Abstract

For decades, sustainability and, especially, long-term financial sustainability and transformation, primarily through structural and other modes of reform, have constituted major concerns and problems for the ‘grass roots’ Australian government. Usually the catalyst for change in these areas has emanated from state and territory jurisdictions which have imposed reforms, often with little regard for local councils or the communities they serve.
 Since August 2011, in New South Wales, a structured process of dialogue and consultation has been ongoing in the local government sector with the objective of implementing beneficial reform. The paper briefly explains this transformation initiative and particularly the NSW Government Fit for the Future (F4F) process and the current 35 council merger proposals.
 The process is considered from the perspective of a long-term local government practitioner, elected representative, Mayor, and former member of the NSW Local Government Acts Taskforce (LGAT).

Highlights

  • Local government transformation in Australia is not new

  • The most important recommendations were to: establish an integrated fiscal responsibility program to address the Treasury Corporation (TCorp) findings referred to in section three; place local government audits under control of the New South Wales (NSW) Auditor General; replace rate-pegging with a system of rate benchmarking or by removing complexity, costs and constraints to sound financial management; establish a borrowing facility to encourage increased use of debt where appropriate; adopt a uniform core set of performance indicators for councils linked to integrated planning and reporting (IP&R) requirements; provide additional options for structures such as joint regional organisations, rural councils and community boards; and encourage voluntary council mergers

  • Opposition to mergers, by councils, and community fear of change and loss of local democracy has been prevalent in NSW for a long time

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Summary

International Journal of Rural Law and Policy

Australian local government sustainability and transformation: Structural reform and the fit for the future (F4F) reform initiative in New South Wales ― forced council mergers

PAGE NUMBER NOT FOR CITATION PURPOSES
Introduction
Current NSW local government transformation process
Integrated planning and reporting in NSW local government
NSW IPART and its findings
NSW Government council merger proposals
Findings
Conclusion
Full Text
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