The recent Municipal Association of Victoria’s Future of Local Government National Summit, held in Melbourne on 29 and 30 June.
During procedings each State and Territory Local Government Association was urged to establish a group of interested officers and Councillors to:
- identify ‘strategic change’ options for the Local Government sector, and a preferred Local Government position, after conducting relevant analysis
- develop a ‘strategic change’ roadmap to transition to the future (at the Summit the concept of an independent Local Government Commission, appointed by Local Government, was discussed)
- promote dialogue and seek feedback from the sector in relation to these matters.
These groups will be focusing on ‘strategic change’ areas where, traditionally, Local Government does not have an identified position. This tends to leave a ‘gap’ on which other stakeholders usually act.
These areas include:
- amalgamation/consolidation
- shared services
- integrated service delivery
- funding strategies.
One point made at the Summit was that there is ‘talk’ of further Local Government amalgamations in the short to medium term.
In the past, after each amalgamation process has been announced, the usual response from the Local Government sector is that ‘amalgamation is not the answer’.
If this is so, Local Government may have a lot to gain by identifying what constitutes a ‘better way’ forward, as well as how to start moving in that direction.
For further information contact John Hennessy, MAV’s Manager Business Development on (03) 9667 5525.
