Local Democracy and Structural Reform in Australian Local Government

Abstract

Since the early 1990s, as a consequence of almost invariably forced amalgamations of local government in all Australian state and territory jurisdictions, there has been a substantial reduction in the number of elected representatives. Fewer councillors now serve typically substantially enlarged local government areas and populations, which has created the capacity for adverse impacts on local democracy and democratic practice. This paper considers conceptual perspectives on local democracy; outlines representative, participatory, deliberative, direct and electronic democracy as modes of local democracy; addresses local government amalgamation and its effects on local democracy; and suggests options for retention and augmentation of local democratic practice.