I started work at LG Focus in February 2014 right after I graduated from university.
At the time I had a very limited understanding of the role, capacity and function of local government.
I knew the local council picked up my bins, and I also knew that they were the people to call when the tree outside my house was growing too close to the power lines.
Apart from those few situations that required me to get in touch with my nearest level of democracy, I honestly found it pretty easy to forget that local government even existed.
It only took a few days on the job for me to learn that there is more to councils than roads, rates and rubbish.
Every day I’m surprised by some of the projects, investments and initiatives that councils are working on to improve their local communities.
I’ve been impressed by robot classes in libraries, spectacular laneway art installations, fantastic park designs and many, many projects to improve environmental sustainability in councils.
While I was certainly benefiting from the services of local governments, I was for the most part not aware of how far their reach actually was.
I still occasionally find the scope of what local government is responsible for overwhelming.
Events like the National General Assembly of Local Government showed me that local governments can also function as a unit on a national level.
I’ve also had the pleasure of speaking to many great people who are working hard to better their communities.
By the time this edition is published I’ll be living in London, where councils are structured very differently but face similar challenges.
This time I’ll be keeping a closer eye out for local government’s reach in my neighborhood.
Thanks, Callum Glennen
