Australia’s seven Capital City Councils share a number of common traits, not the least being their special position as focal point for the State. This being the case, it is vital that the two spheres of government, Local and State, work closely together, particularly in regard to major projects planned for the City centres.
In South Australia, a new Capital City Bill comes into place later this month. The Bill results from a Governance Review, concerning State/Capital City relations, that reported earlier this year.
One of the recommendations, now contained in the Bill, is the establishment of a Capital City Committee. It will comprise the Premier and two Ministers, together with the Lord Mayor and two Councillors. Rather than wait for the Bill to be officially passed, an Interim Committee was established in July and has begun meeting.
Meeting on a regular basis, it deals with major projects of State/Capital City importance. Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith said that in the past Adelaide City Council has often been wrongly blamed for decisions made by other spheres of government.
“It is vital that we can lobby and make submissions on decisions that could impact on the City, wider metropolitan area or State as a whole,” she said. “State or Federal closure of Offices will affect our retail sector, as will other planning matters such as building large shopping complexes in outlying areas.
“The Capital City Committee provides a formalised means to ensure that Council and the State Government are talking about matters that have a wider impact on the wellbeing of the State.”
Other Capital City Councils, including the City of Melbourne, have shown interest in developing the same model for State/Capital City dialogue.
