The following documents will answer some of the questions that people often ask about partnership agreements. The list of questions is broken into three categories:
General questions about the partnership agreements process
- Where can I find copies of signed partnership agreements?
- Where can I find out how a partnership agreement is progressing?
- What are the benefits of partnership agreements?
- How are partnership agreements developed?
- How long does it take to develop a partnership agreement?
Questions about the development of agreements
- How much work is involved in developing and implementing a partnership agreement?
- Who should I talk to in the State Government/council about an issue?
- What happens if the council and State Government can't agree on a matter?
- Can third parties be involved in partnership agreements?
- How are partnership agreements funded?
- What does it mean if I'm a co-convener?
- I've just found out that I'm on a working group. What am I supposed to do?
- I am responsible for a partnership agreement schedule that I didn't negotiate. How is this possible?
- What is the difference between an evaluation and a review?
- How do I change the timeframes or wording of a schedule?
- What is an implementation matrix?
Issues for Partnership Agreements
- How do I raise an issue for a partnership agreement?
- Can a state agency raise an issue for another agency in a partnership agreement?
- Can issues be refused for inclusion in partnership agreements?
- Can a partnership agreement issue include a number of agencies?
- Can a partnership agreement issue include a number of councils?
Haven't found the answer to your question? Email the Local Government Division: lgd@dpac.tas.gov.au
General
Where can I find copies of signed partnership agreements?
All signed partnership agreements are available on the this website.
If you need a Word version of a partnership agreement, please contact the Local Government Division.
Where can I find out how a partnership agreement is progressing?
This website contains brief updates on the status of partnership agreements.
What are the benefits of partnership agreements?
There are many benefits of partnership agreements. The State Government and council develop better working relationships, which means that they are better able to deliver programs that are of benefit to the community.
Some examples of the positive results that have been delivered through partnership agreements:
- As part of the second agreement between the State Government and Launceston City Council, agreement was reached on a package of measures that formed a broad-based solution to the risk of flooding in the Invermay area.
- Major work began in March 2007 on the Trail of the Tin Dragon project, as part of the agreement with the Dorset Council. This initiative celebrates the history of tin mining and the presence of up to 1,000 Chinese prospectors in the North East in the late 19th century.
- The partnership agreement with Brighton Council formed the Brighton Better Services Tasmania project. Through the project, the Council and State Government agencies investigated how to improve the coordination and efficiency of government and community investment in the Brighton municipal area.
- Following successful cooperation between the Circular Head Council and the Department of Health and Human Services, construction work began on a 60-bed residential aged care hostel in Smithton, adjacent to the Senior Citizens Centre. The hostel has been designed so that it can extend to 80-plus beds in future years, allowing for the anticipated growth in Circular Head's elderly population.
- Through the partnership agreement with the Central Coast Council, agreement was reached to progress the redevelopment of the Ulverstone wharf buildings and associated land.
How are partnership agreements developed?
Broadly, the process for developing a regional or bilateral agreement is:
- the council accepts an invitation from the Premier to negotiate the development of a partnership agreement
- the parties identify issues for negotiation
- working groups are formed to develop schedules and actions from the issues
- the agreement is approved, signed by the Premier and Mayor and the actions contained within the Agreement are implemented.
How long does it take to develop a partnership agreement?
The average time to develop a partnership agreement is eight months from signing the protocol arrangement (the document that sets out how the parties will negotiate) to signing the partnership agreement itself. The Hobart Capital City Partnership Agreement was developed in under three months. Others may take longer than eight months. The negotiation phase, where working groups meet to decide on the wording of the schedules, usually takes two to three months.
Once a partnership agreement is signed, it usually lasts for three years before a new agreement is developed and signed.
Development
How much work is involved in developing and implementing a partnership agreement?
The amount of work required to develop and implement a partnership agreement will depend on how many issues an agency or council has and the requirements.
There is a period of major activity during the negotiation phase. This phase lasts for about two to three months and may comprise one or two meetings to discuss the issue/s, then drafting of the schedule/s. A schedule can be written in 10 minutes if the issue is clear-cut. If an issue is contentious, a series of phone calls, emails or face-to-face meetings may be needed thus extending the timeframe.
The time between the working group drafting the schedule and the agreement being signed by the Premier and Mayor is used to get both Cabinet and Council approval for the agreement. It may take a few months.
Once the agreement is signed, the parties are expected to implement the schedules in accordance with the timeframes outlined in the partnership agreement. The extent of resourcing required under a signed partnership agreement depends on what the parties agree to do in the schedules. If, for example, the parties have agreed to develop a strategic plan within six months of signing, the council and relevant agency will then have to apply the necessary resources to develop the plan within six months.
Who should I talk to in the State Government/council about an issue?
In the early stages of a partnership agreement's development, you can contact the Local Government Division on 6232 7022 to find out who to talk to in the council or State Government.
At the time of the first peak group meeting, working groups are formed. The Local Government Division circulates a list of the State Government and council working group members and their contact details. You should use this list to find the relevant contact person.
What happens if the council and State Government can't agree on a matter?
An issue is included in a partnership agreement only if both the State Government and council agree to its inclusion. Sometimes, the council and State Government will be diametrically opposed on an issue and other times agreement can be reached through negotiation and the provision of additional information.
Where agreement about the inclusion of an issue cannot be reached, sometimes the parties will be happy to drop the issue from the partnership agreement.
If the council and State Government cannot agree to drop the issue, the Local Government Division will usually meet with the relevant State Government members to discuss a compromise position. The Local Government Division may then convene a meeting between the council and State Government to further discuss the issue.
The Government representative overseeing the partnership agreement, on behalf of the Premier, is not usually called in to mediate these sorts of discussions. Issues should be addressed at officer level.
See also "Can issues be refused for inclusion in a partnership agreement?''
Can third parties be involved in partnership agreements?
Yes, they can be involved in implementing the actions but they can't be parties to the agreement (this means that they can't sign up to the agreement and they can't be required to do something under the agreement). Third parties may include other councils, government business enterprises or community groups. A third party cannot be the action officer (primary reporting person) for an agreement except by permission of the Local Government Division.
How are partnership agreements funded?
There is no separate line of funding for partnership agreements. The options are: the State Government and council allocate funding from their respective budgets; the State Government or council seeks new budget funding for the schedule or the parties seek funding from a third party.
What does it mean if I'm a co-convener?
Once the partnership agreement reaches the negotiation phase, two co-conveners are nominated for each working group to oversee the development of the issues into schedules. One co-convenor is nominated from the State Government and one from the council.
If you are a co-convenor, you will be expected to work with the other co-convener to arrange State Government and council meetings for your working group; ensure that all schedules are written on time and report back to the Local Government Division on progress (for State Government co-convenors only). If you need clarification on the role of a co-convener, please contact the Local Government Division on 6232 7022.
I've just found out that I'm on a working group. What am I supposed to do?
You will be required to attend a working group meeting for the development of a schedule or schedules for the agreement. The meeting is usually held in the council's municipal area. At the meeting, your working group should decide who will be responsible for writing and submitting each schedule. You may be involved in writing or approving schedules, and you may have to attend more meetings to reach a resolution on your particular issue(s). If you are in any doubt as to what is happening, contact your co-convener, or the Local Government Division on 6232 7022.
I am responsible for a partnership agreement schedule that I didn't negotiate. How is this possible?
In an ideal world, the person who negotiates a partnership agreement schedule would be the person who then implements it. Unfortunately, sometimes a staff member moves on and somebody else is left to implement a schedule he or she did not write. If this happens, you should read through the schedule and any background information to get an idea of what you are supposed to do. You might like to contact your State Government/council counterparts to discuss the issue with them. If you don't know who the responsible Government/council officer is or you need information about the partnership agreement process, please call the Local Government Division on 6232 7022. An agency cannot negotiate a schedule for another agency.
What is the difference between an evaluation and a review?
An evaluation occurs during the life of the partnership agreement and is intended to make running repairs to ensure the agreement is working well. A review takes place once the partnership agreement has expired. In a review, the completed schedules are removed, new issues are gathered and a brand new partnership agreement is developed and signed.
How do I change the timeframes or wording of a schedule?
You can only change the timeframes or wording of a schedule by agreement of the peak group. The peak group meets once at the first evaluation, and may not meet again until the partnership agreement expires and is reviewed. The council and agency can agree to informally alter timeframes or wording. Any such agreement should be noted on the implementation matrix (in the progress towards milestones column) in your next report. Changes cannot be approved and made on the implementation matrix until the peak group has approved them.
What is an implementation matrix?
A document called an implementation matrix is used to monitor the progress of each partnership agreement. Each schedule in the partnership agreement becomes a table in the implementation matrix. The matrix includes the action, responsible agency and action officer, timeframes, Tasmania Together benchmarks and a space for action officers to write their latest updates.
Issues for partnership agreements
How do I raise an issue for a partnership agreement?
State Government: At the start of a partnership agreement's development, the Premier writes to all Ministers requesting issues for inclusion. Any officer can raise an issue and send it through the appropriate channels to his/her Minister for inclusion.
Council: The council determines a list of issues separately to the State Government and the two lists are merged.
Community: If a community member wants to raise an issue for discussion in a partnership agreement, the issue should be raised with the council for consideration.
Can a State agency raise an issue for another agency in a Partnership Agreement?
No! You can only raise issues for your own agency to address. You can speak to someone in that agency and see if they want to address the issue. If you don't know who to speak to, try the implementation officer for that agency, or contact the Local Government Division on 6232 7022.
Can issues be refused for inclusion in partnership agreements?
Yes, but only in certain circumstances. If, for example, a council has requested that the State Government provides resources that the State simply hasn't got, the State Government may say no. Usually, the agency or council refusing the issue would be required to discuss the matter with the other party to see if a compromise position can be reached.
It is rare for a State agency to refuse an issue for the agreement and it is seen as a significant inhibitor of the partnership agreement relationship. It is always preferable that the parties try to adopt a compromise position if possible.
Can a partnership agreement issue include a number of agencies?
Yes. One of the aims of partnership agreements is to get State Government agencies to work together, in addition to working with councils. If an issue cuts across another agency's jurisdiction, that agency should be involved in the negotiation of the schedule. An agency cannot negotiate a schedule for another agency.
If you think another agency should be involved, but you don't know who to contact, please contact the Local Government Division on 6232 7022.
Can a partnership agreement issue include a number of councils?
Yes, although a council cannot be a party to another council's bilateral partnership agreement, it can only be a stakeholder. If all councils involved have bilateral partnership agreements, the issue can be included in each agreement. You may like to have a separate agreement or memorandum of understanding between all of the councils involved.
Further information:
