News
A new Working Paper series was launched in September 2006 and continues to be regularly contributed to by members of the Centre and scholars from across the globe. Subjects include:
- Financial sustainability;
- Infrastructure renewal;
- Skills shortages in regional and remote councils;
- Council restructuring, particlarly amalgamation;
- Comparative local government studies;
- Democratic theory;
- Leadership studies.Papers are available on-line in PDF format.
In late March/early-April 2009, UNE School of Law lecturer Brian Pape took his case against the funding of the Rudd Government's 'Nation Buliding and Jobs Plan' to the High Court. While ALGA President Geoff Lake expressed relief that the challenge to the funding was overturned, the long term implications could potentially spell far more secure funding arrangements between the federal and local government tiers in Australia's federal system.
For Councillor Lake's reactions to the decision, see the report in Government News;
An interview with Brian Pape in Councillor Magazine on the process and reasoning behind the challenge is also available for your persual here.
For a related argument on the legality of the Howard Government's Roads to Recovery funding, see UNE Centre for Local Government Working Paper 03-2006, 'An Assessment of the Australian Government's Roads to Recovery Program', by Brian Dollery, Bryan Pape and Joel Byrnes;
The full transcript of the High Court case is also available.
The final decision is due to be handed down in June.
For articles written for Councillor Magazine by members of the Centre in 2008, follow the link to News Archives.
Please also see Current Activities for what's happening.