Tomorrow more than 400 mayors and shire presidents from across Australia will gather in Parliament House for the inaugural meeting of the Australian Council of Local Government (ACLG).

Joining the mayors and shire presidents will be Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and members of his Ministry as well as state and territory local government and planning ministers and representatives from major stakeholder organisations.

This historic one day meeting will forge a new and stronger partnership between the national government and councils and shires, with the aim of giving local communities a greater voice in the future of their country.

Participants will hear from the Prime Minister and other speakers in plenary sessions and take part in forums on the following issues:

• the relationship between local and federal governments, including constitutional recognition for local government;


• investing in local, regional and national infrastructure;


• making our major cities more liveable, productive and sustainable;


• working towards more efficient and financially sustainable local government;


• strengthening regional economies, including broadband and communications;


• adapting to our changing local environments;


• improving housing affordability, including more effective planning and development processes;


• facilitating social inclusion in our communities;


• improving wellbeing in our communities; and


• ‘Closing the Gap’: Indigenous leadership, training and employment.

The forum sessions will be chaired by Australian Government Ministers, with invited speakers delivering short presentations to stimulate discussion.

The outcomes of the discussions will be summarised at the closing plenary and inform the future work of the ACLG.

The opening and closing plenary sessions will be webcast live at: www.aclg.gov.au.