The research aims to better understand how and why the activities of local governments, and their roles in society are valued by communities. Executive summary The research investigates: 1. local government’s role as a ‘place shaper’ and its importance in meeting the needs of citizens...

Executive summary On 28 June 2014 the Office of the Prime Minister announced the ‘White Paper on the Reform of the Federation’. The White Paper was initially devised in the Office of Prime Minister and Cabinet following the swearing in of the Abbott Government on...

The Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government (ACELG) at UTS has published a background paper about understanding and promoting public value creation within Australian local government. The paper provides a definition of public value and public value creation from key literature, and links this...

ACELG has produced a Background Paper in response to the Abbott Government's White Paper on Reform of the Federation. The paper traces key themes of local government's place in the Federation historically as well as examining the role for subsidiarity in shaping the ensuing reforms.

A series of national and state public inquiries into the financial sustainability of local government have demonstrated that all Australian local government jurisdictions face a daunting local infrastructure maintenance and renewal backlog. Various solutions to the problem have been advanced in the literature, including the...