ALGA

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

ALGA's President, Mayor Matt Burnett, had the honour this morning of joining Northern Territory service personnel and officials in Alice Springs to mark Remembrance Day.

To all those who serve, we thank you.

#RemembranceDay2026

The final Joint Council on Closing the Gap for 2026 was held today at the National Museum of Australia, in Canberra/Ngunnawal Country. The meeting was co-chaired by the Hon. Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, Minister for Indigenous Affairs, and Ms Donnella Mills, Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks.

ALGA President Mayor Matt Burnett represented Australia’s 538 councils at the Joint Council, which brings together governments, ALGA and the Coalition of Peaks to oversee implementation of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

As a proud signatory to the National Agreement, ALGA is committed to supporting local government to understand and implement its commitments, while advocating for councils to be properly recognised, engaged and resourced to play their part.

Today’s discussions focused on progress against the four Priority Reforms, with Mayor Burnett continuing to advocate for a stronger voice for local government in decisions affecting communities, and dedicated funding and resourcing to support local delivery.

ALGA is pleased to announce its executive leadership team after this week's AGM.

We welcome Mayor Matt Burnett as returning ALGA President, and Cr Darriea Turley AM as returning Vice-President. We are also pleased to welcome Mayor Mick Tucker as incoming Vice-President.

Our thanks to outgoing Vice President Cr Stuart James, and to all Board Directors for their time and commitment to representing the interests of local government at the national level.

Online conversations can escalate quickly. Public officials knowing how to respond is more important than ever.

Increasing levels of disrespect pose an ongoing challenge for elected representatives and councils. This webinar will provide guidance and tips on facilitating respectful conversations in an online world, and share practical strategies on how to respond to online abuse.

The webinar will explore:
- Why online conversations escalate
- How people interpret information when emotions run high
- Practical approaches to managing respectful engagement in digital spaces

The webinar will include an audience Q&A, providing attendees with practical tools and insights to foster respectful online conversations while protecting their own wellbeing.

The webinar will take place 16 November.

Register now:
alga.com.au/event/webinar-…

"Reimagining in environmental health has so many parallels with what reimagining means for local government. Given the important anniversary we’re celebrating, I want to Reimagine what the EHO landscape might look like in another 90 years. For me, it’s about three things:

Number one – 90 years down the road, people, place and prevention are funded on a stable, ongoing basis as core investment in our collective wellbeing and productivity. That means being funded to thrive and serve our communities.

Number two – the people working in environmental health and local government are celebrated, and people seek careers in our sectors, because there’s wide awareness of the problems we prevent and the enrichment we deliver.

And finally, that environment, health and the local-to-national connection are deeply influential and encoded into the DNA of decision making: that our expertise and way of problem solving are called upon by decision makers to decide what the problems are, and what policies, programs and investments need to be made."

ALGA CEO Amy Crawford delivered the keynote address at the Environmental Health Australia National Conference, speaking to the Day 3 theme: Reimagine. A great opportunity to connect more deeply with environmental health professionals, and to celebrate EHA's 90th anniversary.