Local Governments as 'Place-shapers': Exposition, Critique and Investigations in Australian Politics

Abstract

Australian local government continues to struggle to find a distinctive role in Australia's federal democracy, being conceptualised as an instrumental, rather than a political institution by both state and federal tiers of Australian government. This thesis argues that, by way of comparative analysis, place-shaping as developed by the Lyons Inquiry into local government in England points the way to a reinvigorated Australian local government sector, entailing not merely instrumental responsibilities and roles of political representation, but also ideational roles in the forms of history, locale and identity which can significantly assist in local government fulfilling it potential. This does not necessary entail that in searching out options for reform, state and federal government ought to pursue all avenues for increased leadership at the local level, nor increased devolution to the local level of political authority. On the contrary: As the analysis of the thesis suggests, there is room for caution, if not conservativism, in this regard. Further, as the thesis demonstrates, reforms to Australian local government have seen it move toward incorporating some elements of place-shaping as a mode of local government reform, as developed here. Nevertheless, it is the ideational and symbolic elements of local government which need to be encouraged if its promise is to be realised.