings of Commonwealth government, and superb diplomatic skills.

He has helped
deliver many wins for Australia’s 537 councils, and we wish him well in his
future endeavours.

A big shout-out
to all the councils that have participated in National Road Safety Week 2021.

Many organisations
are active in road safety and efforts to reduce the national road death and
injury toll; few of them, arguably, are more effective than local government.

Councils have long been valued partners of state and federal
governments in rolling out programs
such Roads to Recovery, Driver Reviver, Road Safety Black Spot, Bridges Renewal,
and the $3 billion Road Safety program.

Many have undertaken innovative programs of their own, such as the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council with its data-led approach to improving driver behaviour.

With their state and territory associations’ leadership and support, councils are also busy installing active transport options that encourage walking and cycling whilst protecting vulnerable road-users.

Local government’s preparedness to work to ensure that road users can complete their journeys comfortably and safely is truly inspiring.

Linda Scott,
ALGA President