Local Government in Australia: Constitutionally Subordinate, but Vibrant and Fundamental

Aroney, N; Grant, B

Local Government in Australia: Constitutionally Subordinate, but Vibrant and Fundamental

Aroney, N Grant, B

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Publisher:: Springer Nature
Publication Type:: Chapter
Citation:: Ius Gentium, 2023, 108, pp. 101-137
Issue Date:: 2023-01-01

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	Aroney Grant in Nicolini et al. Eds (2023). Local governance in multi-layered systems.pdf	Published version	8.14 MB	Adobe PDF	View/Open

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Aroney, N
dc.contributor.author	Grant, B https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8055-6046
dc.date.accessioned	2024-02-21T03:12:37Z
dc.date.available	2024-02-21T03:12:37Z
dc.date.issued	2023-01-01
dc.identifier.citation	Ius Gentium, 2023, 108, pp. 101-137
dc.identifier.isbn	9783031417917
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/175791
dc.description.abstract	Local government in Australia is a creature of the constituent states of the federation. Attempts by the federal government to recognise local government within the federal constitution or to set up alternative regional systems of governance have proved mostly ineffectual. The states have been able to amalgamate many local governments over time, rarely seeking the broad approval of local populations before doing so. Nonetheless, local government is a vibrant and important component of the system as a whole. Local governments provide many essential government services, engage in substantial intermunicipal cooperation and are generally fiscally self-reliant. If local government is to be further constitutionally recognised in Australia, it would be most consistent with Australian traditions for its status and powers to be entrenched within the state constitutions by popular ratification of those constitutions, rather than recognised at a federal level. Combined with systemic reforms at a state level, this could be a step towards strengthening the democratic foundations of the country as a whole.
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Springer Nature
dc.relation.ispartof	Ius Gentium
dc.relation.ispartofseries	Ius Gentium: Comparative Perspectives on Law and Justice
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1007/978-3-031-41792-4_6
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
dc.title	Local Government in Australia: Constitutionally Subordinate, but Vibrant and Fundamental
dc.type	Chapter
utslib.citation.volume	108
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building/School of Built Environment
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Strength - IPPG - Institute for Public Policy and Governance
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access	*
dc.date.updated	2024-02-21T03:12:36Z
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	108

Abstract:

Local government in Australia is a creature of the constituent states of the federation. Attempts by the federal government to recognise local government within the federal constitution or to set up alternative regional systems of governance have proved mostly ineffectual. The states have been able to amalgamate many local governments over time, rarely seeking the broad approval of local populations before doing so. Nonetheless, local government is a vibrant and important component of the system as a whole. Local governments provide many essential government services, engage in substantial intermunicipal cooperation and are generally fiscally self-reliant. If local government is to be further constitutionally recognised in Australia, it would be most consistent with Australian traditions for its status and powers to be entrenched within the state constitutions by popular ratification of those constitutions, rather than recognised at a federal level. Combined with systemic reforms at a state level, this could be a step towards strengthening the democratic foundations of the country as a whole.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/175791