National Local Government Drug and Alcohol Advisory Committee
(NLGDAAC)
Chair – Ms Jude Munro
Deputy Chair – Cr Janet Cribbes
Mayor, City of Port Phillip
Secretariat – Ms Julia McLauchlan
Brisbane City Council
GPO Box 1434, Brisbane Q 4001
Telephone: 07 340 34081
Facsimile: 07 333 40046
Mobile: 0407 033 629
Email: julia.mclauchlan@brisbane.qld.gov.au
Briefing note for Cities for Safe and Healthy Communities Program
August 2008
The National Local Government Drug and Alcohol Advisory Committee (NLGDAAC) is committed to
supporting the local government sector by delivering a new national program known as the Cities for
Safe and Healthy Communities Program.
The program is supported by a consortium made up of NLGDAAC, Council of Capital City Lord Mayors
(CCCLM) and ICLEI Oceania and is designed to deliver a drug and alcohol harm minimisation program
to local governments and their communities across Australia.
The consortia are currently seeking support from the Federal government and state agencies to become
collaborators in this new initiative and aim to launch this program in 2008. It also in the process of
inviting councils to become Program Foundation Members.
Program Overview
The Cities for Safe and Healthy Communities Program:
ƒ is the first comprehensive program of action that focuses on building capacity of local governments
to understand, take action and measure the impact of these actions on alcohol and other drug
related issues locally.
ƒ provides an excellent opportunity to accelerate the objectives outlined in two key Commonwealth
strategic documents namely the ‘National Alcohol Strategy’ and the ‘National Drug Strategy:
Australia’s Integrated Framework’.
ƒ is based upon a proven methodology underway by ICLEI Oceania1 across Australia and New
Zealand (ie Cities for Climate Protection campaign).
ƒ harnesses the potential of local government to act on alcohol and other drug related local concerns
by providing a robust strategic milestone framework that enables decisions based on evidence and
an understanding the importance of data to make decisions and report against annually.
ƒ build capacity and enable local government councillors, senior managers and staff, by providing the
confidence, skills and capacity to undertake appropriate and strategic action that minimise alcohol
and drug misuse. By building the capacity for local governments to partner with national and state
based organisations, a movement of change can be created that will build a constituency of support
across local communities to advocate and achieve local action.
The Cities for Safe and Healthy Communities Program will deliver:
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
1
A capacity building model that utilises expertise of the local government sector in areas such as
public health, education, planning and enforcement, to facilitate coordinated community responses.
A program framework that caters for council variation in size, location, complexity and resources
providing flexibility to tailor their program response to achieve the required outcome.
A program management process, which reflects best practice program design, measurable impacts,
systematic approaches to recognition of effort, appropriate linkages to other relevant local
government programs and the work of other tiers of government.
A nationally consistent set of protocols and standards, with the ability to gather annual quantified
data on program results;
An evidenced based program delivery framework structured on internationally recognised programs
delivered by ICLEI Oceania.
ICLEI was founded in 1990 as the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives and is now known as
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability
1
NLGDAAC: Cities for Safe and Healthy Communities Program
Background
Each of the consortia members plays a vital role in the delivery of this proposed program. While the
CCCLM will ensure the specific issues confronted by capital cities are recognised and supported, the
NLGDAAC ensures all local governments across Australia can participate through an effective and cost
efficient capacity building program.
ICLEI Oceania have been selected as the delivery arm of the program due to their demonstrated
expertise and delivery of successful programs, supported across Australia and New Zealand by local,
state and federal government partners.
ICLEI Oceania works with cities, shires and stakeholders, who intersect with the local government
sector, by providing international performance-based, results-oriented campaigns and programs. They
are focused on identifying local governments’ role in sustainability and ensure they have the tools,
technical expertise and political will to play that role effectively. The basic premise is that locally
designed initiatives can provide an effective and cost-efficient way to achieve local, national, and global
sustainability objectives.
The Guiding Principles for the Methodology
1. Based on a culture change model that is measured by council’s ability to implement action and
create change. It enables local government to act now while building capacity through continuous
and incremental improvement as more knowledge and data is created.
2. Identify the role that local government can play in harm minimisation and then builds capacity to
support them to undertake this role effectively by providing the tools, (including measurement),
information and political will.
3. Designed to assist councils to examine their own internal or corporate operations eg where they
have direct control over the outcome, as well as improve the delivery of services to their municipality
eg where they can influence these sectors through land use planning, education and information
provision and/or the introduction of local laws in accordance with their state Local Government Acts.
4. Aim for a whole of council approach and includes methods to support elected members, CEOs and
senior managers and operational and policy officers.
5. Utilise an evidence-based methodology to measure the impact of council activities. This results in
building a business case for investment both internally to councils and with funding partners. The
provision of data, where it is sourced, maintaining its integrity and associated privacy issues are all of
high priority in the programs.
6. Focuses on cooperation within and across councils and places a high emphasis on celebrating and
recognising local government and partner achievements.
Milestone Framework
1 - Provides a photograph of the ‘problem/ issue’ by use of data. This milestone would analyze the
safety and health levels of the community, using nationally applicable local indicators.
2 - Provides a photograph of where we want to be over time. A political process that ensures whole
of council understanding and commitment to follow through on program. This milestone will set a goal to
improve safety and health levels.
3 - Provides a roadmap to achieve this goal. Ensures current policies and strategies are aligned in a
plan of action. Requires council to develop and adopt an action plan to achieve the goal.
4 - Provides an indication of how far council has travelled along the road. Implementation stage
and all actions are reported on using an agreed and consistent set of indicators, reporting protocols and
tools. Reports annually on the progress of the action plan.
5 - Provides monitoring and review of all steps. A process to test the impact and an assessment of
progress made in meeting the goal. This milestone can revise the original goals based on analysis of
data and progress reports.
2