Sustainable communities: the important role of local government in building social capital

Local government in Australia ought to be aware of specific community needs and goals, and be willing to initiate and facilitate practices that will encourage cooperation and interaction within communities and between communities, service providers and all levels of government. Social capital theory is discussed as a technique that can be adopted by local government to engage people within communities. The paper emphasises the importance of trust and the strong correlation with community involvement and reciprocal behaviour, and the importance of tailoring strategies to each individual community.