' CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY EMBARGO 5.30PM
PRIME MINISTER
SPEECH BY THE' PR'IME MINISTER
NATIONAL SEMINAR OF THE INSTITUTE OF MUNICIPAL M'ANAGEMENT
CANBERRA 9-MAY 1984
It gives me considerable pleasure to be with you on this
occasion the 8th Biennial National Local Government
Seminar conducted by the Institute. of Municipal Management.
The Government has a strong commitment to raising the status
and strengthening the capacity of Local Government. Our aim
is a genuine partnership of the Commonwealth, States and
Local Government.
In this we see the Institute of Municipal Management as
having a most. important role to play. Established nearly
fifty years ago the Institute is committed to improving the
quality of performance of those serving Local Government
throughout Australia.
With very good reason the Institute takes pride in its
achievements. It has contributed significantly to Local
Government's ability to deal effectively with the
increasingly complex tasks our communities now expect our
Councils to perform.
My Government established the first Ministry for Local
Government last year and appointed one of its most
experienced Ministers to lead it. That represented an
historic step forward for Local Government.
With the States we aim to secure recognition for Local
Government as an essential part of the Australian federal
system. During the past year, this Government has embarked on a
number of programs aimed at understanding better the needs
of Local Government, and at securing better co-ordination of
Commonwealth activities of interest to Local Government.
As Tom Uren, has said
" We aim to strengthen the capacity of Local
Government to deal efficiently and equitably with
the concerns of people where they live; and we are
seeking to do that in ways which achieve a
sustainable shift in the status and functioning of
Local Government".
Local Government is at once a significant employer, provider
of facilities, services and infrastructure, and consumer of
goods and services. Our Local Government network is a
significant element of the social fabric of our nation, and
serves as a major catalyst in developing community resources
and capacities.
For these reasons, as the Institute itself has no. ted:
" It is more essential than ever that Local
Government administration should be broad in its
outlook, knowledgeable in application, effective,
efficient and economical in performance, and of
high integrity at all times"
It is for Local Governments to demonstrate these qualities.
To the extent they do, we can be confident that the skills
and resources of our local communities will be brought into
full play. It is with this objective in mind that the
Federal Government will be working for a durable
strengthening of Local Government capacity.
We want Local Government as a genuine partner in our three
sphere system of government, co-operating in a broad range
of functions to build a vigorous Australian community and
economy from the grass roots up.
This will be a quite radical change from the past. But over
the last 12 months we have made some important beginnings in
securing this shift in inter-governmental relations.
The representation of the Australian Council of Local
Government Associations at the National Economic Summit
Conference, and the membership of that Association on the
Economic Planning Advisory Council, have recognised the
contribution Local Government can make to the national
economic policy consultative and advisory process.
The voice of Local Government is now being heard. It is now
recognised that Local Government has a contribution to make
to the development of national policies. We seek we need
its co-operation in the great tasks of community
development and economic reconstruction.
Local Government's closeness to community groups and small
enterprises make it well placed to support and understand
them, and to draw them into the broader processes.
Another major step has been the formation of a sub-committee
of the Australian Constitutional Convention to work on a
co-operative approach to the constitutional recognition of
Local Government. This provides a valuable opportunity for'
a reappraisal of the place of Local Government in the'
Australian governmental system.
In relation to this matter, Mr Uren has commented more
specifically: " We need" he has said, " to break beyond the narrow
legacy of a restricted concept of Local 4
Government's role in Australia and look to the
broad range of functions administered elsewhere,
with due regard to the national and state
responsibilities in the Australian federal system".
The establishing of a National Inquiry into Local Government
Tax Sharing Arrangements is another important initiative.
It provides a unique opportunity for an historic reappraisal
of Local Government functions and resources.
This Inquiry should lay the foundations for a more stable,
efficient and equitable system of resourcing Local
Government's expanding functions. The proposed terms of
reference of the Inquiry reflect this objective. As
suggested by the Commonwealth, the Inquiry would review the
Local Government tax sharing arrangements and report on any
changes required to improve the operation of the Local
Government ( Personal Income Tax Sharing) Act 1976, with
reference to:
The respective roles of the Commonwealth and the States
in regard to Local Government;
The purpose and functions of Local Government revenue
sharing; and
The level and form of funding for Local Government
available from Commonwealth, State and Local Government
sources and the principles which should determine the
level and allocation of the Local Government revenue
sharing funds between and within states.
Given the importance of this Inquiry, I should hope we shall
soon have the concurrence of all States in these proposed
terms of reference. I am pleased that most States have
already signalled their support.
Another useful input to consideration of the future role of
Local Government in Australia will be the report of the
Advisory Council on Inter-Government Relations on Local
Government's Responsibilities and Resources.
This Report, taken together with the work of the
Sub-Committee of the Australian Constitutional Convention
and of the National Inquiry into Local Government Tax
Sharing Arrangements, will provide the best basis there has
ever been for a vigorous, well informed community discussion
about the problems and possibilities of Local Government.
Out of such discussion I should expect to see emerge
constructive proposals for future reform in the character,
role and responsibility of Local Government in Australia.
For all those interested in good Government in ' Australia,
the prospect is an exciting one.
There are, however, steps we can take immediately to help
Local Government to extend its functions and further develop
its capacities. The consideration now being given to a
Regional Community Development Program is a case in point.
Two pilot programs for regional community development in
association with the local councils of Western Sydney and
Western/ North Western Melbourne regions have been begun
through a budget allocation of $ 1.5 million.
The programs are being undertaken in co-operation with the
New South Wales and Victorian Governments. As you would all
be aware, the regions singled out for the pilot program have
serious deficiencies in social and community facilities and
services, have large concentrations of low income earners,
and have high levels of unemployment and rapid population
growth. Importantly the Councils of the target areas despite
strained resources seem willing to work together in
tackling the longer-term problems of their regions'
development. If successful, the pilot ventures should help improve those
Councils capacities to participate in the advancement of
their regions. They could also assist local councils in
planning and budgeting for required activities, and help
them make more efficient and equitable the programs of the
State and Commonwealth Governments which affect their
regions. What is being sought through the pilot projects is the
development of effective co-operative processes.
While there have been hitches along the way, the projects,
if they can be made to work, should stimulate innovative
activity in terms of Local Government's role in housing,
economic enterprises and recreation facilities, as well as
providing a catalyst to essential research and information
activities by Local Governments.
If innovative approaches of this kind are to succeed we
cannot afford to ignore the most immediate needs of our
Local Government system. High among those needs must be
that for a better flow of local area information a key
resource for planning, managing and evaluating programs and
policies. Such information is crucially important as a ca, talyst to
effective processes of inter-governmental co-operation. it,
is, therefore, appropriate that the Department of
Territories and Local Government has given particular
priority to working with other departments and agencies at
the Federal level, and with the various State and Local
Government bodies, for the purpose of securing a more
regular and reliable provision of local area information.
It will be to the advantage of all areas of government to
secure the maximum possible progress and co-operation in the
provision of such data.
Good government will often hinge on the availability of
timely and accurate information. In the three tier system
of government such as we know in Australia, the effective
channeling of information between the various levels of
government can be of quite considerable importance.
As well, Local Government will only be able to participate
fully as a genuine partner in the nation's system of
government, if it is fully aware of actions by the Federal
Government affecting its particular sphere of interest.
The Department of Territories and Local Government has,
therefore, prepared and disseminated to all councils a
resume of the 1983/ 84 Budget's impact on Local Government.
Its release of the guide to " Commonwealth Government
Assistance for Local Projects" and the updating of the
" Digest of Local Government Statistics" should also prove
invaluable tools to many local councils.
This type of co-ordination in the provision of information
should become an ongoing part on the Commonwealth's
responsibility in its relationship with L. ocal Government.
Education and training is another important area in which
the Federal Government can provide assistance to Local
Government. Increased Federal assistance is being provided
through industry training councils, and through expanded
support for senior management training. The Federal
Government is also looking at developing a broader system of
staff exchange between the Commonwealth and Local Government
and the States.
Of particular interest to the Institute will be the fact
that this year the Government also increased the Local
Government Scholarship Scheme to provide assistance to
council officers and elected members to participate in
employment development and training programs run by the
Australian Centre for Local Government Studies at the
Canberra College of Advanced Education.
In this regard I think it important that we all acknowledge
the instrumental role played by the Institute in the
establishment of an educational program designed to further
the professional capacity and performance of local
government administrators and their staffs.
It was at your Institute's instigation that theCanberra
College of Advanced Education established the Australian
Centre of Local Government Studies in 1973. The Centre nowo
conducts courses in senior management that have attracted
participants not only from around Australia but also from
overseas. Other courses are held in conjunction with
Colleges of Advanced Education in the States.
The role of the Institute in raising qualification
standards, in the dissemination of information and in the
conduct of conferences, seminars, and training courses has
provided a particularly useful contribution to the labour
force development needs of Local Government.
The pressure for enhanced capacity at the Local Government
level is certain to increase. It is not only that there is
a need for all spheres of Government to co-operate in a
national program of economic reconstruction if we are to
sustain and diversify the recovery that is now under way.
It is also that there is increasing recognition that Local
Government should be directly involved in major programs of
national interest.
The Community Employment Program is a case in point. it
offers the opportunity for a very significant role for Local
Government. Through it Local Government can move beyond a
simple agency function towards a more active involvement in
the development of employment opportunities and expanded
employment and economic promotion activities.
The challenge to Local Government is to ensu-re that it is
adequately equipped to participate effectively in such
programs. The Federal Government will do what it can to
assist, but ultimately the reponsibility lies with Local
Government itself to take necessary action.
Like government at the National and State levels, Local
Government in Australia ha-s become significantly more
complex and significantly more involved in a whole range of
community issues associated with the provision of services.
The task before Local Government is one of becoming more
responsive to community perceptions and needs, developing
effective means of meeting new tasks and handling old ones
more satisfactorily, and of planning to create the best
possible environment for its citizens now and into the
future, including by preserving the best aspects of the
past. At the core of this lies the need for modern, effective
management. This is what your seminar with its theme
" Municipal Management Methods" is about. Your Institute's
new title also recognises the centrality of this aspect.
Through new insights and shared experience I should expect
you will all emerge from this Seminar better equipped to
deal effectively with the various, complex and diverse
interests of your communities.
It is important that you should; our program of building a
better Australia in partnership with our communities will in
large measure depend on it.