Rural and regional Victoria - a challenge for the State Government: local governments working together with their communities to ensure adequate resourcing and equity of service delivery

Prepared for the Victorian Local Governance Association (VLGA), this discussion document is a review of some critical issues facing local governments in rural and regional areas, and is the result of wide-ranging consultation. The purpose of the document is to create a greater awareness of: the requirements and expectations of rural and regional communities; the differences between the requirements and expectations of rural and regional communities; the degree of inter-relationship and inter-dependence between rural and regional communities; the opportunities to address and redress the problems facing rural and regional communities through appropriate empowerment and resourcing of local governments. It is highlighted that the basis for viable local governments in rural and regional Victoria requires increased community participation in a level of democratic governance that must be adequately resourced to ensure equalisation of service delivery.