The Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories, the Honourable Nola Marino MP, has extended the declared State of Emergency for the Jervis Bay Territory (JBT) for a 30-day period from 29 September 2020, as part of the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

By doing this, the JBT community will continue to be protected and supported during this time, with the health and wellbeing of the community the first priority.

As at 29 September 2020, there were no known cases of COVID-19 in the JBT.

Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories Nola Marino has extended the declared State of Emergency for the Jervis Bay Territory (JBT) for a 30-day period from today, as part of the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

By doing this, the JBT community will continue to be protected and supported during this time, with the health and wellbeing of the community the first priority.

As at 14 May 2020, there were no known cases of COVID-19 in the JBT.

Requirement to Display Temporary Licence

The Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development has received reports that some temporary licence operators may not be correctly displaying their licences on board ships engaged in coastal trading.

The Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development has released the Terms of Reference for an independent review of the Regional Development Australia (RDA) programme.

The Hon Warwick L Smith AM will conduct the review.

Mr Smith will examine the RDA programme framework, as well as governance and administration of the programme to make recommendations regarding its future scope, structure and delivery model.

The Australian Government provides regular updates to the community on the development and progress of programs and services for Norfolk Island.

The Australian Government values the contribution and engagement from everyone on Norfolk Island, including teaching staff and the parents and community members, who support the school on a daily basis. Securing a way forward with a new service delivery partner is one of the Australian Government's highest priorities.

The independent audit of the Norfolk Island Regional Council (NIRC) continues to progress, with finalisation anticipated in early November.

The general manager of NIRC has briefed the elected councillors on the progress of the audit and the reasons for the work taking longer than originally anticipated.

This includes the high volume of submissions from the Norfolk Island community which the auditors have received and are considering as part of the process.

Thank you Adrian for the opportunity to address the IPA today.

I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet today and pay my respects to elders past, present and future.

I would like to talk to you about three things today.

First, a review of the Federal Government’s Budget announcements and outline some of the policy rationale behind them.

Mackay Regional Council in Queensland has won the 2016 National Award for Excellence in Local Government for its work in improving the management of community water resources.

The Council's project—Transforming a Water Business—was selected for the premier award of the National Awards for Local Government from a pool of 10 different category winners previously announced in April 2016.