Regional organisations of councils (ROCs) have been a part of the Australian local government landscape for over seventy years and were once a prominent feature in all states. They have evolved into a wide range of forms, but their structure generally involves several common characteristics such as a contiguous geographic base and some degree of...

This paper introduces community governance to an Australian local government audience and provides the foundation for further research on the topic. It summarises the findings of a literature review on community governance from a local government perspective and sets out the theoretical underpinnings.

This Working Paper examines the findings, recommendations and outcomes of nine major national and state inquiries into local government over the period 2001-08, and identifies eight elements of an ongoing agenda for reform and improvement.

At the Australian Council of Local Government (ACLG) meeting in November 2008, the Prime Minister announced funding support for a Centre of Excellence to showcase innovation and best practice across local government and encourage adoption of innovative practices and solutions. One of the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government (ACELG) consortium partners, the UTS...

This report examines the options available for local government to increase its capacity and provide improved services. A recurrent theme in local government reform, in Australia, New Zealand and overseas, has been the issue of municipal amalgamation and the various benefits which are assumed to flow from it. There have been many commissions and reports...