In advance of the 2005-2006 budget, the Victorian State Government released its $788 million social policy statement: A Fairer Victoria. This document details a five to ten year plan, addressing disadvantage in Victoria through five targeted elements. The fifth of these elements is a commitment to: “making it easier to work with government”. Within this commitment are two strategies for implementing change: “Changing the way we work with communities”; and “Developing better ways of working together at a regional and local level” (State Government, Victoria, 2005).

Underpinning these strategies are a series of promises for changes in the way government services are delivered, based on a move towards partnerships between government and other bodies, devolving decision making to regional and local level organisations, and a commitment to building effective communities which are better able to help themselves.

This paper considers the trend towards governments working in partnership with non-government agencies and the focus on strengthening communities to tackle their own problems is emerging alongside recent policy moves towards developing social capital as a means for enabling communities to function more efficiently and effectively.