Governance

A wide range of housing and housing related programs in remote Indigenous communities has been developed, and the provision of adequate remote Indigenous housing has long been needed. There is a move from an external program-driven approach for housing to a focus on sustainable local and regional systems of governance in Indigenous ....

The NSW Standing Committee on Public Works undertook this inquiry to investigate why councils were not making greater use of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). While PPPs are by no means the complete answer to all of local government’s infrastructure funding problems, they do present one way that councils can either upgrade existing infrastruc ....

This report summarises the findings of a review of selected aspects of the 2010 and 2011 regional plans of the 55 Regional Development Australia (RDA) committees. The Indian Ocean territories of Christmas Island and Cocos Keeling Island are also included in the summary, because although they are not part of an RDA, they are aligned with RDA Midwe ....

Since Federation, Australia has rarely experienced such a dynamic state of change in the structures and methods of government as is occurring in the first decade of the 21st century. Over the last 10 years, the federal government has made strategic extensions into areas of local and regional decision-making that would previously ha ....

Numerous state-based and national public inquiries across Australia have demonstrated conclusively that local councils face almost insurmountable problems in coping with the problem of financing a massive backlog in local infrastructure maintenance and renewal. Various solutions have been advanced to tackle the problem, including t ....

This article examines how federal policy might shift to align with the new global economy. Three steps are essential in framing those shifts. 1. Federal programs are highly fragmented today, programs largely assume that all regions grow the same way, and that federal spending is focused heavily on physical infrastructure for an industrial econo ....

Northern Australia remains the topic of fierce debate and renewed policy interest. While discussion often centres on the prospects for particular industries or projects, it is essential that the national debate and resulting policy frameworks take into account the diversity of situation and opportunity in the north. To identify the imperatives f ....

Nine Western Australian rural health services, comprising traditional 8-bed hospitals, Integrated Health Services and Multi-Purpose Services were examined to compare the different service outputs and their costs and to identify the strengths and opportunities for each model. The comparison of costed service outputs shows significant variation acr ....

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 rura ....

This report deals with priorities for research into rural communities and rural social issues. The report is based on an extensive literature review, together with information derived from a survey of policy-making agencies and researchers, as well as discussion at a national workshop held in Canberra on 19 May 1999. Issues reviewe ....

This report is part of the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) response to an MAV State Council motion requesting the MAV to lobby the State Government to prepare a Rural 2030 strategy, and a request by the Rural Councils Network for the MAV to take up the financial sustainability issues of small rural councils with other tiers of Government. ....

An underlying principle of current Australian Government health strategy is to achieve a health sector workforce that is distributed to achieve equitable health care and outcomes for all Australians, regardless of location. Report LocationClick here to view the full publication ....

This paper critically evaluates the related concepts of the 'deserving community' and 'self-help' forms of governance that have underpinned the economic development initiatives of the Dorset local government area, North East Tasmania. Following the announced closure of a major food processing factory, this region implemented a regi ....

Integrating people's values and perceptions into planning is essential for the successful management of natural resources. However, successful implementation of natural resources management decisions on the ground is a complex task, which requires a comprehensive understanding of a system's social and ecological linkages.   This paper inve ....