Regional development and local Government: Three generations of federal intervention

摘要: Contemporary Australian local government faces several daunting problems, not least escalating financial un-sustainability and infrastructure depletion. The main response of the various state territory governments has taken form a series structural reform programs, with strong emphasis on forced amalgamation. However, widespread dissatisfaction consequences these compulsory consolidation programs led to search for alternative policy solutions based largely shared services types regional co-operation between councils. This paper seeks place proposed 'regional' contemporary problems in historical perspective by providing comparative account three distinct federal initiatives 'region-directed' post-world Two era: 'nation-building' 1940s; 'paternalism' 1970s; 'self-sufficiency' 1990s. We argue that, withstanding complex relationship circumstances changing state-federal relations, important lessons current making can be learnt from critical assessment episodes intervention at level.