In this study, customers/consumers, representatives of public sector provider organisations, and elected policy makers conveyed their perceptions of factors influencing essential functions and services delivery in selected Western Australian rural communities. The research was exploratory in approach and used a constructivist ontology, interpretive epistemology and a qualitative methodology. A definition of community effectiveness was developed from the findings. Two models of community relationships were presented, depicting the engagement that occurs between providers, customers/consumers and key stakeholders in the delivery of essential functions and services.