With the federal election campaign all but done and dusted, local government in Queensland has a much better idea about where the major parties stand on our policy proposals.

The 2019 Asia Pacific Cities Summit (2019APCS) and Mayors’ Forum returns to Brisbane from 7-10 July.

A matter of days out from the federal election it is pleasing to see issues that really matter to local communities are finding their way into the campaign narrative.

The Labor Party has pledged to spend $1.5 billion on providing housing in remote indigenous communities if it wins the 18 May election.

The cynical deal making and distraction that is a feature of the system of compulsory preferential voting is writ large in the current federal election campaign.

Missing from the raft of promises by both sides of politics is an acknowledgment that the simple provision of proper shelter has a powerful impact on the physical and mental health of everyone, including indigenous communities.

Time for Bill Shorten, Scott Morrison and the parties they lead to take note of local government’s role in battling climate change.

There's always a lot of rhetoric in election campaigns; "most important in decades" is a favourite, that said there is value in rating the policy performance of parties against present day challenges.

The newly minted sign held up this morning on Waterworks Rd, Ashgrove by a volunteer for the LNP candidate’s campaign for the seat of Ryan said: Will fix local roads.

Every now and then, the media hits upon something that moves people outside of the daily political narrative. The pundits call these “sleeper” issues. The Great Barrier Reef is a sleeper issue in this campaign.

The two major parties are going at each other hammer and tongs about encouraging such a big increase in electric vehicles in such a short time, neither is keen to get involved in what it means for the future of road funding in Australia.

One of Australia's most respected public agencies has made it clear what needs to happen to make communities more resilient in the face of disasters. But it hasn't happened yet.