2005
Other Activities
The main focus of research in 2005 was the development of a joint ARC linkage project with the Catchment Management Authorities, DIPNR and local government in Northern NSW.
Given the present financial and other pressures on Australian local government, there was an urgent need for policy-orientated research into several important questions:
- Cost shifting in Australian local government, especially its causes, consequences, magnitude, and policy implications. PhD research into Unfunded Intergovernmental Mandates by Centre member Andrew Johnson was tackling this problem.
- Structural reform and an examination alternative models of local government to the present policy of amalgamation was being investigated by Centre Director Brian Dollery.
- An evaluation of the economics of municipal amalgamations in Australia was being undertaken by Brian Dollery and Dr Lin Crase.
- Local government failure and the use of performance indicators and other diagnostic tools to try to predict and reduce the incidence of failed councils was being investigated by Centre member David Murray.
- An evaluation of private sector provision of local government infrastructure in Australia was being conducted by John Cannadi and Brian Dollery.