Local Government Service Delivery to Remote Indigenous Communities

This report presents the findings of the first phase of an investigation into models for the funding and delivery of local government services in remote Indigenous communities in Australia.

A set of guiding principles critical to the design of any model for funding and delivering local government services to remote Indigenous communities was formulated from a synthesis of the case study learnings and literature review. The principles highlight the importance of: benchmarking service delivery against mainstream standards; balancing the costs and benefits of regionalised and community-based delivery models; avoiding undermining Indigenous community governance; innovating to achieve better place-based coordination of the many stakeholders; meeting the challenges of sustainable resourcing; and enhancing local employment and economic development outcomes for Indigenous communities.

These research findings provide an evidence base that can benefit practitioners, policymakers and researchers alike. The information and analysis will not only inform jurisdictions involved in the process of transitioning the responsibility for municipal service delivery in remote Indigenous communities from the Commonwealth to local governments, but also provides helpful insights for those jurisdictions focussing on improving local government service delivery in remote Indigenous communities.