In a week of upheaval in Australian politics, it was interesting to watch the leadership drama in Canberra from the idyllic north Queensland community of Palm Island, where the LGAQ Policy Executive met this week.

Canberra has an obligation to help support ALL local communities and at the moment that support is simply not good enough.

Discussion around the ravages of drought across half of the Queensland land mass has been front and centre in the media the last few weeks, as it should.

It is time to tackle the difficult and often thorny issue of the role of the Crime and Corruption Commission in the daily life of Queensland councils.

At its heart, the core responsibility of the LGAQ is to protect and promote the interests of its 77 members

Our latest innovation roadshow highlights technologies that help solve real problems but can also rectify problems that councils never knew existed.

Now is an incredible place to be in history, riding the next great wave of technology and interconnectedness. Action we take now as a sector will shape how our communities live in the future.

Each year we try to get that little bit better in understanding the needs and aspirations of each member council. It’s a journey and not a destination but one we are absolutely committed to pursuing.

I will simply say that it’s better to be riding the wave than standing underneath it. That’s the LGAQ approach to innovation - harness the beast and make it serve us.

Queensland and Australia’s indigenous councils really were front and centre on the big stage this week.

LGAQ CEO Greg Hallam: Being a numbers man from a long way back I’m happy to report that our member councils are $61 million better off after Tuesday’s State Budget.

I’ve said often in this column how much I value my time on the ground with our members. There’s no better way of gauging the temperature around an issue and its impact.

There have been some initial teething problems implementing the new integrity laws as councils’ race to interpret what they mean in practice.

Despite the legal and political contretemps of the last month, councils and the LGAQ have kept on keeping on - as you would expect.

Another HUGE week as I pen this column from the Western Queensland Local Government Conference in Emerald.

It started Sunday morning with the opening of the newspaper and ended on the Gold Coast with back to back summits on finance and civic leadership in local government.

Decisions. One of the most empowering characteristics of local government is the opportunity, at every council meeting, to make decisions.

I just felt the earth move. In the past 24 hours, the Queensland Government has committed to a zero waste to landfill future, and a waste to energy strategy.

Across this week and the next, the LGAQ and Peak Services will have had a dozen staff – including the President – visit nine councils in Western Queensland

Bread and butter issues this week at Local Government House with both the LGAQ Rating Masterclass and our State Government Budget submission.